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Bartolomé de Las Casas: A Biography
The Dominican priest Bartolom de las Casas (1485 1566) was a prominent chronicler of the early Spanish conquest of the Americas, a noted protector of the American Indians, and arguably the most significant figure in the early Spanish Empire after Christopher Columbus. Following an epiphany in 1514, Las Casas fought the Spanish control of the Indies for the rest of his life, writing vividly about the brutality of the Spanish conquistadors. Once a settler and exploiter of the American Indians, he became their defender, breaking ground for the modern human rights movement. Las Casas brought his understanding of Christian scripture to the forefront in his defense of the Indians, challenging the premise that the Indians of the New World were any less civilized or capable of practicing Christianity than Europeans. Bartolom de las Casas: A Biography is the first major English-language and scholarly biography of Las Casas' life in a generation.
504 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 1, 2017
A fascinating, literary and sympathetic look at Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas, one of the first famous human rights activists.
October 19, 2024
This is a very well-done research biography of a historical figure that more people need to know more about, particularly in these trying times with significant humanitarian/ethical issues -- and the need for informed Christian involvement.
Previously I knew of Las Casas only vaguely from college and seminary courses. I understood him as a protest figure who lived in a very violent time and emerged as a voice of opposition. His records and his legacy are worth remembering, especially in light of how cruel and greedy people can be in any age.
The author does a good job telling his story. He begins with his upbringing and family background in its historical context; he describes Las Casas' first trip to the "new world" - which was actually the island of Hispaniola (today shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic). He covers his initial participation in the slavery practices that developed (and readers will become familiar with the terms "encomendero" and "encomienda")... but all this leads to his exposure to all the violence that he was witness to - something that drove a passion in him for the rest of his life.
This is a hard story to read in a lot of ways. Las Casas had so much passion for his cause, and so much clout too (even holding an audience with the Roman emperor) - and he always seemed to think he had great plans to fix things too. We can speculate on how his ideas could have made for a more humane settlement, but as it turned out they were just unenforceable edicts. The main memory of his legacy is one of protest; very little was done in his lifetime to stop the cruelty.
It was interesting to see that the general thrust of his argument was encased in his soteriology; there was a strong emphasis on condemnation: The Amerindians are going to hell because we're not introducing the gospel to them, and the Spaniards are going to hell because they're enslaving the Amerindians.
The author avoids the excess of hagiography, partly by surveying Las Casas' endorsement of African slavery as means of easing Amerindian burdens. He goes into the details of it, but also leads to his repentance of it as more information became available to him. Clayton cites critical as well as favorable sources- trying to give a balance of takes on him - and he definitely gives you a full sense of his personality: passionate, argumentative, persistent, and never mild about things.
The author occasionally brings in scriptures and some homespun Christian reflections. I found these to be helpful, but I'm not sure how non-Christian readers would take to it.
Parts of it, towards the end, get a bit tedious - including his detailed accounts of the arguments in Las Casas' dispute with another cleric named Sepulveda. This part also gives exposure to some of the more ludicrous and racist ideas that were fueling the cruelty.
His concluding summary was a nice touch. He describes how Las Casas is remembered today, particularly in the locations he ministered in - and the author's travels/visits to those places.
Previously I knew of Las Casas only vaguely from college and seminary courses. I understood him as a protest figure who lived in a very violent time and emerged as a voice of opposition. His records and his legacy are worth remembering, especially in light of how cruel and greedy people can be in any age.
The author does a good job telling his story. He begins with his upbringing and family background in its historical context; he describes Las Casas' first trip to the "new world" - which was actually the island of Hispaniola (today shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic). He covers his initial participation in the slavery practices that developed (and readers will become familiar with the terms "encomendero" and "encomienda")... but all this leads to his exposure to all the violence that he was witness to - something that drove a passion in him for the rest of his life.
This is a hard story to read in a lot of ways. Las Casas had so much passion for his cause, and so much clout too (even holding an audience with the Roman emperor) - and he always seemed to think he had great plans to fix things too. We can speculate on how his ideas could have made for a more humane settlement, but as it turned out they were just unenforceable edicts. The main memory of his legacy is one of protest; very little was done in his lifetime to stop the cruelty.
It was interesting to see that the general thrust of his argument was encased in his soteriology; there was a strong emphasis on condemnation: The Amerindians are going to hell because we're not introducing the gospel to them, and the Spaniards are going to hell because they're enslaving the Amerindians.
The author avoids the excess of hagiography, partly by surveying Las Casas' endorsement of African slavery as means of easing Amerindian burdens. He goes into the details of it, but also leads to his repentance of it as more information became available to him. Clayton cites critical as well as favorable sources- trying to give a balance of takes on him - and he definitely gives you a full sense of his personality: passionate, argumentative, persistent, and never mild about things.
The author occasionally brings in scriptures and some homespun Christian reflections. I found these to be helpful, but I'm not sure how non-Christian readers would take to it.
Parts of it, towards the end, get a bit tedious - including his detailed accounts of the arguments in Las Casas' dispute with another cleric named Sepulveda. This part also gives exposure to some of the more ludicrous and racist ideas that were fueling the cruelty.
His concluding summary was a nice touch. He describes how Las Casas is remembered today, particularly in the locations he ministered in - and the author's travels/visits to those places.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews