Antonio de Morga | |
---|---|
Born | Antonio de Morga Sánchez Garay 29 November 1559 Seville, Crown of Castile |
Died | 21 July 1636 Quito, Viceroyalty of Peru | (aged 76)
Occupation | Colonial official, lawyer and writer |
Language | Spanish |
Citizenship | Spanish |
Alma mater | University of Osuna University of Salamanca |
Antonio de Morga Sánchez Garay (29 November 1559 – 21 July 1636) was a Spanish soldier, lawyer and a high-ranking colonial official for 43 years, in the Philippines (1594 to 1604), New Spain and Peru, where he was president of the Real Audiencia for 20 years.
He was also a historian. After being reassigned to Mexico, he published the book Sucesos de las islas Filipinas in 1609, considered one of the most important works on the early history of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines.[1] As Deputy Governor in the Philippines, he restored the audencia. He took over the function of judge or oidor. He also took command of Spanish ships in a 1600 naval battle against Dutch corsairs, but suffered defeat and barely survived.
His history was first published in English in 1868; numerous editions have been published in English, including a 1907 edition that is online at the Gutenberg Project[1]. It has also been reprinted in Spanish and other languages.