CHRISTOPHER COLUNBUS'S LATER YEARS WERE FILLED WITH TRIUMPHS, HARDSHIPS. AND CONTROVERSY


After his historic voyage in 1492, Columbus made three more journeys to the Americas. However, his later expeditions were marred by challenges and complaints.

Settlers accused Columbus of mismanagement, favoritism, and imposing harsh labor requirements. They claimed that he neglected their needs and concerns while granting privileges and positions to his own circle of associates.

Additionally, there were allegations of mistreatment and exploitation of the indigenous populations. The encomienda system, implemented by Columbus, allowed Spanish settlers to demand tribute and forced labor from the indigenous communities

This led to widespread abuses, including the enslavement and mistreatment of indigenous people. Reports of violence, forced labor, and inadequate provisions under Columbus's rule contributed to the complaints against him.

Furthermore, there were concerns regarding Columbus's accumulation of wealth and personal trading ventures.

 Some settlers accused him of monopolizing trade and hoarding riches for his own benefit, instead of distributing resources more fairly among the settlers.

In response to these complaints, Spanish authorities took action. In 1500, Columbus was arrested and brought back to Spain in chains, accused of maladministration and abuse of power. However, after a lengthy legal process, he was eventually released and cleared of some of the charges. 

Although he was not reinstated as governor, a new governor was appointed to replace him in the colonies, reflecting an attempt by the Spanish Crown to address the grievances of the settlers and indigenous populations.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Execution by Elephant Was a Brutal Form of Capital Punishment For 2,000 Years

Image
ephants are one of the smartest and most powerful animals in the world. It is no wonder then that these magnificent beasts were exploited and trained to be brutal executioners.  Death by elephant is a form of capital punishment that has been used for at least 2,000 years, particularly in India, but also in other parts of South and Southeast Asia. Execution by elephant was brutal and terrifying. In India, where this form of capital punishment was known as  gunga rao  , the accused was crushed to death with brute force. But death was not always swift. were under the constant control of a  mahout  (elephant trainer), who forced the animal, through the use of a sharp metal hook, to carry out their commands. Under the control of a mahout, elephants could inflict a slow and torturous death by crushing the convicted person’s limbs one by one and tossing them about the ground, dragging them, or stabbing them with their tusks, before finishing them off by crushing their skull. In neighboring S
Read more

A MAN WHO WAS SENTENCED TO DEATH...

Image
 18 May 2017: a Somali military court has executed a man who was sentenced to death on 14 March 2017 to be involved in a car bomb attack at garden market in Waberi district in Mogadishu.  Addressing reporters at the scene of the execution, a military court official said they executed Mr. Abdulqadir Abdi Hassan by firing squad in Mogadishu.  Mr. Hassan was the driver of the exploded vehicle the court told the reporters. Hassan has been in police custody since the day of the explosion. The Market was bomb on 27th November 2016 killing 15 people while injuring 20 others who were most civilians.  The military court previously executed soldiers charged with murder and suspected Al-Shabaab members convicted of carrying out assassinations against officials and lawmakers in Mogadishu over the past few years.  The UN-backed Somalia’s Federal government has pledged to hold its forces to account for abuses. (Source: Radio Dalsan)
Read more

The Allure of Execution...

Image
 During the 18th and 19th centuries, it came to be seen as unnatural to be able to watch someone executed, but that has never stopped some people from watching when given the opportunity, and it probably never will.  Executions have always attracted people from all backgrounds: men, women, and children; rich and poor; academic and illiterate.  Individual responses may differ—some will laugh and jeer, others will studiously take notes, some will faint or vomit or cry—and to an extent these responses are culturally determined, but the lesson of history is that it is within our capacity as humans to witness decapitations and other forms of execution and, more than that, to enjoy them as popular public events. For as long as there were public executions, there were crowds to see them. In London in the early 19th century, there might have been 5,000 to watch a standard hanging, but crowds of up to 100,000 came to see a famous felon killed. The numbers hardly changed over the years. An estim
Read more