Kingdom of Maynila

Maynila, also known as Fort Seludong (Old Malay: Kota Seludong, Jawi script: کوتا سلودوڠ), was one of three major polities that dominated the area by the lower reaches and mouth of the Pasig River before the arrival of Spanish colonizers in the 16th century. It was a vassal polity of the Bruneian Empire. It is the site of present-day Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines.

Etymology

Early records claim that Maynila was named after the Yamstick Mangrove (Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea, formerly named Ixora manila blanco), whose local name was "nila" or "nilad", by the time the Spanish colonizers arrived in the late 16th century. The name "maynila" itself transliterates as "There is nila (here)", and an alternative name for the place is "maynilad." Emma Helen Blair, in the multi-volume collection of Philippine documents The Philippine Islands, notes "the name Manila is derived from a Tagalog word, ' Manilad ', meaning 'a place overgrown with Nilad' which is the name of a small tree, bearing white flowers" - a description that matches Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea/Ixora manila.