Reign 1558–1571 House Kingdom of Maynila Predecessor Rajah Sulaiman I | Died 1572 Successor Rajah Sulayman | |
Similar Rajah Sulayman, Magat Salamat, Lakandula | ||
Rajah Ache, better known by his title Rajah Matanda, (1480–1572) was a sovereign of the Kingdom of Maynila, a pre-Hispanic Tagalog polity along the Pasig River in what is now Manila, Philippines.
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Together with Rajah Sulayman and Lakan Dula, he was one of three kings that ruled parts of present-day Manila, and fought against the Spanish Empire's colonisation of the Philippines.
Names
Rajah is an Indianized term for the kingdom. "Rajah Matandâ" means "old king" in Tagalog. Spanish records refer to him as Rajah Ache el Viejo (King Ache the Old). He is also sometimes referred to as Rajah Laya, a name derived from Ladyang Matanda - an alternative pronunciation of his title.
Rule
When the Spanish explorer Martín de Goiti arrived in 1570, Rajah Matanda had already ceded his authority to his nephew and heir apparent, Rajah Sulaiman III. He still retained considerable influence, as did his brother Lakan Dula who ruled the Kingdom of Tondo across the river.
Death
In August 1572, Rajah Matanda fell ill and requested to be baptised into the Catholic Church. In the same year, he succumbed to his illness.