Battles of La Naval de Manila

Battle of La Naval de Manila, Battle of Manila Bay
Part of the Eighty Years' War
DateMarch 15, 1646 – October 4, 1646
Location
Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Commanders and leaders
Philip IV
Diego Chacón
Lorenzo de Orellana
Sebastián López
Spain Agustín de Cepeda
Cristobal Valenzuela
Francisco Esteyvar
Frederick Henry
Cornelis Lijn
Maarten Vries
Antonio Camb
Strength
  • 35 ships
    • 16 regular galleons
    • 3 fire ships
    • 16 launches
  • 470 guns (est.)
  • Second Squadron
    • 800 soldiers
Casualties and losses
15 dead 500 dead[1]
2 fire ships sunk
3 ships severely damaged

The Battles of La Naval de Manila or Battle of Manila Bay (Spanish: Batallas de las marinas de Manila) were a series of five naval battles fought in the waters of the Spanish East Indies in the year 1646, in which the forces of the Spanish Empire repelled various attempts by forces of the Dutch Republic to invade Manila, during the Eighty Years' War. The Spanish forces, which included many native volunteers, consisted of two, and later, three Manila galleons, a galley and four brigantines. They neutralized a Dutch fleet of nineteen warships, divided into three separate squadrons. Heavy damage was inflicted upon the Dutch squadrons by the Spanish forces, forcing the Dutch to abandon their invasion of the Philippines.

The victories against the Dutch invaders were attributed by the Spanish troops to the intercession of the Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of La Naval de Manila. On 9 April 1652, the victories in the five sea battles were declared a miracle by the Archdiocese of Manila after a thorough canonical investigation, giving rise to the centuries-old festivities of Our Lady of La Naval de Manila.

  1. ^ Recorded casualties in the second Dutch squadron only.—Vidal, Prudencio. (1888)

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