WI: Philippines is Partitioned between Portugal and Spain

[kasumigenx]

I have been reading and talking with historians and it turned out that Portugal discovered Luzon and Mindanao prior to the Spanish, what if the Portuguese decided to concede Visayas and Palawan to the Castilians and decided to colonize Luzon and Mindanao instead of fighting to get all of the Philippines, what would be their effects in the Portuguese Empire as a whole.

Does this scenario even need for John Manuel of Portugal to reign or just for King Sebastian to have different regents to be actually a viable solution for the Portuguese?

 

[TheWitheredStriker]

IIRC, the Portuguese actually attempted to enforce their claim to the Philippines during the reign of Sebastian. They lost a naval battle (or blockade) against the Spaniards and subsequently left the archipelago.

I've toyed around in a previous thread with the idea of Magellan sailing for Portugal instead of Spain (which is what he actually wanted to do until Manuel I told him to fuck off). This would've lead to an entirely Portuguese Philippines though (so not to a partition), and a poster in the replies argued that Portugal probably wouldn't realistically have let Magellan sail for them anyway because they would've gained nothing from it.

As to your question, I honestly don't think such a partition is plausible or even functional. You'd end up with a Castilian/Spanish colony sandwiched between two separate Portuguese holdings to both its north and south, which strikes me as a bizarre and undesirable set-up. This might become even more of a mess if an Iberian Union still arises. Don't get me wrong, it's a unique idea, but I don't really see it happening.

 

[kasumigenx]

IIRC, the Portuguese actually attempted to enforce their claim to the Philippines during the reign of Sebastian. They lost a naval battle (or blockade) against the Spaniards and subsequently left the archipelago.

I've toyed around in a previous thread with the idea of Magellan sailing for Portugal instead of Spain (which is what he actually wanted to do until Manuel I told him to fuck off). This would've lead to an entirely Portuguese Philippines though (so not to a partition), and a poster in the replies argued that Portugal probably wouldn't realistically have let Magellan sail for them anyway because they would've gained nothing from it.

As to your question, I honestly don't think such a partition is plausible or even functional. You'd end up with a Castilian/Spanish colony sandwiched between two separate Portuguese holdings to both its north and south, which strikes me as a bizarre and undesirable set-up. This might become even more of a mess if an Iberian Union still arises. Don't get me wrong, it's a unique idea, but I don't really see it happening.

Luzon is plausible for Portugal though because they can make it a stop over before they go to Macau.

 

[TheWitheredStriker]

Luzon is plausible for Portugal though because they can make it a stop over before they go to Macau.

Definitely, but I can't see Spain willingly allowing Portugal to surround its Philippine holdings from all directions.

I'm not entirely sure what could drive Portugal to go after Luzon. My best bet, again, is Magellan, but that leaves us with the same issues I mentioned earlier (no Spain in the Philippines and Portugal would not be interested).

 

[kasumigenx]

Definitely, but I can't see Spain willingly allowing Portugal to surround its Philippine holdings from all directions.

I'm not entirely sure what could drive Portugal to go after Luzon. My best bet, again, is Magellan, but that leaves us with the same issues I mentioned earlier (no Spain in the Philippines and Portugal would not be interested).

A better POD for Spain and Portugal for that is for Don Carlos to rule Portugal and claim the Philippines instead which would butterfly the Legaspi expedition which would require King Sebastian to die young.