Date: 1511, July 21. Seville, Spain
Theme: King Ferdinand expresses concern and perplexity in regards to death of “Blacks” in La Española
Source: PARES, Portal de Archivos Españoles–Archivo General de Indias, INDIFERENTE,418,L.3 – 201 – Imagen Núm: 186 / 709. F.88R.-89R.
Date: 1511, July 21. Seville, Spain.
Theme: King Ferdinand expresses concern and perplexity in regards to death of “blacks” in La Española
Source: PARES, Portal de Archivos Españoles–Archivo General de Indias, INDIFERENTE,418,L.3 – 201 –
Imagen Núm: 186 / 709, F. 88R.-89R.
[fo. 88r.]
[…]
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El Rey/ bartolome de sans pier contyno de nuestra casa y nuestro ve/ dor de las minas y mineros de la ysla española vi/
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|
[fo. 89r.]
que haga cuidar/ mucho à los negros/ y que se ignora como/ han muerto tan- / tos.
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Fecha en Sevilla à 21 de / | r | desplazido me ha de los negros que dezis que son muertos / y no Se de que Sean muertos Segund de la manera que dezis/ que fue su dolençia y los negros [dizque] pruevan bien en/ esa tierra sy no de avell[es?] dado Aca mal Recabdo quando/ los conpraron o alla despues de llegados pues vos/ aveys de estar syenpre sobre ellos trabajad como/ sean bien tratados asy de mantenimientos como/ de camas para que por falta de buen Recabdo no Se/ mueran y que esten sanos y buenos para servir y trabajar / en las minas/
[…]
fecha en sevilla A xxi. dias del mes de Jullio/ / de mill e quinientos e honze años yo el Rey por/ mandado de su alteza lope conchillos señalada del obispo de/ palençia/ |
Date: 1511, July 21. Seville, Spain.
Theme: King Ferdinand expresses concern and perplexity in regards to death of “blacks” in La Española
Source: PARES, Portal de Archivos Españoles–Archivo General de Indias, INDIFERENTE,418,L.3 – 201 –
Imagen Núm: 186 / 709, F. 88R.-89R.
[fo. 88r.]
[…]
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| […]
The King / Bartolomé de Sans Pier, contino of our house and our / inspector of mines and miners in the island of La Española, I saw /
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[fo. 89r.] that he must get the blacks / to be much cared for / and that it is unknown how / so many have died /
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Done in Seville on 21st of / July of 1511. /
| r | I am distressed by the blacks that you say that have died / and I do not know what they may have died from, as per the way you say / their illness was and [the way] the blacks reportedly adapt well in / that land, unless here they had been treated badly when / they were bought, or over there after they arrived, for you / must be always on top of them. Work so that they / are well treated both regarding substenance as well as / bedding so that they do not die for lack of good care / and so they remain healthy and good to serve and work / in the mines /
[…]
done in Seville on xxi days of the month of July / of one thousand and five hundred and eleven years. I the King. Per / his highness’ mandate, Lope Conchillos, signed by the bishop of / Palencia / |
Date: 1527, June 28. Valladolid, Spain.
Theme: In a letter to María de Toledo, vicerein of La Española, the Spanish King (Charles V) mentions a previous information received from the vicerein about an uprising of blacks and natives in La Española.
Source: PARES, Portal de Archivos Españoles—Archivo General de Indias, INDIFERENTE,421,L.12, F.135R-135V-2-Imagen Núm: 2 / 2
By June 28, 1527, the King of Spain had been informed by vicerein María de Toledo of an “uprising of the blacks” (“levanctamiento de los negros”) in La Española, probably a rebellion of enslaved blacks rather than a general rebellion of black people, that must have been serious enough as to merit a mention by Toledo in a prior correspondence. Toledo apparently had also suggested measures to “remedy” the situation, while arguing that “because there is no authority that primarily deals with it, nothing is done nor provided there [in La Española] as it would be convenient.”
In response to the concern the King announced in his letter that he had just appointed Licenciado Ramirez, bishop of Santo Domingo and La Vega, as president of the Audiencia and that the latter would be departing from Spain to La Española soon to deal with the issue.
We do not know yet the exact time when this rebellion of black slaves took place, but considering the lapse of communication between the colony and the metropolis, it could have been sometime in the winter of 1526-1527 or earlier. As we will see, the King referred again to this event in another letter to María de Toledo sent in the following month of July.
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