Missionary; born in
Seville, Spain, in 1474.
His father was a companion of
Columbus in his two earlier voyages, and in the seeond one he took this son, then a student
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at
Salamanca, with him. Bartolome accompanied
Columbus on his third and fourth voyages, and, on his return, entered the order of the Dominicans, that he might become a missionary among the natives of the new-found islands of the
West.
He went to
Santo Domingo, and was there ordained a priest, in 1510, and gave the name to the island in compliment to his order.
Las Casas was chaplain to
Velasquez when the latter conquered
Cuba, and did much to alleviate the sufferings of the conquered natives.
In 1515 he went to
Spain to seek redress for them, and found a sympathizer in
Cardinal Ximenes, who became regent of
Spain the following year, and sent out three monks to correct abuses.
Their services were not satisfactory, and, returning to
Spain,
Las Casas was appointed “Universal Protector of the Indies.”
Seeing the few negroes who were in
Santo Domingo and
Cuba growing robust while laboring under the hot sun, he proposed the introduction of negro slaves to relieve the more effeminate natives.
This benevolent proposition gave rise to a lucrative traffic, and a perversion of the purpose of
Las Casas, and he obtained from Charles V. a grant of a large domain on the coast of
Venezuela, for the purpose of collecting a colony under his own guidance.
This project failed, and in 1527 he proceeded to labor as a missionary among the Indians in
Nicaragua,
Guatemala,
Mexico, and
Peru.
To reward him for his benevolent labors, his
King appointed him bishop of
Cuzco, a rich see; he declined it, but accepted that of Chiapa, in
Mexico.
The
Spaniards were offended by his zeal in behalf of the Indians, and an officer of the Spanish Court undertook to justify the conduct of the Spaniards towards the natives.
Las Casas, in selfdefence, wrote a work upon the natives, which contained many particulars of the cruelties of the
Spanish colonists.
It was translated into several
European languages, and increased the hostilities of the colonists and offended the
Church.
He returned to
Spain in 1551, after about fifty years of benevolent missionary labor, and passed the remainder of his days in a convent at
Valladolid.
There he completed his
General history of the Indies, published in 1875, and several other works, in Latin and Spanish.
He died in
Madrid, in July, 1566.
