Precolonial era Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Lubao was said to have already been one of the most prosperous major settlements in Pampanga. It is also the oldest as well as the cradle of Kapampangan civilization. By 1571, Lubao was a heavily fortified settlement claimed to be under the rule of Datu Macabulus, the last chieftain of Lubao who was part of the Soliman clan of Lubao. It is also claimed that the Soliman clan were the origin of the rulers of Maynila, such as
Lakandula,
Rajah Matanda and
Rajah Sulayman, although this is not widely mentioned in scholarly works, except by historian John Larkin, who suggested that Rajah Sulayman was possibly from Lubao. Revolutionary leader of
Tarlac,
Francisco Macabulos, whose father himself was from Lubao, was a descendant of Datu Macabulus. According to Governor-General
Francisco de Sande, Lubao was the site of a major river in Pampanga, which helped the settlement produce large amounts of rice. By 1572, Lubao housed 3,500 people, who were described to be Moros, suggesting that
Islam had already reached Lubao by the time of Spanish conquest.
Spanish colonial era After the disastrous defeat at the
Battle of Bangkusay on June 3, 1571 between the Spanish and
Visayan mercenary forces of Legazpi and the combined Kapampangan-Tagalog fleet under Rajah Sulayman and
Tarik Sulayman of
Macabebe, Betis and Lubao remained defiant to Spanish rule, forcing the Spaniards to launch an invasion against them. After the
Francisco Maniago Revolt in October 1660, the people of Lubao was successfully persuaded by
Juan Macapagal of
Arayat to end their participation in the revolt. As a result of the revolt, Governor-General
Sabiniano Manrique de Lara ordered the construction of a fort in Lubao called the Fortaleza de Mamalas, to serve as a garrison fort for any future revolts in the town. In January, Silvestre Liwanag reported the presence of armed groups of the
Aguman ding Maldang Talapagobra stationed in the nearby mountains carrying homemade guns and stolen rifles from hacienderos in defiance to Japanese rule in Lubao, in which Liwanag would later join the group. These groups were later incorporated into the
Hukbalahap, the leading communist resistance guerrilla organization at the time. ==Geography==