The Valladolid Debate (Summer Repeat)

In Our Time

BBC

History

4.6 • 9.2K Ratings

🗓️ 21 September 2023

⏱️ 53 minutes

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Summary

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the debate in Valladolid, Spain in 1550, over Spanish rights to enslave the native peoples in the newly conquered lands. Bartolomé de Las Casas (pictured above), the Bishop of Chiapas, Mexico, was trying to end the encomienda system in which those who now owned the land could also take the people in forced labour. Juan Gines Sepulveda, a philosopher, argued for the colonists' property rights over people, asserting that some native Americans were 'natural slaves' as defined by Aristotle. Valladolid became seen as the first open attempt by European colonists to discuss the ethics of slavery, and Las Casas became known as 'Saviour of the Indians' and an advocate for human rights, although for some time he argued that African slaves be imported to do the work in place of the native people, before repenting. With Caroline Dodds Pennock Senior Lecturer in International History at the University of Sheffield John Edwards Faculty Fellow in Spanish at the University of Oxford And Julia McClure Lecturer in Late Medieval and Early Modern Global History at the University of Glasgow Producer: Simon Tillotson

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0:32.4	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.
0:35.8	In our time is on its annual break, and we'll be back on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds on the 14th of September.
0:43.0	Until then, each week we're offering an episode from our archive of nearly 1,000 programs,
0:47.8	which I hope you'll enjoy. Have a good summer.
0:51.4	Hello, in 1550, at Royal Command, two sides met in Valalo did in Spain to debate the future of slavery
0:57.4	and then use Spanish colonies in the Americas.
1:00.1	One following our subtle argument that native people were natural slaves, who went with the land,
1:05.3	and should stay slaves.
1:06.6	The other argued that others might be slaves with these were Spanish subjects and should be treated as equals.
1:11.7	This dependent of native American writers, Bartelomé de las Casas,
1:15.2	and some say he was one of the first proponents of human rights anywhere.
1:18.8	With me to discuss the Valalo led debate, our Julien McClure, lecturer in late medieval
1:23.8	and early modern global history at the University of Glasgow.
1:27.0	John Edwards, faculty fellow in Spanish at the University of Oxford,
1:30.4	and Caroline Dodd's Penneck, senior lecturer in international history at the University of Sheffield.
	...

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