EXPLORER

Ruy López de Villalobos

1500 - 1544

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Ruy López de Villalobos (Spanish pronunciation: [ruj ˈlopeθ ðe βiʝaˈloβos]; c. 1500 – 23 April 1546) was a Spanish explorer who led a failed attempt to colonize the Philippines in 1544, attempting to assert Spanish control there under the terms of the treaties of Tordesillas and Zaragoza. Unable to feed his men through barter, raiding, or farming and unable to request resupply from Mexico due to poor knowledge of the Pacific's winds and currents, Villalobos abandoned his mission and fled to the Portuguese-held Moluccas, where he died in prison. He is chiefly remembered for some sources crediting him with naming Leyte the "Philippine Island" in honor of the Spanish crown prince Philip (later King Philip II). Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Ruy López de Villalobos has received more than 427,725 page views. His biography is available in 25 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 23 in 2019). Ruy López de Villalobos is the 164th most popular explorer (up from 218th in 2019), the 643rd most popular biography from Spain (up from 788th in 2019) and the 31st most popular Spanish Explorer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 430k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 56.90

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 25

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 4.03

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.83

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among EXPLORERS

Among explorers, Ruy López de Villalobos ranks 164 out of 498. Before him are Ahmad ibn Rustah, Isabelle Eberhardt, Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir, Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie, Atlantic voyage of the predecessor of Mansa Musa, and St John Philby. After him are Gustav Nachtigal, Luís Vaz de Torres, Niccolò de' Conti, James Bruce, Lancelotto Malocello, and Henri Mouhot.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1500, Ruy López de Villalobos ranks 24. Before him are Reginald Pole, Francisco Serrão, Paris Bordone, Abu'l-Hasan Ali of Granada, Margarita Luti, and Gaspar de Lemos. After him are Jan Mandijn, Fernão do Pó, Elizabeth Blount, Muhammad XIII of Granada, Nuno Gonçalves, and Tielman Susato. Among people deceased in 1544, Ruy López de Villalobos ranks 7. Before him are Jungjong of Joseon, Hwang Jini, Manco Inca Yupanqui, Clément Marot, Antoine, Duke of Lorraine, and Johannes Magnus. After him are Pedro Damiano, Valerius Cordus, Louis V, Elector Palatine, Antonio de Guevara, Bonaventure des Périers, and Teofilo Folengo.

Others Born in 1500

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Others Deceased in 1544

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In Spain

Among people born in Spain, Ruy López de Villalobos ranks 643 out of 3,355. Before him are Sisenand (605), José Ángel Iribar (1943), Josep Pla (1897), David de Gea (1990), Antonio de Cabezón (1510), and Manuel Fraga (1922). After him are Ángel Nieto (1947), Diego Laynez (1512), Isabella of Aragon, Queen of Germany (1305), Ramón Serrano Suñer (1901), Ferdinand de la Cerda (1255), and Pedro Arrupe (1907).

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Among EXPLORERS In Spain

Among explorers born in Spain, Ruy López de Villalobos ranks 31. Before him are Francisco Hernández de Córdoba (1500), Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada (1509), Juan de Grijalva (1480), Andrés de Urdaneta (1498), Sebastián de Belalcázar (1480), and Rodrigo de Triana (1469). After him are Paulo da Gama (1465), Gerónimo de Aguilar (1489), Francisco de Bobadilla (1500), Pedro Arias Dávila (1443), Francisco de Montejo (1479), and Rodrigo de Bastidas (1460).

Spanish born Explorers

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