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The trans-imperial biography of César Falliet: a life between global cities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2020

Kristie Patricia Flannery*
Affiliation:
Department of History, University of British Columbia, 1873 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z1, Canada
*
*Corresponding author. Email: kristie.flannery@utexas.edu

Abstract

César Falliet's trans-imperial biography sheds light on the dynamics of belonging in early modern Manila, a city that was both a cosmopolitan centre of trade and a stronghold of Spanish colonial power. Falliet's integration into Manila's social world depended on his ability to convince elites that he was Catholic, loyal to the Spanish king and useful to his empire; attributes that he proved by fighting Islamic and Protestant pirates. These credentials were ultimately tested in five theatres: Manila, Batavia, India, the Americas and the Sulu Zone. Manila's inter-Asian and transpacific ties profoundly shaped foreigners’ lives in the city.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press.

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Footnotes

The author would like to thank scholars, friends and the editors of this Special Issue who offered useful critiques and suggestions for improving early drafts of this article, including Jorge Cañizares, Jane Mangan, Titas Chakraborty, Jesse Olsavsky, Emma Hart and Mariana Dantas.

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39 The Igorots were the indigenous inhabitants of the Cordillera mountain range in Luzon. Perhaps witnesses chose this term instead of ‘indios’ to suggest that Falliet was engaging with ‘uncivilized’ indigenous people. Ibid., fols. 6r–7v.

40 Ibid., fols. 35r–39r.

41 Ibid., fols. 11v–14v.

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49 Méritos: Juan de Morales y Severiche (1753), AGI Indiferente 154, N.11.

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62 Proceso de fe de César Fallet (1758), fols. 77r–79v.

63 Ibid.

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69 Ibid., fols. 56v–57r.

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94 Ibid., fol. 57.

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