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The historical term "Lucoesan" (or Luçoes / Luzones) refers to the native warriors and merchants from Luzon, Philippines, who served as elite soldiers and royal bodyguards in the Ayutthaya Kingdom (ancient Siam) during the 16th century. [1, 2]

During this era, Ayutthaya was a prosperous global trading hub. The Siamese kings regularly employed fierce, highly skilled foreign mercenaries—most notably the Luzones and Japanese samurai—to guard the royal palaces, protect the city walls, and fight in the frequent Thai-Burmese wars. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Key Roles of the Lucoesan Guard

• Royal Bodyguards: They provided highly trusted security details for the Siamese king and the royal elite, insulating the throne from local political coup attempts. [1, 2]
• Defenders of the Capital: They heavily fortified the Ayutthaya City Walls and strategic strongholds like Pomphet Fort against foreign invaders. [1]
• Frontline Shock Troops: Alongside Kapampangan warriors, they were deployed to counter Burmese military advances during the intense sieges of the 16th century. [1]

 

 

 

During the 16th century, the ancient capital of Ayutthaya in Siam (Thailand) was aided and defended by Lucoes (or Luzones) warriors—mercenaries and traders from pre-colonial Luzon in the Philippines. Historical accounts note that these Southeast Asian fighters served as valued military assets during regional conflicts. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

 

The Role of Lucoes Warriors

• Merchants and Mercenaries: People from Luzon traveled widely across maritime Southeast Asia as active traders and sought-after military specialists. [1, 2]

• Participation in Siam: Historical chronicles indicate that Luzon warriors fought alongside the armies of Ayutthaya during the tumultuous 16th-century conflicts against invading forces, including Burmese campaigns. [1, 2]

• Combat Reputation: Contemporary Portuguese and regional accounts praised the Luções as fierce, highly capable combatants skilled in close-quarters warfare and early firearms. [1, 2]

 

The Lucoes: The Forgotten Filipino Empire That Controlled Asia 

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Secret Templar Maps Behind Portugal’s Age of Discovery

 

Could Templar maps and geographical knowledge have survived through the Order of Christ and influenced Portuguese navigation during the Age of Discovery? We follow the story from the Knights Templar and the Temple Mount to ancient geographical knowledge, Ptolemy, Phoenician sailors, medieval portolan charts, the cartographers of Majorca and Portugal's maritime expansion. We also examine the voyages of Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese navigation technique known as the Volta do Mar, and two extraordinary surviving maps: the Cantino Planisphere of 1502 and the Piri Reis map of 1513. Piri Reis claimed that his famous world map was compiled from much older sources, including Portuguese charts, material associated with Christopher Columbus and maps he believed dated back to the time of Alexander the Great. Did the Knights Templar possess maps and navigational knowledge that later helped Portugal during the Age of Discovery?

 

 

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