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Columbian Viceroyalty

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Viceroyalty of Santo Domingo
Virreinato colombino(Spanish)
1492–1535
Coat of arms of Santo Domingo
Coat of arms
Location of Santo Domingo
StatusViceroyaltyof theSpanish Empire
CapitalSanto Domingo
Official languagesSpanish
Demonym(s)Columbian
GovernmentMonarchy
King
• 1492–1516
Ferdinand II
andIsabella I(first)
• 1516–1526
Charles I(last)
Viceroy
• 1492–1500
Christopher Columbus
• 1511–1526
Diego Columbus
History
1492
1535
CurrencySanto Domingo real
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Chiefdoms of Hispaniola
Viceroyalty of New Spain
Captaincy General of Santo Domingo
Today part of

TheColumbian Viceroyalty,Viceroyalty of the IndiesorFirst Viceroyalty in the Indiesis the name that designates the number oftitlesandrightsgranted toChristopher Columbusby the Catholic Monarchs in 1492 on the lands discovered and undiscovered, before embarking on his first trip that culminated in the colonization of the Americas.

Origins[edit]

The titles and powers over discovered lands granted to Christopher Columbus were entered in thecapitulations of Santa Feagreed on April 17 of 1492. Under them, theCatholic Monarchs,IsabellaandFerdinand,awardedfor the period of his life, and after his death, to be conferred on his heirs or Successors one after the other perpetually:

  • The title ofAdmiralof the Ocean Sea over all the islands and the mainland that discovered or won in this sea.
  • The titles, always referred to together, of "ViceroyandGovernor General".

In addition, other powers and economic prerogatives.

[...]
Firstly, that Your Highnesses, Masters as you are of the said Oceans, hereby and henceforth make Don Christopher Columbus your admiral in all those islands and all that land which, by his hand or industry, may be discovered or won in the said Oceans for the period of his life, and after his death, to be conferred on his heirs or Successors one after the other perpetually with all the privileges and prerogatives attendant thereto, and his successors in the said rank enjoyed them in their districts....

Furthermore, that Your Highnesses make the said Don Christopher Columbus your Viceroy and Governor General in all the said islands and land which as said herein he should discover or win in the said Oceans, and that for the government of each and every of them, he should elect three persons for each rank, and that Your Highnesses should take and choose the one who is most suited to your service, so that in this way the lands which Our Lord permits him to find or win in Your Highnesses service may be better ruled.
[...][1]

These titles would be confirmed by the monarchs on his return from his first voyage in May 1493. Of these, the best known in Castile, which paid the most attention both Columbus and the monarchs, was the Admiral.[clarification needed]

History[edit]

According to the capitulations of Santa Fe, all lands discovered by Christopher Columbus were part of his viceroyalty:

In his first trip to theAmericas(it got toGuanahanion 12 October 1492), Columbus discovered theBahamas,CubaandThe Hispaniola,exerting his position as viceroy and governor in them, leaving to return to Spain to 39 men inLa Navidadin Hispaniola, which was founded on December 25, 1492. the fort was destroyed shortly then by theIndiansof the island, killing all its occupants.

Christopher Columbus Travels

On his second trip in 1493 Christopher Columbus discoveredGuadalupeand other islands located on the side of Atlantic Ocean between it andPuerto Rico,where he arrived on 19 November 1493. Later he found Jamaica and explored Cuba. On his return to Spain in 1496 he discovered theLesser Antilleslocated on the side ofCaribbean Seabetween Puerto Rico andDominica.

On his third trip in 1498 he discovered Trinidad,Paria Peninsulaand theIsland of Margarita,remaining until 1500 in Hispaniola.

The kings sent to the Spanish as pesquisador judge (with government functions) toFrancisco de Bobadillain 1500, which upon arrival (August 23) arrested Columbus and his brothers and sailed Spain, dismissing him from the government. Columbus refused to be removed the shackles around his trip to Spain, during which he wrote a long letter to the Catholic Monarchs. Upon arriving to Spain he regained his freedom, but had lost prestige, its powers and the viceroyalty. Bobadilla was also relieved of his government and replaced byNicolas de Ovandoin 1502.

On his fourth trip, in 1502, he foundSt. LuciaandMartinique.He then toured the Central American coast from theBay IslandstoGulf of Urabá.He remained in Jamaica until 1504 and then returned to Spain died on May 20, 1506, inConvent of San FranciscoofValladolid.

Since 1499 the kings authorized other trips of discovery without the authorization of Columbus, including those ofAlonso de OjedaandVicente Yáñez Pinzón,creating for them governments in the territories they discovered: thegovernorate Coquibacoaon the coast of Venezuela, except Paria discovered by Columbus was for De Ojeda and Pinzón thegovernoroff the coast of Brazil between the Amazon river and theCape Holy Mary of Consolation.These governorates were exempted from the Viceroyalty of the Indies.

The Viceroyalty after the death of Columbus[edit]

On Christopher Columbus's death his eldest sonDiego Columbusinherited his father's rights in the Americas, including the viceroyalty. However, King Ferdinand refused at first to transfer all rights of his father and appointed him governor of Hispaniola in 1508. Diego began a series of lawsuits against thecrownknown as theColumbian Lawsuits,and in 1511 his rights as viceroy were recognized, but with limited jurisdiction over those territories that had been officially discovered by his father. Consequently, Diego Columbus became the second Viceroy of the Indies. He died in 1526 bequeathing his rights to the viceroyalty to his sonLuis Colón.

During the minority of Luis Colón the transaction occurred and arbitration that ended Columbian Lawsuits with the Spanish crown and in 1537 he received the knighthood of thisI Duke of VeraguaandManorterritorial six hundred twenty-five square leagues, composed of lands of ancient Veragua andCastilla del Oro.He was also graced with the hereditary dignity of I Marquis of Jamaica and the lordship of the island, putting an end to the Viceroyalty of the Indies

References[edit]

  1. ^MEMORY OF THE WORLD REGISTER - Santa Fe Capitulations. Ref N̊ 2006-42[permanent dead link]Discussion of the historical significance of the document, history, translation of text.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Dougnac Rodriguez, Antonio (1994). "Capítulo 5: Gobierno, justicia, guerra, y hacienda. Autoridades radicadas en indias" [Chapter 5. Government, justice, war and finance. Authorities resident in the Indies. I. Government of Christopher Columbus (1492-1500) and IV. Government of Diego Columbus (1509-1523)].Manual de historia del derecho indiano[Manual of History of the Law of the Indies] (in Spanish). National Autonomous University of Mexico.ISBN968-36-4147-4.
  • Ortuño Sánchez-Pedroza, José María (1990). "The first viceroy of the Indies: Christopher Columbus (1492-1506)".Annals of Law, University of Murcia(10). p. 235-250.
  • Sánchez Bella, Ismael (1990). "The political organization of Spanish America".Chilena Magazine of History of Law(15). p. 205-217.
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