Teacher pack: Spanish rule

FSM HistoryLesson pack 2 of 10

Spanish rule 1886–1899

Summary

After Pope Leo XIII mediated between Spain and Germany in 1885, Spain ruled the Caroline Islands from two small posts, on Yap and at Kolonia on Pohnpei. Pohnpeians fought three wars under Spanish rule: Sokehs and Net men destroyed a Spanish column in 1887, Madolenihmw fighters killed a detachment at Ohwa in 1890, and in 1898 a war at Awak split the island along church and chiefdom lines. Spain took no part in the copra trade and did not try to run Kosrae’s internal affairs, and after losing its 1898 war with the United States it sold the islands to Germany.

Main topics: A German flag on Yap triggered papal mediation; Spain governed from two small outposts; Pohnpei fought Spain three times; Spain sold the islands after losing to the US.

Full chapter: Spanish rule

Mini-timeline

Key events, 1886–1899, with one source each
1885	(26 Feb) The Spanish ship Velasco (Butrón) makes an exploratory voyage to Yap, gathering ethnographic data. [MicSem ship list: Yap]
1886	(10 Jan) Gaceta de Madrid publishes the Rome protocol (signed 17 Dec 1885), confirming Spanish sovereignty and German trade and settlement rights. [Gaceta de Madrid, 10 Jan 1886]
1887	(4 Apr) First public Mass in the colony church, on Palm Sunday; the first baptism follows about two weeks later. [MicSem, Spanish Capuchins]
1887	(Spring) Posadillo arrests American missionary Edward Doane and deports him to Manila. [MicSem, Catholic Church: Pohnpei]
1890	(25 Jun) Madolenihmw fighters kill Lt. Marcelo Porras’s detachment at Ohwa: 28 dead (Moya), 33 (Habele) or 34 (Cabello). [Moya 1891]
1890	Awane Sa II begins his reign, which lasts until 1910. [Kosrae history outline]
1892	(Jan) The mission moves to Maap, where the church of San José is built at Toruw. [MicSem, Catholic Church: Yap]
1894	(11 Jan) St. Francis mission station opens at Denipei, Sokehs. [MicSem, Catholic Church: Pohnpei]
1896	(About Apr) The Soulik of Awak (Chaulik) and some of his people are baptized. [MicSem, Catholic Church: Pohnpei]
1898	(10 Dec) A secret Spanish–German accord prepares the sale of the Carolines, price still to be set. [Pozuelo 1998]
1899	(24 Jun (published 29 Jun)) Spanish law authorizes ceding the Carolines, Palau and the Marianas except Guam for 25 million pesetas. [Gaceta de Madrid, 29 Jun 1899]
1899	German rule over Kosrae begins, lasting until 1914. [Kosrae history outline]

Discussion questions

Why did a German flag on Yap lead to a decision by the Pope?
What caused the 1887 uprising on Pohnpei, according to the sources?
How did church rivalry become tied to rivalry between chiefdoms?
Spain governed from two small outposts. What did that mean for Kosrae and Chuuk?
Spanish records name Spanish dead but few Pohnpeian dead. How does that shape what we can know?

Quiz

Circle one letter for each multiple-choice question. Write short answers on the lines. For ordering questions, fill the boxes in order, earliest first.

Who mediated the 1885 quarrel between Spain and Germany over the Caroline Islands?
From which two places did Spain govern the Carolines?
1. A Yap and Pohnpei
2. B Chuuk and Kosrae
3. C Guam and Saipan
4. D Kosrae and Yap
According to the sources, what set off the strike and fighting on Pohnpei in 1887?
Put these in order, earliest first:
1. A Madolenihmw fighters kill a Spanish detachment at Ohwa
2. B Spain sells the islands to Germany
3. C Governor Posadillo lands at Pohnpei and founds the colony at today’s Kolonia
Earliest Latest
In the 1898 fighting at Awak, which two Pohnpeian chiefdoms fought alongside Spain, and what does that show?

Teacher copyLesson pack 2 of 10

Teacher copy Spanish rule, 1886–1899

Answer key

Each answer, with the explanation and where it comes from on this site.

Who · Short answer

Who mediated the 1885 quarrel between Spain and Germany over the Caroline Islands?

Answer: Pope Leo XIII. His proposal confirmed Spanish sovereignty and guaranteed Germany’s rights to trade and settle.

Source: Spanish rule chapter: “A German flag on Yap triggered papal mediation”
Where · Multiple choice

From which two places did Spain govern the Carolines?

Answer: A. Yap was the seat of the Western Carolines and Pohnpei of the Eastern Carolines.

Source: Spanish rule chapter: “Spain governed from two small outposts”
Why · Short answer

According to the sources, what set off the strike and fighting on Pohnpei in 1887?

Answer: Forced labor. Men of Sokehs and Net then wiped out a Spanish column.

(The exact day of the attack is disputed, 30 June or 1 July, so the question asks only for the cause. See the timeline entry.)

Source: Spanish rule chapter: “Pohnpei fought Spain three times”
Which came first · Ordering

Put these in order, earliest first:

Answer: C (1887), A (1890), B (1899).

Source: Spanish rule chapter: “Pohnpei fought Spain three times”, “Spain sold the islands after losing to the US”
What changed · Short answer

In the 1898 fighting at Awak, which two Pohnpeian chiefdoms fought alongside Spain, and what does that show?

Answer: Net and Sokehs. It shows that rivalry between the churches had become a stand-in for rivalry between chiefdoms. (In 1887, Sokehs and Net men had fought against Spain.)

Source: Spanish rule chapter: “Pohnpei fought Spain three times”