Christopher Columbus And The First Scenario Of Colonization

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND THE FIRST SCENARIO OF COLONIZATION: HISPANIOLA AND THE CARIBBEAN
- Christopher Columbus The Catholic Monarchs and the Capitulations of Santa Fe
- Spanish Voyages of Exploration Treaty of Tordesillas
- First Scenario of Colonization: Hispaniola Government Churchmen and Laws of Burgos
- Medieval Documents

Texts: Bakewell, pp. 97-125 Mills et al., pp.27-33

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

Cristoforo Colombo (Genoese, born in 1451), sailor, and lived in Portugal in the 1470s. There, he married into a rich family from Italian origins, the Perestrelos. He had a vast experience as sailor.

The Catholic Monarchs and the Capitulations of Santa Fe

Columbus tried to persuade John II of Portugal
to support his expedition to Cipangu (Japan) in 1484. In 1486, he tried to receive the economic funding from the Spanish Catholic Monarchs. In 1492, the monarchs and Columbus signed the Capitulations of Santa Fe. Official support for his expedition, the Monarchs made him their admiral and conferred him a noble status.

SPANISH VOYAGES OF EXPLORATION

Columbus and his expedition discovered the Americas (Bahamas Islands) in 1492.
The first of four voyages: 1492, 1493, 1498, and 1502.
In 1493 he came back to the New World with an impressive fleet of 17 ships and 1,200 men. It was a venture of colonization. Due to the destruction of his fortress of La Navidad (created in 1492, in Hispaniola today’s Haiti), he erected the first European-American town: Isabela (in Hispaniola, Dominican Republic).

Columbus believed that he had a monopoly of exploration along the coasts in the new World. In the sixteenth century there were new expeditions by Portuguese and Spaniards. In 1500, Pedro Alvares Cabral discovered Brazil. In 1513 Juan Ponce de León arrived in Florida and Núñez de Balboa ‘discovered’ the Pacific Ocean. Numerous expeditions occurred between the 1520s and
1540s.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

Spaniards and Portuguese divided the world by signing the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. 370 leagues west of Cape Verde should be Spanish and the east of such meridian, Portuguese. New Treaty of Zaragoza in 1529, Portugal and Spain agreed a continuation of the line of Tordesillas. The Philippines became Spanish territory.

FIRST SCENARIO OF COLONIZATION: HISPANIOLA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Bartolome Columbus began the building of the city of Santo Domingo (in Hispaniola) in 1496. In 1502, Nicolás de Ovando the second governor of the Island arrived in Hispaniola. In 1508 at least 10,000 Spaniards lived in the island. In 1511, Diego Velázquez began the colonization of the Island of Cuba (Fernandina).

Government

In 1500, Francisco de Bobadilla royal representative initiated the period of decline of Columbus’ power in Hispaniola. In 1502, a new officer arrived in Santo Domingo: Nicolás de Ovando. He created settlements in Hispaniola. He also removed the local indigenous power.

In 1503, House of Trade was created in Seville to deal with New World’s matters (trading and taxation).

Columbus had initiated a policy of ‘repartimientos’ (allocation of Amerindian labor force) in 1497-1499. These Amerindian workers were considered ‘free people’ but forced to work for Spaniards. This was the origin of the encomienda system (entrustment). In 1504 he began to allocate Amerindian workers for mining and farming.

In 1511, King Ferdinand created the first Audiencia in Santo Domingo, as a court of appeals and a balance of power with respect to the influence of the Spanish elite in Hispaniola.

Churchmen and Laws of Burgos of 1512-1513

In 1509 various churches existed in Hispaniola.
First bishop arrived in America in 1511, That year, in Hispaniola, a Dominican, Antonio de Montesinos preached his sermon in which he condemned the encomienda system (as an example of exploitation).

King Ferdinand called on a Junta (meeting). This Junta met in Burgos in 1512 enacted an important law: The Law of Burgos of 1512-1513. This regulated labor and conversion of the Amerindians. This legislation opened a chapter of the recognition of the rights of the Amerindians. They should mine gold for Spaniards just for five months.

Problem of the legislation: it remained largely unenforced.

New voice against the system of encomienda: Bartolomé de Las Casas.

MEDIEVAL DOCUMENTS

Documents explore the hard coexistence between Muslims and Christians in the Peninsula. The Arabic name of Spain was Al-Andalus.
Celebration of the Beginning of the Christian Year. Abu’l-Asbagh’Isa b. Muhammad al-Tamili is asked if these traditions should be followed by Muslims. He said they are contrary to the Muslim principles. (mid-Ninth Century)
Description of Christian Spain: Jilliqiyya (León and Castile). Divided into four parts
The North, Galicia (León). Important city:
Braga
Ashturish (Asturias)
Burtuqalish (Portugal)
Qashtilat al-quswa and Qashtilat al-dunya (outer and inner castile) Ibrahim al Turtushi said: Iilliqiyya is flat and land is covered in sand (Tenth century)
Rules for the Christians (early twelfth century). They lived as minorities in the caliphates.
Prohibitions and restrictions:
“One [a Muslim] must not sell a scientific book to the Jews, nor to the Christians, unless it deals with their own law.”