The remaining Catholic natives in Ternate and Tidore were resettled by the Spanish in the communities of Ternate and Tanza, Cavite, Manila in 1663 when the Spanish evacuated the islands under threat of invasion by the Dutch-allied Muslim sultanates. Most were enslaved or expelled to Batavia (modern Jakarta) and Java when the Dutch Empire conquered Ambon in 1605. The Merdicas (also spelled Mardicas or Mardikas), whose name comes from the same etymon, were also the Catholic native inhabitants of the islands of Ambon, Ternate, and Tidore of the Moluccas in modern-day Indonesia, converted during the Portuguese and Spanish occupation of the islands by Jesuit missionaries. The Malay term mandulika, also meant "governor". In some Indo-Malayan languages, as well as the languages of the Muslim areas of the Philippines, the cognates mardika, merdeka, merdeheka, and maradika mean "freedom" or "freemen" (as opposed to servitude). Like timawa, the term also has connotations of "freeman" or "freed slave" in both Filipino and Malay languages. Contrary to modern definitions, it did not refer to the ruling class, but rather to a warrior class (which were minor nobility) of the Tagalog people, directly equivalent to Visayan timawa. The term maharlika is a loanword from Sanskrit maharddhika (महर्द्धिक), a title meaning "man of wealth, knowledge, or ability". Īfter the Spanish conquest, the Spanish translated the name maharlika as Hidalgos (or libres). Similar high-status warriors in other Philippine societies like that of the Bagobo and the Bukidnon did not inherit their positions, but were acquired through martial prowess. The historian William Henry Scott believes that the class originated from high-status warriors who married into the maginoo blood or were perhaps remnants of the nobility class of a conquered line. He distinguished them from the hereditary nobility class of the Tagalogs (the maginoo class, which included the datu).
The only other contemporary account of the maharlika class was by the Franciscan friar Juan de Plasencia in the 16th century. The earliest appearance of the term is manlica mentioned in the Boxer Codex with the meaning of "freeman".
#Dato boxer free#
In contrast, the timawa were free to change allegiances at any time, as exemplified by the action of Rajah Humabon upon the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan. While the maharlika could change allegiances by marriage or by emigration like the timawa, they were required to host a feast in honor of their current datu and paid a sum ranging from six to eighteen pieces of gold before they could be freed from their obligations. Unlike the timawa, however, the maharlika were more militarily-oriented than the timawa nobility of the Visayas. The maharlika may also occasionally be obligated to work on the lands of the datu and assist in projects and other events in the community. 1/5 of the spoils goes to the Ginoo and the 4/5 will be shared among the Maharlikans who participated, who in turn will subdivide their shares to their own warriors. They accompanied their ruler in battles as comrades-at-arms and were always given a share. In times of war, the maharlika were obligated to provide and prepare weapons at their own expense and answer the summons of the datu, wherever and whenever that might be, in exchange for a share in the war spoils ( ganima). Like the timawa, they were free vassals of their datu who were exempt from taxes and tribute but were required to provide military service. The maharlika were a martial class of freemen.
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