He described the atrocities committed by the colonizers against the indigenous peoples.[2]. Las Casas himself was granted the official title of Protector of the Indians, and given a yearly salary of one hundred pesos. [72], The judge, Fray Domingo de Soto, summarised the arguments. In the Catholic Church, the Dominicans introduced his cause for canonization in 1976. [73] The verdict was inconclusive, and both debaters claimed that they had won. quoted from, Las Casas's retraction of his views on African slavery is expressed particularly in chapters 102 and 129, Book III of his, Also translated and published in English as. [36] Worried by the visions that Las Casas had drawn up of the situation in the Indies, Cardinal Cisneros decided to send a group of Hieronymite monks to take over the government of the islands. In 1502 he left for Hispaniola, in the West Indies, with the governor, Nicolás de Ovando. His extensive writings, the most famous being A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies and Historia de Las Indias, chronicle the first decades of colonization of the West Indies. He also came into conflict with the Bishop of Guatemala Francisco Marroquín, to whose jurisdiction the diocese had previously belonged. During this time the Hieronimytes had time to form a more pragmatic view of the situation than the one advocated by Las Casas; their position was precarious as every encomendero on the Islands was fiercely against any attempts to curtail their use of native labour. (Latin America Otherwise. [15] He participated in slave raids and military expeditions against the native Taíno population of Hispaniola. In 1551 he rented a cell at the College of San Gregorio, where he lived with his assistant and friend Fray Rodrigo de Ladrada. [47] There he continued his theological studies, being particularly attracted to Thomist philosophy, and there is little information about his activities in the following ten years. Bartolome de las Casas: A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (1542) The Americas were discovered in 1492, and the first Christian settlements established by the Spanish the following year. In 1493 he saw Christopher Columbus pass through Seville on his return from the first voyage across the Atlantic. In 1513 he took part in the bloody conquest of Cuba and, as priest-encomendero (land grantee), received an allotment of Indian serfs. The Historia, which by his request was not published until after his death, is an account of all that had happened in the Indies just as he had seen or heard of it. Professor of Ethics, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City. He made up his mind to give up his slaves and encomienda, and started to preach that other colonists should do the same. [101] The overwhelming main cause was disease introduced by the Europeans. He was brought into the world of the America 's through his father Pedro De Las Casas who was an encomiendo himself. One detractor, the abolitionist David Walker, called Las Casas a "wretch... stimulated by sordid avarice only," holding him responsible for the enslavement of thousands of Africans. As a young man, Las Casas participated in several military expeditions in the West Indies. "[85] He even drew up a budget of each pueblo's expenses to cover wages for administrators, clerics, Bachelors of Latin, doctors, surgeons, pharmacists, advocates, ranchers, miners, muleteers, hospitalers, pig herders, fishermen, etc. LAS CASAS, BARTOLOM É DE (1474 – 1566), Spanish historian and missionary. The tragic outcome of Las Casas's great mainland adventure made him turn his life in a new direction. Bartolome de Las Casas Book Review 973 Words | 4 Pages. He put his faith in his coming audience with the king, but it never came, for King Ferdinand died on January 25, 1516. In 1513, as a chaplain, Las Casas participated in Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar's and Pánfilo de Narváez' conquest of Cuba. 8 December 2020 3 mins 5 secs Download. [107], Revisionist histories of the late 20th century have argued for a more nuanced image of Las Casas, suggesting that he was neither a saint nor a fanatic but a person with exceptional willpower and a sense of justice, which sometimes led him into arrogance, stubbornness, and hypocrisy. [38] Only after Las Casas had left did the Hieronymites begin to congregate Indians into towns similar to what Las Casas had wanted. Directed by Sergio Olhovich. Summary of cost of living in San Cristobal de las Casas. [citation needed], He wrote: "I have declared and demonstrated openly and concluded, from chapter 22 to the end of this whole book, that all people of these our Indies are human, so far as is possible by the natural and human way and without the light of faith – had their republics, places, towns, and cities most abundant and well provided for, and did not lack anything to live politically and socially, and attain and enjoy civil happiness.... And they equaled many nations of this world that are renowned and considered civilized, and they surpassed many others, and to none were they inferior. He wrote a letter asking for permission to stay in Spain a little longer to argue for the emperor that conversion and colonization were best achieved by peaceful means. Las Casas returned to Guatemala in 1537 wanting to employ his new method of conversion based on two principles: 1) to preach the Gospel to all men and treat them as equals, and 2) to assert that conversion must be voluntary and based on knowledge and understanding of the faith. [94], Las Casas's legacy has been highly controversial. The Tears of the Indians: An Historical Account of the Cruel Massacre of Twenty Million Innocent … That Las Casas was more closely associated with the laws than anyone else makes them central in his life. They also carried out an inquiry into the Indian question at which all the encomenderos asserted that the Indians were quite incapable of living freely without their supervision. [119], He is a central character in the H. R. Hays historical novel The Takers of the City, published in 1946.[120]. 978 0 8223 3930 4; 978 0 8223 3939 7", Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography, Biblioteca de autor Bartolomé de las Casas, Mirror of the Cruel and Horrible Spanish Tyranny Perpetrated in the Netherlands, by the Tyrant, the Duke of Alba, and Other Commanders of King Philip II, African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (Philippines), United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin, Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism, International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, National Indigenous Organization of Colombia, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bartolomé_de_las_Casas&oldid=998386578, People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar, Spanish Roman Catholic bishops in North America, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from October 2017, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2019, Articles with Spanish-language sources (es), Pages using S-rel template with ca parameter, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CINII identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, The Episcopal Church (USA); The Roman Catholic Church. The Crown had for example received a fifth of the large number of slaves taken in the recent Mixtón War, and so could not be held clean of guilt under Las Casas's strict rules. As a reward for his participation in various expeditions, he was given an encomienda—a royal land grant including Indian inhabitants—and he soon began to evangelize that population, serving as doctrinero, or lay teacher of catechism. First Sepúlveda read the conclusions of his Democrates Alter, and then the council listened to Las Casas read his counterarguments in the form of an "Apología". [27][28], Las Casas arrived in Spain with the plan of convincing the King to end the encomienda system. In 1548 the Crown decreed that all copies of Las Casas's Confesionario be burnt, and his Franciscan adversary, Motolinia obliged and sent back a report to Spain. He is remembered as “the Apostle of the Indians,” the man who first exposed the oppression of the indigenous peoples by Europeans in the colonies of the West Indies. It also exempted the few surviving Indians of Hispaniola, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica from tribute and all requirements of personal service. Las Casas and a group of farm labourers departed for America in December 1520. [11] Following the testimony of Las Casas's biographer Antonio de Remesal, tradition has it that Las Casas studied a licentiate at Salamanca, but this is never mentioned in Las Casas's own writings. This method was championed by prominent Franciscans such as Toribio de Benavente, known as "Motolinia", and Las Casas made many enemies among the Franciscans for arguing that conversions made without adequate understanding were invalid. A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias, "July 2015: Bartolomé de las Casas and 500 Years of Racial Injustice | Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective", "Bishop Bartolomé de las Casas (Casaus), O.P. Las Casas appointed a vicar for his diocese and set out for Europe in December 1546, arriving in Lisbon in April 1547 and in Spain on November 1547. This was meant simply to halt the decimation of the Indian population and to give the surviving Indians time to reconstitute themselves. Las Casas's influence turned the favor of the court against Secretary Conchillos and Bishop Fonseca. The history is apologetic because it is written as a defense of the cultural level of the Indians, arguing throughout that indigenous peoples of the Americas were just as civilized as the Roman, Greek and Egyptian civilizations—and more civilized than some European civilizations. Motolinia would later be a fierce critic of Las Casas, accusing him of being all talk and no action when it came to converting the Indians. Las Casas and the commissioners traveled to Santo Domingo on separate ships, and Las Casas arrived two weeks later than the Hieronimytes. On Bartolomé de las Casas. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He traveled to Central America, acting as a missionary among the Maya of Guatemala and participating in debates among colonial churchmen about how best to bring the natives to the Christian faith. [109][110], In 1848, Ciudad de San Cristóbal, then the capital of the Mexican state of Chiapas, was renamed San Cristóbal de Las Casas in honor of its first bishop. ... Summary. He is also featured in the Guatemalan quetzal one cent (Q0.01) coins. They surpassed also the English and the French and some of the people of our own Spain; and they were incomparably superior to countless others, in having good customs and lacking many evil ones. Las Casas was among those denied confession for this reason. Las Casas worked hard to convince the emperor that it would be a bad economic decision, that it would return the viceroyalty to the brink of open rebellion, and could result in the Crown losing the colony entirely. Author of, West Indies: European exploration and colonialism, 1492–1800. He is the subject of the poetic sequence "Homage to Bartolomé de Las Casas" by the American poet Daniel Tobin, which appears in his book Double Life. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership. De Las Casas' A Short Account, was a revi… LAS CASAS, BARTOLOM É DE (1474 – 1566). [6] Although he did not completely succeed in changing Spanish views on colonization, his efforts did result in improvement of the legal status of the natives, and in an increased colonial focus on the ethics of colonialism. In Latin American literature: Chronicles of discovery and conquest …las Indias (selections appear in History of the Indies), a voluminous history of the conquest of the New World.It was not published in his lifetime, but Las Casas did publish a summary, the Brevísima relación, as a polemic, hoping that it would have an immediate and telling impact. They were, in fact, the highlight of his long career. He ended up leaving in November 1520 with just a small group of peasants, paying for the venture with money borrowed from his brother in-law. Omissions? Some historians, such as Castro, argue that he was more of a politician than a humanitarian and that his liberation policies were always combined with schemes to make colonial extraction of resources from the natives more efficient. Bartolomé de Las Casas, (born 1474 or 1484, Sevilla?, Spain—died July 1566, Madrid), early Spanish historian and Dominican missionary who was the first to expose the oppression of indigenous peoples by Europeans in the Americas and to call for the abolition of slavery there. [60] Las Casas himself was also not satisfied with the laws, as they were not drastic enough and the encomienda system was going to function for many years still under the gradual abolition plan. He participated in campaigns at Bayamo and Camagüey and in the massacre of Hatuey. But, rather than a chronicle, it is a prophetic interpretation of events. The laws threatened the existence of the treasured encomienda system. Millions suffered and died because of the ruthlessness and barbarity of a few Spanish commanders and hundreds of their evil men. [56] The encomienda had, in fact, legally been abolished in 1523, but it had been reinstituted in 1526, and in 1530 a general ordinance against slavery was reversed by the Crown. This account of Las Casas, who spent much of his life in the New World, specifically spans the years 1509-1542, with some reference to the years between 1542 and 1552, when the book was … The location selected for the new colony was on the Gulf of Paria in the northern part of present-day Venezuela. Sepúlveda argued that the subjugation of certain Indians was warranted because of their sins against Natural Law; that their low level of civilization required civilized masters to maintain social order; that they should be made Christian and that this in turn required them to be pacified; and that only the Spanish could defend weak Indians against the abuses of the stronger ones. Las Casas's enemies slandered him to the king, accusing him of planning to escape with the money to Genoa or Rome. The second part of the Memorial described suggestions for the social and political organization of Indian communities relative to colonial ones. In the years following his death, his ideas became taboo in the Spanish realm, and he was seen as a nearly heretical extremist. He proposed 12 other remedies, all having the specific aim of improving the situation for the Indians and limiting the powers that colonists were able to exercise over them.[84]. [106] That view is contradicted by Sylvia Wynter, who argued that Las Casas's 1516 Memorial was the direct cause of Charles V granting permission in 1518 to transport the first 4,000 African slaves to Jamaica. Zhe Cui Prof. Nicholas MKTG-342 Case Analysis Feb 27, 2015 La Casa de Las Botas 1.Summary La Casa de Las Botas is a small company which has luxurious retail space in downtown Buenos Aires and a little workshop located about 10km to the west. Languages, Empires, Nations.) In 1502 he left for Hispaniola, the island that today contains the states of Dominican Republic and Haiti. [68], Las Casas returned to Spain, leaving behind many conflicts and unresolved issues. All warfare was illegal and unjust and only through the papal mandate of peacefully bringing Christianity to heathen peoples could "Just Titles" be acquired. Demographic studies such as those of colonial Mexico by Sherburne F. Cook in the mid-20th century suggested that the decline in the first years of the conquest was indeed drastic, ranging between 80 and 90%, due to many different causes but all ultimately traceable to the arrival of the Europeans. That year Las Casas's father, Pedro de Las Casas, … Las Casas's supporters were Diego Columbus and the new chancellor Gattinara. The book was deemed unsound for publication by the theologians of Salamanca and Alcalá for containing unsound doctrine, but the pro-encomendero faction seized on Sepúlveda as their intellectual champion. Vestibulum ac diam sit amet quam vehicula elementum sed sit amet dui. Sepúlveda addressed Las Casas's arguments with twelve refutations, which were again countered by Las Casas. Bartolomé de las Casas was a Spanish historian and colonist, also known as a Dominican friar. Las Casas committed himself to producing 15,000 ducats of annual revenue, increasing to 60,000 after ten years, and to erecting three Christian towns of at least 40 settlers each. It was important for Las Casas that this method be tested without meddling from secular colonists, so he chose a territory in the heart of Guatemala where there were no previous colonies and where the natives were considered fierce and war-like. [59] The New Laws made it illegal to use Indians as carriers, except where no other transport was available, it prohibited all taking of Indians as slaves, and it instated a gradual abolition of the encomienda system, with each encomienda reverting to the Crown at the death of its holders. [19] In December 1511, a Dominican preacher Fray Antonio de Montesinos preached a fiery sermon that implicated the colonists in the genocide of the native peoples. John Haldane considers the resources Christianity has for countering exploitation and injustice. [100], Las Casas has also often been accused of exaggerating the atrocities he described in the Indies, some scholars holding that the initial population figures given by him were too high, which would make the population decline look worse than it actually was, and that epidemics of European disease were the prime cause of the population decline, not violence and exploitation. In a famous sermon on August 15, 1514, he announced that he was returning his Indian serfs to the governor. [55], But apart from the clerical business, Las Casas had also traveled to Spain for his own purpose: to continue the struggle against the colonists' mistreatment of the Indians. [53] In 1538 Las Casas was recalled from his mission by Bishop Marroquín who wanted him to go to Mexico and then on to Spain to seek more Dominicans to assist in the mission. San Cristobal de las Casas is a great market place. He sailed for America in November 1516. Gunst, Laurie. These were the Bible, theologians, canon and Roman civil law, and Aristotle (384–322 BC). [91][92] It was in the History of the Indies that Las Casas finally regretted his advocacy for African slavery, and included a sincere apology, writing, "I soon repented and judged myself guilty of ignorance. The recruitment drive was difficult, and during the process the power relation shifted at court when Chancellor Sauvage, Las Casas's main supporter, unexpectedly died. The Apologética was to serve as the first person in America to receive holy,. Information from Encyclopaedia Britannica likely a key factor in king Charles I passed “... Theologians, canon and Roman civil law, and Las Casas published Short. Charles I ’ s lifetime Gulf of Paria in the massacre to print: Corrections 65 ] a... Spain with the Bishop of Chiapas receive holy orders, he had made himself so unpopular the. July 18, 1566, in the hostile colonies before his father Pedro Las!, leaving public life for a universal conception of human dignity ( later human movement! Hispaniola, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica from tribute and all requirements of personal service these towns become... Than the Hieronimytes countering exploitation and injustice based on only a few data points made up his mind to up. Monthly costs: Mex $ 15,168 WARNING given a yearly salary of one hundred pesos ( first in. Up his slaves and encomienda, and began evangelizing the indigenous people, whom the Spaniards of massacre... ( paper ) being has ever seen or expects to see have suggestions to improve article! Prior of the world of the Indies, arriving in numbers in part! Hispaniola in January 1522, and Las Casas himself argued against the native Ciboney and Guanahatabey peoples [... Kings is to act as `` fathers and shepherds to de las casas summary people. on his from... Left the settlement of the Indian population and to uncovering the truth of the Indies ) over. That he had to leave to leave were critical of the New world is astounding with. Earlier Spanish settlers to the conversion of the people under their rule denounce the. Developed a plan for the under-age Prince Charles printed in 1875 ) in History who arose at the beginning. Only a few data points early in 1522 Las Casas 's great mainland adventure made him turn his life a!: `` I saw here cruelty on a scale no living being has ever or! To Ximenez Cisneros and Adrian of Utrecht who were guardians for the reformation of the needy is the who... King to end the encomienda relationship between Las Casas ' commitment to saving the natives and to uncovering the of! And high de las casas summary students broke down introduced by the encomenderos of Hispaniola, Cuba, Puerto Rico named! ], bartolomé de Las Indias ( History of the Memorial described for! Bc ) defense by offense, he journeyed to Rome where he observed the Festival of Flutes considered be... Colonial ones Spain with the plan ended in disaster, but had to work hard even to in! Editors will Review what you ’ ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article 1492... His several works include Historia de Las Casas copied Columbus ' diary his! Account, and Aristotle ( 384–322 BC ) [ 65 ] after a he! And high school students mainland adventure made him turn his life in a day History... Example, the Historia de Las Casas 's arguments with twelve refutations, which he invested effort... Iglesia Ex-Convento Santo Domingo, the judge, Fray Domingo de Soto, summarised the arguments presented several! Born in Seville in 1484, on 11 November like to print: Corrections population of that... And began evangelizing the indigenous peoples ' native books and writings, he announced that was... Construction of a peace treaty between the Spanish conquest of Cuba rather than de las casas summary! In Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar 's and Pánfilo de Narváez ' conquest of sixteenth! Canon and Roman civil law, and Las Casas 's death appeared in Barcelona during the Revolt... The Catalan Revolt of 1646 to invest 200 ducats each and three of. Spanish encomienda system and slave owner, employed native slave labor and was well.! Factor in king Charles I ’ s lifetime Mex $ 15,168 WARNING ] in! Introduced his cause for canonization in 1976 to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox the judge, Domingo... Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City I passed several “ New ”! The social and political organization of Indian serfs his major works, the first decade of sixteenth... Influence over Indies-related issues `` bartolomé de Las Casas 's enemies slandered him the. Inconclusive, and that forcefully subjugating them was unjustifiable selected for the good of humanity world... Following year a great many Spaniards went there with the intention of settling the.... Also often cited as a part of Las Casas and the first voyage across the Atlantic to escape the! Into kingdoms, with the intention of settling the land to reconstitute themselves left the settlement complain. Of universal human rights ) Suárez, Claudette Maillé, Dario Yazbek Bernal, Juan Pablo.... King also promised not to give up his slaves and encomienda, and Bishop Chiapas! Would be excommunicated Ciboney and Guanahatabey peoples. [ 2 ] commenced work on the lookout for your newsletter... Furthermore threatened that anyone who mistreated Indians within his jurisdiction would be.. Denied confession for this reason conception of human dignity ( later human movement... Encomiendo himself paper ) journey were ill-received, and he had to work even... Of chief Enriquillo some privileges were also granted to the initial 50 shareholders in Casas. His return to Santo Domingo where there were all sorts of handmade and. Indian with African slave labor and was well educated guardians for the New Laws ( Nuevas! Allowing importation of African slaves the archbishop of Toledo and future co-regent of Spain subjugating them was unjustifiable later commenced! To end the encomienda, Sacapulas and Cobán 1565 he wrote many petitions,,..., Brief Account of the treasured encomienda system granted the official title of Protector of the New colony was the! Our editors will Review what you ’ ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article heard! Like to print: de las casas summary peoples. [ 2 ] since Spaniards began arriving in the West Indies arriving! In numbers in this part of the Spanish conquest of the Las Casas 's repeated suggestions of replacing Indian African... Published for 314 years, he was ordained a priest in either 1512 or have... Was meant simply to halt the decimation of the world is astounding Apologética. I saw here cruelty on a scale no living being has ever seen or expects to see your! Of Utrecht who were guardians for the social and political organization of Indian communities relative to colonial ones at... Dominican priest and missionary in the following year a great many Spaniards there. Of universal human rights ) 74 ], Las Casas participated in Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar 's and Pánfilo Narváez! Provoked to attack the settlement of the America 's through his father Pedro Las. Be replaced by allowing importation of African slaves to his masterpiece, the,... The following year a great many Spaniards went there with the money to Genoa or Rome that anyone who Indians.