Date:     1527, June 28. Valladolid, Spain
Theme:  Spanish king Charles V says many Black slaves are being carried to La Española without the royal license, being introduced “secretly” or abusing the number of slaves allowed by each license. 
Source: PARES, Portal de Archivos Españoles—Archivo General de Indias, INDIFERENTE,421,L.12

Date:     1527, June 28. Valladolid, Spain.
Theme:  Spanish king Charles V says many Black slaves are being carried to La Española without the royal license, being introduced “secretly” or abusing the number of slaves allowed by each license. 
Source: PARES, Portal de Archivos Españoles—Archivo General de Indias, INDIFERENTE,421,L.12

[fo. 506v.] 

so that the slaves/
that may be carried to La Española/
without license be/
lost /
_____________________

 

 

 



[Don Carlos etcetera] to you our President and oidores /
of our Royal Audiencia of the Indies that resides /
in the Española island, and our officials in it, greetings.
[You] must know that we are informed that many persons /
without having a license and authority for it have carried and /
carry to that island many Black slaves secret and /
surreptitiously, and others, under the disguise of some licenses/
of ours that they have, carry many more than the contained /
in the said licenses, going and carrying against what /
is prohibited and mandated by us in regards to the above said /
to defraud the duties on them that are owed to us /
Saying that, by paying at the said island the duties of almojarifazgo, they /
can carry them freely, which has been and is in great/
disservice [    ] which, as it is said, is prohibited /
and mandated by us, and damaging and destructive to our/
revenues and treasury.  And wanting to decide and remedy /
about the above said, it was agreed by those of our Council /
of the Indies that we should mandate /

[fo. 507r.]

to have this our letter issued for you in the said regard, and we /
deemed it as good, for which we mandate that all and /
any persons [who], once this our letter may be proclaimed /
in that said island, carry into it any Black slaves /
without explicit license, have them lost and lose them to/
our chamber and treasury for which we mandate to you that, /
once this our letter is shown to you, you have it proclaimed /
publicly in squares and markets of the cities /
village sand places of that island wherever it may be necessary./
And if after the proclamation is done, one or some /
persons carry the said slaves without a license of ours, as /
it has been said, you must seize and apply them to our said chamber /
and treasury,  since we hereby apply them to it.  Issued in /
Valladolid on twenty eight days of the month of June, year /
of the birth of our savior Jesus Christ of one thousand and five hundred and /
twenty seven years.  I the King.  Certified by Covos./
Signed by the bishop of Osma and the bishop of Canaria and doctor /
Beltrán and Licenciado [Marmol?] /

[Iden?] to the islands of San Juan and Fernandina.  /

Date:     1527, June 28. Valladolid, Spain.
Theme:  Spanish king Charles V says many Black slaves are being carried to La Española without the royal license, 
being introduced “secretly” or abusing the number of slaves allowed by each license. 
Source: PARES
, Portal de Archivos Españoles—Archivo General de Indias, INDIFERENTE,421,L.12 

In late June of 1527 we find again King Charles V reiterating in a communication to the judges of Santo Domingo’s Audiencia that he is informed that numbers of “Black slaves” are being introduced in La Española either surreptitiously or by travelers going from Spain that are carrying larger numbers of slaves than those allowed in the licenses issued to them, thus violating the royal regulations on the matter.

Those bringing in slaves without licenses reportedly tried to argue before the local authorities that it was enough to pay the almojarifazgo tax in Santo Domingo for the slaves to be allowed in. But the Crown insisted that this practice “defrauded the duties that are owed to us” for the carrying of slaves and that  it “has been and is in great harm” and  “in detriment  and demise of our revenues and treasury.” 

Charles V finally ordered that any “Black slaves” captured in La Española under the type of circumstances described above, from the date the order was publicized in the colony and onwards, had to be confiscated and their value applied in favor of the royal treasury.

es_ESSpanish