Bartolomé de las Casas
c. 1484 – 18 July 1566
Bartolomé de las Casas (c. 1484-1566) was a Spanish Dominican friar, historian, and the first resident Bishop of Chiapas, known as the 'Protector of the Indians'. After initially participating in the colonial encomienda system, he became a lifelong advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. His writings, especially A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, documented Spanish colonial abuses.
Lived at the same time
Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Bartolomé de las Casas.
- Surdas (1478–1583) Overlapped 82 years →
- Michelangelo (1475–1564) Overlapped 80 years →
- Titian (1488–1576) Overlapped 78 years →
- Mimar Sinan (1490–1588) Overlapped 76 years →
- Suleiman the Magnificent (1494–1566) Overlapped 72 years →
- Piri Reis (1465–1553) Overlapped 69 years →
Life events
Bartolomé de las Casas was born in Seville, most likely in 1484, though the traditional date of 1474 was long accepted.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLas Casas sailed to the island of Hispaniola, where he became a settler and participated in the colonial economy.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLas Casas was ordained to the priesthood around 1510, reportedly the first priest ordained in the Americas.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAfter a crisis of conscience, Las Casas gave up his Indigenous laborers and began campaigning against the encomienda system.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLas Casas joined the Dominican friars in Hispaniola, withdrawing for a period of study and writing.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLas Casas completed his famous account of Spanish colonial atrocities, presented to the future King Philip II and printed in 1552.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLas Casas's lobbying at the Spanish court contributed to the New Laws of 1542, which restricted enslavement and the encomienda system in the colonies.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLas Casas was appointed and consecrated as the first resident Bishop of Chiapas in southern Mexico.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgIn the Valladolid debate, Las Casas argued against Sepúlveda's justification of wars of conquest, defending the full humanity and rights of Indigenous peoples.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLas Casas died at the Dominican convent of Our Lady of Atocha in Madrid.
Source: en.wikipedia.org