Buy a short account of the destruction of the indies penguin classics reprint by las casas, bartolome, pagden, anthony isbn. August 24, 1484 july 17, 1566, was a 16th century spanish dominican priest, and the first resident bishop of chiapas. Translated and edited by george sanderlin knopf new york 1971. His efforts to end the encomienda system of land ownership and forced labor culminated in 1550, when charles v convened the council of valladolid in spain to. His passion for people who at the time were seen as a sub species of humans if even human at all is remarkable. At its core, the black legend portrays spaniards as harsh conquerors and. In 15, las casas served as a chaplain during the conquest of cuba. A short account of the destruction of the indies spanish. There are a few major themes and ideas to this book that stand out and are worth a discussion. In 1502 he went to cuba, and for his military services there was given an encomienda, an estate that included the services of the indians living on it. His role in bringing this injustice to the attention of the world has earned him a place in the struggle for human rights. Spanish literature britannica encyclopedia britannica. A short account of the destruction of the indies bartolome. To what extent are their understandings of conquest informed by particular understandings and.
Spanish defender of the indians, theologian, and historian. How do you think they would have responded to this description. Las casas intention in writing this book was to reveal how the sins of domination, oppression, and injustice would later be the reason for gods. Congresso internazionale tenuto alla pontificia universita s. Wildcard searching if you want to search for multiple variations of a word, you can substitute a special symbol called a wildcard for one or more letters. A short account of the destruction of the indies penguin. Prolific writer and son of a merchant given a royal land grant encomienda for his work with the spanish expeditions. Las casas edited and preserved the now only existing record of the journal of christopher columbus. Here is the link to the entry in the spanish version of wiki. This article provides a brief historical account of each of these three literatures and examines the emergence of major genres. Study 62 history tes1 2 1015 flashcards from jessica s. Below is an excerpt from his book, concerning the just causes of the war against the indians. As a settler in the new world, he was galvanized by witnessing the torture and genocide of the native americans by the spanish colonists. In 1514, las casas was studying a passage in the book ecclesiasticus sirach.
The account was one of the first attempts by a spanish writer of the colonial era to depict the unfair treatment that the. Such works fall into three major language divisions. Las casas, who was made bishop of chiapas in 1544, repeatedly crossed the atlantic to influence the policies of the spanish crown. November 1484 18 july 1566, was a 16thcentury spanish historian, social reformer and dominican friar. Las casas was deeply moved by the mistreatment of the natives, which included brutal torture, enslavement, and massacres. These images from las casass book portray the spanish as. Speculate as to why the spanish would do such things to the native americans. An early traveller to the americas who sailed on one of columbuss voyages, las casas was so horrified by the wholesale massacre he witnessed that he dedicated his life to protecting the indian community. In 1554, charles chose to retire to a monastery, bequeathing the holy roman empire. When he first traveled to spanish america he was twentyfour years old and no priest. In 15, helps in the conquest of cuba and receives slaves and a large amount of land.
As a settler in the new world he witnessed, and was driven to oppose. This book will be greatly appreciated by students and scholars of latin. What words does las casas use to describe the spaniards who commit these murders. His book obtained a wide circulation despite the fact that it was prohibited in spain.
Las casas was prompt to raise the cry of condemnation. To the contrary, he was following in conquistador footsteps. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A short account of the destruction of the indies a machine. For example, world war ii with quotes will give more precise results than world war ii without quotes. Look up words and phrases in comprehensive, reliable bilingual dictionaries and search through billions of online translations. The name casaus assumed with time the more spanish form of casas, though it continued to be spelled in both ways for several. The intention of this painting is to portray tobacco smokers as.
The french and indian war cost great britain a large amount of money, they raised taxes on the products that the colonies could only buy from great britain in order to pay the war and only applied those taxes to the colonies, rather than all british citizens and possessions. He wrote a short account of the destruction of the indies in 1542, a shocking catalogue. Spanish literature, the body of literary works produced in spain. Defender of indian rights of at the start of the colonisation of the americas official information on culture in spain. He wrote many petitions, treatises, and books on the subject of the spanish conquest of the americas. The organizing principle of this dissertation is that las casass most famous. Born in 1484, las casas grew up as exploration of the new world began. He became a dominican priest, spending the rest of his life writing.
Interpreting the conquest exploring the early americas. The essential differences observable in the spanish and. Phrase searching you can use double quotes to search for a series of words in a particular order. From hispaniola this was the first land in the new world to be destroyed and depopulated by the christians, and here they began their subjection of the women and children, taking them away from the indians to use them and ill use them, eating the food they provided with their sweat and toil. List the acts of cruelty committed by the spanish according to las casas. Probably as well known in early modern europe as las casass brevisima relacion. By 1554 debt had grown to over 14 million ducats, more. He became the first resident bishop of chiapas, and the first officially appointed protector of the indians. Las casas intention in writing this book was to reveal how the sins of domination, oppression, and injustice would later be the reason for gods punishment of spain. His brave stand against the horrors of the conquest and the colonization of the new world earned him the title defender of the native americans. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. His picture of the earliest times of spanish colonization is gruesome. He witnessed the wholesale slaughter of the native people by spanish soldiers.
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