Pleitos colombinos

Did You Know?

• Minor lawsuits between the Columbus family and the Crown continued sporadically until the end of the 18th century.
• The testimony taken from witnesses during the lawsuits has been a fundamental source for historians, though its accuracy is sometimes doubted.
• Lawsuits occurred between 1537 and 1541, and again between 1555 and 1563.

Background

The Capitulations of Santa Fe, signed on April 17, 1492, granted Columbus a tenth of all riches from his intended voyage, though it was not a formal agreement. During his third voyage, Columbus faced hostility from other Spaniards in Hispaniola, who felt deceived by his promises. He attempted to ally with rebellious Taínos and Caribs against other Spaniards. Accusations of poor governance reached the royal court, and in 1500, Francisco de Bobadilla arrested Columbus and his brothers, sending them to Spain in chains. Columbus regained his liberty upon arrival but lost much prestige and power. After his death in 1506, his son Diego succeeded him as Admiral of the Indies. In 1508, King Ferdinand granted Diego the office of Governor of the Indies for a limited term, but Diego claimed it was perpetual, initiating a lawsuit.

Lawsuit

The first verdict in 1511, given in Seville, recognized the Columbus line as viceroys in perpetuity and entitled to a tenth of benefits from the Indies, while the Crown gained the right to name appellate judges. Both sides appealed. In 1512, the suit merged with the pleito del Darién, which questioned whether jurisdiction extended to the mainland. A new verdict, the Declaration of La Coruña, came in 1520.

Diego Colón was deposed as governor in 1524 and began a new suit; he died two years later, and his widow continued on behalf of their son Luis, with Fernando Colón as primary representative. A 1527 verdict in Valladolid annulled previous rulings and ordered a new trial. The royal prosecutor then argued that Martín Alonso Pinzón, not Columbus, was chiefly responsible for the discovery, calling surviving crew members as witnesses. Verdicts in Dueñas (1534) and Madrid (1535) were both appealed.

Arbitration

Both parties submitted to arbitration, and on June 28, 1536, the presidents of the Council of the Indies and the Council of Castile delivered an award. They confirmed the title of Admiral of the Indies in perpetuity for Columbus's heirs, with privileges like those of the Admiral of Castile. The titles of Viceroy and Governor General of the Indies were removed. A seigneury was established, mainly the island of Jamaica (with the title Marquess of Jamaica) and a territory of 25 leagues square in Veragua (with the title Duke of Veragua). The heirs retained their lands in Hispaniola and the perpetual titles of alguacil mayor of Santo Domingo and of the Audiencia. An annual payment of 10,000 ducats to the heirs and 500,000 maravedíes to each sister of Luis Colón was ordered.