The Black Legend

“The Conquistadors Pray Before Entering Tenochtitlan”, Source “Romance of History” p. 171 (PD)

Spain was the first nation to exploit the New World on a grand scale.  Tons of gold and silver were extracted by slave labor [1][2A].  In addition to gold and silver, natural resources from Spain’s colonies in the Americas included cacao, tobacco, sugar, spices, timber, and animal hides [2B].

This did not go unnoticed by other nations.  England, in particular, licensed privateers (state-sponsored pirates) to attack and capture Spanish vessels and the treasure they contained.

Religion v. Greed

While some Spanish intellectuals argued that it was appropriate to use war to bring the Native Americans to Christianity, the abusive treatment by Spain of Native Americans was a legitimate cause for concern [4A].

However, the motivation for that treatment was far more economic than religious [3A][4B].  Individual conquistadors, who were perhaps landless in Spain, could make their fortunes in the New World [4C].  Meanwhile, Spain became the wealthiest and most powerful nation of its day.

Human Rights Violations

The monk Bartolome de las Casas is widely known for his criticism of Spain’s colonial policies in the Americas [3B].  His works In Defense of the Indians and History of the Indies are considered landmarks in human rights activism.

“What we committed in the Indies stands out among the most unpardonable offenses against God and mankind and this trade [in Indian slaves] as one of the most unjust cruel and evil among them [5].”

-Bartolome de las Casas

Spanish Inquisition

In 1478 King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain founded the infamous Spanish Inquisition for the purpose of seeking out heresy, particularly among Jews and Muslims who had previously been forced to convert to Christianity [6A]. 

Known for secret trials and brutal tortures, the Spanish Inquisition was rooted in longstanding antisemitism, and in paranoia in the wake of the Moorish occupation of Spain [6B].  Books that were deemed heretical were burned including works by Ovid, Dante, Machiavelli, and Thomas More [6C].

In the New World, the Spanish Inquisition became a bureaucratic organization attempting to control the moral and intellectual life of the colonies [7].

Defendants had the benefit of legal counsel, but accusers and witnesses were kept secret.

Those who confessed were assigned penances, which could include fines and flogging.  Those who contested the charges were incarcerated.  If convicted of major heresies, their assets would be confiscated.  They, themselves, could be exiled, condemned to galley service or death, in the case of repeat offenders.

The Black Legend

The Black Legend was anti-Hispanic and anti-Catholic propaganda promulgated by Spain’s Protestant rivals for political and religious reasons [4D][8].  It frequently employed exaggerated depictions of violence, ignoring similar atrocities by other nations of the time.  This fostered an anti-Hispanic bias among later historians which may have colored some depictions of the Spanish Inquisition.

Admittedly, the Roman Catholic Church did not have the power to execute anyone [9A].  The most common penance the Catholic Church maintains it handed out was that heretics recite the “Hail Mary” and attend lectures [9B].

However, the Catholic Church was closely aligned with governmental authorities.  Church officials would recommend that a heretic be executed; government officials – fearful of insurrection – would carry out the sentence [9C].  The hands of the Catholic Church were by no means clean.

Of course, Protestant churches were likewise intertwined with governmental authorities.  This occurred in England, Scotland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and elsewhere, leading to numerous religious conflicts [10][11][12][13][14].

Lessons from the Past

While it is easy to pass judgment on our forebears, there are lessons we can learn from the past.  The first of these is that forced conversion is not only unethical, but ineffective.  Torture does not change hearts and minds.

The second, but equally important, is that civil and religious authority should not be combined.  Political motives necessarily undermine religious principles.  That is a lesson Christians in America would do well to remember.

Power corrupts.  The legacy of that corruption is far darker than the Black Legend.  It has damaged the Christian witness to this day.

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[1]  World History Encyclopedia, “The Gold of the Conquistadors” by Mark Cartwright, 7/25/22, https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2045/the-gold-of-the-conquistadors/.

[2A and 2B]  Study Country, “How rich did Spain get from the New World”, https://www.studycountry.com/wiki/how-rich-did-spain-get-from-the-new-world.

[3A and 3B]  Encyclopedia, “Las Casas, Bartolome De 1474-1566 Spanish Author and Activist”, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/las-casas-bartolome-de-1474-1566-spanish-author-and-activist#:~:text=B%20artolom%C3%A9%20de%20Las%20Casas%2C%20a%20Spanish%20friar%2C,a%20place%20in%20the%20struggle%20for%20human%20rights.

[4A through 4D]  YouTube, “Conquest of a New World – Conquistadors:  The Rise and Fall”, https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=history+channel+conquistadors+watch+online&&mid=38EABEBFA04909540C0238EABEBFA04909540C02&churl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fchannel%2fUCpVm7bg6pXKo1Pr6k5kxG9A&FORM=VAMGZC.

[5]  AZ Quotes, “Bartolome de las Casas Quotes”, https://www.azquotes.com/author/30091-Bartolome_de_las_Casas.

[6A, 6B, and 6C]  Medieval Chronicles, “The Spanish Inquisition 1478: Fear, Faith, and Torture in Medieval Spain”  https://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-torture-devices/the-spanish-inquisition/.

[7]  Encyclopedia, “Inquisition, The:  The Inquisition in the New World”,   https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/inquisition-inquisition-new-world.

[8]  Wikipedia, “Black Legend”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Legend.

[9A, 9B, and 9C]  Lumen Christi Institute, “The Inquisition:  What Really Happened”, 8/5/16, https://lumenchristi.org/news/2016-08-inquisition-what-really-happened/#:~:text=On%20the%20contrary%2C%20the%20most%20common%20sentences%20meted,Church%20didn%E2%80%99t%20have%20the%20authority%20to%20execute%20anyone.

[10]  Wikipedia, “Protestantism in the United Kingdom”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestantism_in_the_United_Kingdom.

[11]  Scottish History Society, “The Scottish Reformation, c. 1525-1560”, https://scottishhistorysociety.com/the-scottish-reformation-c-1525-1560/.

[12]  Library of Congress Blogs, “The Relationship between Church and State in Germany” by Jenny Gesley, 12/6/17, https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2017/12/the-relationship-between-church-and-state-in-germany/.

[13]  Wikipedia, “Reformation in Sweden”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation_in_Sweden.

[14]  Wikipedia, “Thirty Years’ War”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Years%27_War.

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