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Lost document reveals Columbus as tyrant of the Caribbean
The Guardian ^ | 07 Aug 2006 | Giles Tremlett

Posted on 08/09/2006 5:44:39 AM PDT by Marius3188

Christopher Columbus, the man credited with discovering the Americas, was a greedy and vindictive tyrant who saved some of his most violent punishments for his own followers, according to a document uncovered by Spanish historians.

As governor and viceroy of the Indies, Columbus imposed iron discipline on the first Spanish colony in the Americas, in what is now the Caribbean country of Dominican Republic. Punishments included cutting off people's ears and noses, parading women naked through the streets and selling them into slavery.

"Columbus' government was characterised by a form of tyranny," Consuelo Varela, a Spanish historian who has seen the document, told journalists.

One man caught stealing corn had his nose and ears cut off, was placed in shackles and was then auctioned off as a slave. A woman who dared to suggest that Columbus was of lowly birth was punished by his brother Bartolomé, who had also travelled to the Caribbean. She was stripped naked and paraded around the colony on the back of a mule.

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Unclassified
KEYWORDS: 1492; ageofsail; caribbean; christophercolumbus; columbus; columbusday; consuelovarela; dominicanrepublic; godsgravesglyphs
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To: Red Badger

Yes in Spain, but a Belgium man(Charles Martel) saved Europe as a whole.


21 posted on 08/09/2006 6:03:29 AM PDT by Marius3188 (Happy Resurrection Weekend)
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To: DannyTN

"...the Guardian"

This article is junk jounalism and complete hogwash.

We have countless documents concerning Columbus, many from his own hand and from these we learn of a very educated man, a man with a sense of fairness, and a superb sailor.
But the Guardian grabs onto a scrap of something "new" and runs it up the flagpole like it stands alone.


22 posted on 08/09/2006 6:05:31 AM PDT by Monterrosa-24 (Pork barbeque, bacon, pork chops, sausage, ribs, ham, pork rinds are so good and so offensive to...)
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To: Pietro
Columbus was allegedly raised in Italy but he was married to a Portuguese princess of the ruling house.

Hmmmm.

He'd worked earlier for Rene d'Anjou, cousin of the King of France and, as it turns out, grandfather/uncle to both Isabella and Ferdinand, and, later on, Elizabeth of England. Rene's brotherinlaw was King of England.

No doubt Columbus was looked at with great suspicion by many Spaniards!

23 posted on 08/09/2006 6:05:34 AM PDT by muawiyah (-/sarcasm)
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To: Marius3188

In any case, I'm sure it was Bush's fault.....


24 posted on 08/09/2006 6:05:52 AM PDT by traditional1
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To: Red Badger
BTW, the Moors, for the most part, simply became Catholics (which had been the custom for 500 years as Moslem areas fell under the rule of Christian rulers, and vice versa.).

No doubt they were first on the boat when the Caribbean was discovered.

25 posted on 08/09/2006 6:07:23 AM PDT by muawiyah (-/sarcasm)
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To: Marius3188

One of my favorite books growing up was "The Velvet Doublet" by James Street. It vividly describes the meaness and arrogance of Columbus and how it all fit in to the terror wreaked by the Roman Catholic Church on Spanish Jews and Moors.


26 posted on 08/09/2006 6:07:24 AM PDT by bert (K.E. N.P. Slay Pinch)
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To: Marius3188

columbus did have his enemies,obviously. If the document is real for good reason. But, one of those enemies or more could have pulled a Mary Mapes as well and the document could be a forgery. We should give Columbus a fair chance before blackening his name.


27 posted on 08/09/2006 6:07:35 AM PDT by bilhosty (to hell with ABCNNBCBS)
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To: Marius3188
Okay.... I just got done reading the rest the article in The Guardian. Columbus is/was accused of doing this. Columbus is/was accused of doing that, yada,yada,yada.

Yet nowhere in the article (as far a I could tell) was there:

a) The word "produced", i.e. "Spanish historians produced a 48 page document..." We are told they found this thing, but not produced it to the general public.

b) The article doesn't quote -- or even refer to -- any others but these particular Spanish historians. So much for peer review. Maybe b/c, for whatever reason, this discovery was revealed (albeit not produced) to the media before it will be to the academic/historical community.

28 posted on 08/09/2006 6:08:16 AM PDT by yankeedame ("Oh, I can take it but I'd much rather dish it out.")
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To: Personal Responsibility

Personal Responsibility wrote:

> That is simply the way things were then. <


Yes, but it's also striking that Ferdinand and Isabella
took the initiative to stop Christopher's cruel behavior.

So in those days, some of the rulers apparently were quite
a bit less "savage" than others.


29 posted on 08/09/2006 6:08:57 AM PDT by Hawthorn
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To: Marius3188
Martel's efforts are overhyped. It took a multicentury RECONQUISTA to get Islam out of Western Europe. That battle was undertaken by Cornwall.

The French thing with Martel was a minor skirmish.

30 posted on 08/09/2006 6:09:10 AM PDT by muawiyah (-/sarcasm)
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To: muawiyah
I stand corrected.

31 posted on 08/09/2006 6:11:43 AM PDT by DoctorMichael (A wall first. A wall now.)
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To: muawiyah

You have to admit the Battle of Tours, was at least a defining moment for Europe. At least, it created the resolve to prevent further pushes from the Islamic Invaders.


32 posted on 08/09/2006 6:12:21 AM PDT by Marius3188 (Happy Resurrection Weekend)
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To: traditional1
In any case, I'm sure it was Bush's fault.....

LOL!! Oh, that goes w/o saying!

33 posted on 08/09/2006 6:14:32 AM PDT by yankeedame ("Oh, I can take it but I'd much rather dish it out.")
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To: muawiyah
No doubt they were first on the boat when the Caribbean was discovered.

Yes, but I doubt that they rode in 1st class...........

34 posted on 08/09/2006 6:17:03 AM PDT by Red Badger (Is Castro dead yet?........)
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To: xrp

Exactly. I was going to say, "Sounds like a 'moderate Muslim' to me."


35 posted on 08/09/2006 6:18:56 AM PDT by LS
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To: Marius3188
It did?

The Battle of Tours took place in the Dark Ages. For the most part conditions were so primitive outside of Spain that I doubt "Europeans", as a whole, could come to a resolve about anything other than building more dongeons.

36 posted on 08/09/2006 6:21:13 AM PDT by muawiyah (-/sarcasm)
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To: Red Badger
Early settlers from Spain didn't have a First Class option anyway. Those bad boys were definitely tough and brave to spend 3 months at sea in a flimsy wooden craft typical of the day.

Most Europeans waited to come to the Americas after the invention of steelhulled luxury craft.

37 posted on 08/09/2006 6:23:12 AM PDT by muawiyah (-/sarcasm)
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To: muawiyah

I was referring to them as coming as slaves or prisoners vs free men and women............


38 posted on 08/09/2006 6:28:37 AM PDT by Red Badger (Is Castro dead yet?........)
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To: Marius3188
Boy is this out of context. The sorts of punishments mentioned here were actually somewhat mild for this time period.

Anyone know what the "peaceful" natives used to do with prisoners captured in war?
39 posted on 08/09/2006 6:32:11 AM PDT by Antoninus (Public schools are the madrassas of the American Left. --Ann Coulter, Godless)
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To: Red Badger
Actually, most of my own ancestors came as legal exiles, prisoners or refugees (except for the ones who owned the boats).

Up until the development of relatively safe ships in the 1820+ period, virtually all immigrants to America came as something other than "free men".

May be the sort of background to make folks really and truly interested in freedom.

Spain's earliest immigration policy pretty much favored small freeholders settling towns in fertile areas in the Caribbean islands.

40 posted on 08/09/2006 6:34:39 AM PDT by muawiyah (-/sarcasm)
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