Controversy Of Valladolid
The Controversy of Valladolid is essentially a debate between the Dominican Bartolom de Las Casas and the theologian Juan Gines de Sepulveda in two sessions a month each (one in 1550 and another in 1551 ) College San Gregorio de Valladolid. It brought together theologians, lawyers and administrators of the kingdom, so that, according to the wishes of Charles V , he treats and talks about how the gains should be in the New World, by hanging him, they are conducted with Justice and Security aware .
Summary |
Background
Abuses by settlers
Since the discovery of pre-Columbian populations in 1492 , Columbus wrote of them:
"They brought us parrots , the bales of cotton , of spears and many other things, they exchanged cons of glass beads and bells . They exchanged good heart whatever they had. They were well built, with bodies and faces smooth graceful .
The challenge
Early in the sixteenth century , voices were heard to condemn the atrocities committed on Indians: Antonio Montesinos denounced the injustices he witnessed in announcing the "voice crying in the wilderness of this island, it's me and I tell you that you are all in a state of mortal sin because of your cruelty to an innocent race " . Antonio Montesinos, in 1511 did not hesitate to deny the sacraments to the unworthy encomienderos and threaten them with excommunication. He was recalled to Spain, but the Crown obtains the promulgation of laws of Burgos in 1512, which require better working conditions for Indians, but these laws are not more respected than the previous .
Former encomiendero, Las Casas is committed against this system and makes itself known little by little he was named defender of the Indians in 1516 by Cardinal Cisneros in 1520, Charles V granted him Cumana on the Venezuelan territory to implement his theories peaceful settlement by farmers and missionaries. But for a lack of Bartolome de Las Casas, the Indians took the opportunity to kill several settlers. Feeling guilty he retired for 16 years and became a Dominican.
Meanwhile, Pope Paul III , by bubbles ipsa Veritas ( 2 June 1537 ) and Sublime Deus (on 9 June 1537 ), condemns Indian slavery and asserts their right as human beings, freedom and property.
Torn between the influential groups defending the economic interests and those who publicize abuses by settlers, Charles V after banning slavery, promulgates New Law in November 1542 that put the Indians under the protection of the Crown of Spain and require the viceroys of Peru and tribunals of Lima and Guatemala to take action against abuse encomienderos and no longer allocate new encomiendas . These laws cause an uprising encomienderos and the death of Viceroy of Peru.
Juan Gines de Sepulveda , based on Aristotle wrote Causes of Just War Against the Indians treated when he defends the corporate conquest as a necessity and a duty because Spain had a moral duty to lead, by force if necessary, local people saw it immature, lacking moral sense in view of the observations reported by travelers on their habits Las Casas replica publishing a treatise: Thirty legal proposals (Treinta proposicion muy jurdicas) Charles Quint suspends colonization and directs the Valladolid debate on the legitimacy of the institutional conquest.
Debate
The humanity of Indians, the existence of their souls were never the subject of debate (Pope Paul III had claimed) since otherwise, Sepulveda never mentioned the duty to evangelize and do would never extended much on their "sin of idolatry."
The debate brings together a panel of theologians, lawyers and directors, seven members of the Judges Council of the Indies , two inquisitors of the Supreme Royal Council , a director of the Council of the great orders of chivalry, three Dominican theologians (from the school of Salamanca ), a Franciscan theologian and bishop. However, it is dominated by figures of Las Casas and Sepulveda.
Las Casas as Juan Gines de Sepulveda agree on the duty incumbent upon conversion of the Indians to the Spaniards but differ on how to get there: colonization and peaceful life for the first copy and institutional settlement where the force is legitimized by the realism and the nature of pre-Columbian civilizations, for the second.
Las Casas supported the application of the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas that After the debate The discussion of "fair shares" does not simply meet the scruples of conscience of the Kings, alerted by well-meaning clergymen, but also the need to justify Spanish expansion to other European states. After the Controversy of Valladolid, there is a slowdown in conquests but is mainly due to the fact that the two great civilizations of pre-Columbian Mexico and Peru, being conquered, the remaining territories were composed of forest and desert areas of little interest in the Empire. The intellectual debate from the Valladolid controversy inspired the Leyes Nuevas de America, a compilation of more than 6000 laws in nine books. The sincere concern of Bartolome de las Casas to save the Indians had preserved (compared to North American Anglo-Saxon, etc.) but paradoxically, it is the cause, not of birth but the generalization the Slave Trade to America: unable to use the Indians as slave laborers, the Spaniards seeking slaves and establish contacts with African slave traders, Portuguese, Genoese, French ... who sell over many centuries enslaved millions. Henri Grgoire categorically denies this implication of Las Casas in the generalization of the slave trade. He said the accusation brought against Las Casas is a slander a complete fabrication based on the writings of Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas. intellectually Las Casas in 1552 published his Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies in which he described the abuses of conquistadors. This book, published widely and commented to the Netherlands and Great Britain is the cause of the Black Legend of Spanish colonization and serve as a moral argument for these powers to fight against Spain, attempt to take his place America and divert attention from the crimes of their own colonization. In Protestant countries, this book will serve as an argument to present the Spanish Catholic country, as retrograde and obscurantist. Territorial Plan
in human terms
Adaptations romanticized
See also
Bibliography
External Links
References
Loading ...