Pleitos colombinos
The Pleitos colombinos ("Colombian lawsuits") were a long series of lawsuits that the heirs of Christopher Columbus brought against the Crown of Castile and León in defense of the privileges obtained by Columbus for his discoveries in the New World. Most of the lawsuits took place between 1508 and 1536.
Background
The
During Columbus's
Upon Columbus's death in 1506, he was succeeded as
Lawsuit
In 1511 the first verdict was given, in
In 1512, the suit was combined with the pleito del Darién, a suit over whether the jurisdiction of Columbus's heirs extended to the mainland of America (the tierra firme).[5] The name Darién, still used for the Darién Gap in Panama near Colombia, then referred to a far larger and somewhat indefinite region extending further into Central America.[citation needed]
In 1520 was a new verdict, known as the "Declaration of La Coruña"[5] (after the Galician city, now A Coruña).
In 1524, Diego Colón was deposed from his position as governor and instituted a new suit against the Crown. He died two years later, but his widow continued the suit in the name of their son,
The new royal prosecutor attempted to demonstrate that the discovery of the West Indies had principally been achieved thanks to Martín Alonso Pinzón, not Columbus. He called as witnesses surviving members of the crew of the first voyage to America.[7] Two verdicts were given: in Dueñas (1534) and in Madrid (1535), but both were appealed.[5]
Arbitration
Both parties finally submitted to arbitration. On 28 June 1536 the president of the Council of the Indies, Bishop García de Loaysa, and the president of the Council of Castile, Gaspar de Montoya,[7] delivered the following arbitration award:[5]
- They confirmed the title of Admiral of the Indies in perpetuity to the line of Columbus, with privileges analogous to those of the Admiral of Castile.
- They removed the titles of Viceroy and Governor General of the Indies.
- They established a Duke of Veragua).
- They confirmed the heirs' possession of their lands in the Hispaniola and the perpetuity of the titles of alguacil mayor ("high sheriff") of Santo Domingo and of the Audiencia (tribunal) of the island.
- They ordered a payment of 10,000 maravedíesper year to each of the sisters of Luis Colón.
Minor lawsuits
After the arbitration of 1536, minor lawsuits between the Columbus family and the Crown continued, but they were not of comparable importance. Lawsuits occurred between 1537 and 1541, between 1555 and 1563, and sporadically until the end of the 18th century.[5]
Historical interest
Both the Columbus family and the Crown took testimony from witnesses to the various Castilian voyages of discovery to America. It has been a fundamental source of information for historians who study the era, but the accuracy of some of the testimonies is open to doubt.[citation needed]
References
- ^ John Michael Francis, Will Kaufman. Iberia and the Americas, ABC-CLIO, 2005, p. 176
- ISBN 84-206-3587-1.
- ISBN 978-84-321-3585-9. Link is to Google Books.
- ISBN 84-96467-28-7. Link is to Google Books.
- ^ ISBN 968-7230-30-4. Link is to Google Books.
- ^ Villapolos Salas, Gustavo (1976–1977). "La naturaleza procesal de los Pleitos Colombinos" (PDF). Anuario Jurídico. III–IV. Biblioteca Jurídica Virtual: 299 (p. 15 of PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ^ a b Villapolos Salas, Gustavo (1976–1977). "La naturaleza procesal de los Pleitos Colombinos" (PDF). Anuario Jurídico. III–IV. Biblioteca Jurídica Virtual: 300 (p. 16 of PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
External links
- Complete first edition of the documents and testimony of the Pleitos Colombinos: Fernández Duro, Cesáreo, ed. (1892). Colección de documentos inéditos relativos al descubrimiento, conquista y organización de las antiguas posesiones españolas de ultramar, 2ª serie, tomo 7 (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Academia de la Historia. This work has recently been published in English translation: Testimonies from the Columbian Lawsuits (Repertorium Columbianum), Brepols Publishers (2000), ISBN 2-503-51029-9.