Columbian Viceroyalty

Virreinato Colombino
Colony of the Spanish Empire
1492–1521
Flag Lesser coat of arms of the Kings of Spain.
Capital		Santo Domingo
Languages		Spanish
Government		Monarchy
King
•	1493-1516	Ferdinand II and Isabella I (first)
•	1788-1795	Charles IV (last)
Governor
•	1493-1500	Christopher Columbus
•	1788-1801	Diego Columbus de facto
History
•	Human settlement	Before 1493
•	Capitulations of Santa Fe	1492
•	European settlement	1492
•	Ceded eastern portion to France	1521
Area
Currency		Santo Domingo real
Preceded by Succeeded by Chiefdoms of Hispaniola New Spain Captaincy General of Santo Domingo
Today part of		Dominican Republic Haiti

The Columbian Viceroyalty , Viceroyalty of India or First Viceroyalty in the Indies is the name that designates the number of titles and rights granted to Christopher Columbus by Catholic Kings in 1492 on the lands discovered and undiscovered, before embarking on his first trip that culminated in the discovery of America.

Origins

The titles and powers over discovered lands granted to Christopher Columbus were entered in the capitulations of Santa Fe agreed on April 17 of 1492. Under them, the Catholic Kings, Isabella and Ferdinand, awarded for during his life and after death, his heirs and successores one in another perpetualmente [sic]:

• The title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea over all the islands and the mainland that discovered or won in this sea.
• The title of Viceroy and Governor General on the mainland and islands discovered or won in this sea (permanent reference made was always copulativa: "viceroy and governor").

In addition, other powers and prerogatives of economic order.

[...]

First that Your Highnesses as lords that are of such Mares Oceanas fazen dende agora the said Don Christopher Columbus, the admiral in all those islands and mainlands that his hand or industry will be discovered or won in the said Mares Oceanas for during his life, and after death, his heirs and successores of one another perpetualmente with all those preheminencias and prerogatives belonging to such officio, and segund Don Alfonso Enriquez, quondam, Admiral of Castile, and the other its predecessores in said officio, they had in their districts.
Otrosí that Your Highnesses fazen the said Don Christoval its Viceroy and Governor General in all these mainlands and yslas that as this is the uncover or he shall gain in these seas, and that paral regiment each huna and qualquiere Dellas, faga the choice of three people for each job, and that your Highnesses take and one which more scojan regardless of their service, and assi will be better governed the lands that Our Lord dexara will fail and win your Highnesses service.

[...]

— Capitulations of Santa Fe

These titles would be confirmed by the kings back from his first trip in May 1493. Of these, the best known in Castile, which paid the most attention both Columbus and the kings, was the Admiral.

History

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

• In his first trip to America (it got to Guanahani on 12 October 1492), Columbus discovered the Bahamas, Cuba and The Hispaniola, exerting his position as viceroy and governor in them, leaving to return to Spain to 39 men in the Fort Christmas in the Hispanialo, which was founded on December 25, 1492. the fort was destroyed shortly then by the Indians of the island, killing all its occupants.

File:Westindies.jpg

Christopher Columbus Travels

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• On his second trip in 1493 Christopher Columbus discovered Guadalupe and other islands located on the side of Atlantic Ocean between it and Puerto Rico, the which it arrived on 19 November 1493.Later he found Jamaica and explored Cuba. On his return to Spain in 1496 discovered the Lesser Antilles located on the side of Caribbean Sea between Puerto Rico and Dominica.

• On his third trip in 1498 discovered the Trinidad, Paria and island of Margarita, remaining until 1500 in the Hispaniola.

The kings sent to the Spanish as pesquisador judge (with government functions) to Francisco de Bobadilla in 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 perdidosu prestige, its powers and the virreinato. Bobadilla was also relieved of his government and replaced by Nicolas de Ovando in 1502.

• On his fourth trip, in 1502, he found St. Lucia and Martinique. He then toured the Central American coast from the Bay Islands to Gulf of Urabá. He remained in Jamaica until 1504 and then returned to Spain died on May 20, 1506 in Convent of San Francisco of Valladolid.

Since 1499 the kings authorized other trips of discovery without the authorization of Columbus, including those of Alonso de Ojeda and Vicente Yanez Pinzon, creating for them governments in the territories they discovered: the governorate Coquibacoa on the coast of Venezuela, except Paria discovered by Columbus was for De Ojeda and Pinzón the governor off the coast of Brazil between the Amazon river and the Cape Holy Mary of Consolation. These governorates were exempted from the Viceroyalty of the Indies.

The Viceroyalty after the death of Columbus

Christopher Columbus die, his eldest son Diego Columbus and Moniz Perestrello, inherited the rights to his father in America, including the viceroyalty. However, King Ferdinand the Catholic, refused at first to transfer all rights of his father and appointed him governor of The Hispaniola in 1508. Diego began a series of lawsuits against the Crown, known as the Columbian Lawsuits and 1511 he recognized his rights as viceroy, but with limited jurisdiction those territories that had been officially discovered by his father. Thus, Diego Columbus turn in to the second Viceroy of the Indies. He died in 1526 inheriting his son Luis Colon and Alvarez de Toledo rights to the virreinato.

During the minority of Luis Colon the transaction occurred and arbitration that ended Columbian Lawsuits with the Spanish crown and in 1537 he received the knighthood of this I Duke of Veragua and Manor territorial six hundred twenty-five square leagues, composed of lands of ancient Veragua and Castilla 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

Bibliography

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