Middle ages The island was called Malindig in Tagalog and Malindog in Visayan languages. It was likely a constituent of the Kingdom of Luzon, due to the immediate Spanish claims to the island after the fall of Manila in May 1570. It is possible that there were nobility who ruled Malindig since there were principalia or princely figures in Marinduque during Spanish rule.
Spanish rule From the Visayan name Malindog, Marinduque became the name of the island in Castilian. In 1571,
Governor-General Miguel López de Legaspi had entrusted (
encomienda) Marinduque to Fr. Pedro de Herrera, the first
Augustinian priest who introduced Christianity to Marinduqueños. Marinduque was part of the province of
Balayan (now Batangas) in the 16th century, and of
Mindoro from the 17th to 19th century.
Antoine-Alfred Marche, a French naturalist, carried out an archaeological investigation in Marinduque from April to July 1881. An abundant yield of urns, vases, gold ornaments, skulls, and other ornaments were found. He brought these to France in 40 crates. Part of it is said to be housed at the ''
Musée de l'Homme ("museum of man") in France. The finds also included an image of wooden polytheistic religious statues (anito
) which at the time were already called pastores'' by Marinduqueños. One of the artifacts found by Marche also found its way to the
National Museum of Natural History of the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. (Catalogue No. A127996-0, Department of Anthropology, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution). Fragile jarlets that were found were said to have travelled from China to Marinduque. Buried in a cave for centuries and excavated in the late 19th century, these were brought to Paris and one was then brought to the Smithsonian Institution museum.
First Philippine Republic Marinduque, governed through the province of Mindoro, was a constituent of the first Philippine Republic from January 1899 to April 1901 under Pres.
Emilio Aguinaldo. During the
Philippine–American War, Marinduque was the first province where American invaders established
concentration camps. In the
Battle of Pulang Lupa, under the direction of Colonel
Maximo Abad, 250 Filipino soldiers defeated 54 American infantrymen.
American rule in 1918, showing Marinduque as part of the province Col. Abad after capturing the Americans later surrendered on 15 April 1901, upon orders from Pres. Aguinaldo and due to the capture of Gov. Martin Lardizabal and two other officials who were held hostage by the Americans at
Fort Santiago. On 23 June 1902, by virtue of Act No. 423, the US-Philippine Commission annexed the islands of
Mindoro (now two separate provinces) and
Lubang (now part of
Occidental Mindoro) to the province. Four months later, on the 10th of November, Marinduque was annexed to the province of
Tayabas (now Quezon) by virtue of Act No. 499. On 21 February 1920, Act No. 2280 was passed by the
Philippine Congress, reestablishing Marinduque as a separate province. According to
Henry Otley Beyer, an American anthropologist, while many other accidental discoveries and finds have been recorded from time to time and European and Filipino scientists had casually explored a few burial caves and sites, no systematic work had been done anywhere else prior to these explorations. After Marche, the next important archaeological work was undertaken by Dr. Carl Gunthe in the
Visayas Island Group in 1922.
Commonwealth of the Philippines In November 1935, Marinduque became a province of the Commonwealth of the Philippines under Pres. Manuel Quezon. The
Philippine Commonwealth Army was stationed in the province; the general headquarters was active from 1935 to 1942.
Japanese occupation In 1942, during the
Second World War,
Japanese Imperial forces landed on Marinduque. The province was re-annexed to Tayabas, but re-established as an independent province in 1945.
Second Philippine Republic In October 1943, Marinduque became a province of the
Second Philippine Republic under President
Jose P. Laurel. The sovereign, however, was the Japanese emperor. In 1945, combined American and Filipino troops liberated the province from Japanese forces, returning the province to the Commonwealth of the Philippines under President
Sergio Osmeña. In addition to the return of the
Philippine Commonwealth Army, the
Philippine Constabulary was also stationed in the province. These were active from 1945 to 1946.
Third Philippine Republic to present Archaeological findings that help inform Marinduque's history are exhibited at the Marinduque Museum in Poblacion at Boac and in foreign museums. The artifacts are to be analysed to aid the historiography of the island and the province. ==Geography==