The capitulation of Toledo is the power granted through a Royal Decree to the Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro to be the governor of Nueva Castilla, in the American continent.
Pizarro had participated in its discovery and exploration for the previous five years. In that company he was accompanied by Diego de Almagro.
The terrain to which this capitulation alluded comprised part of what is now Peru. Specifically, it was about 200 leagues that went from the coastal town of Tempulla, today in Ecuador, and Chinda.
By means of this decree, the Crown of Castile made official and consolidated its power in that area of America.
Main features
After the years that Pizarro and Almagro spent in the lands of what would become Nueva Castilla, the Extremaduran conqueror set out to travel to Spain to request the post of governor.
His first claim was to share the position with his partner, which did not happen in the end.
Unfortunately for him, the conqueror was arrested as soon as he set foot in Spain due to debts he had left before setting out on his journey.
He had to wait until he was free to go to King Carlos I. He brought numerous pieces of silver and gold as gifts, as well as ceramics and textiles.
The negotiation
Although it is said that the monarch was very impressed by the presents brought from America, Pizarro could not negotiate directly with him.
The march of Carlos I to Italy forced the matter to be entrusted to the so-called Council of the Indies.
At the head of this Council was the Count of Osorno. At first, as noted earlier, the request was that he appoint two governors.
However, the antecedent of what happened years before in Santa Marta, where two conquerors shared the position and ended up at odds, made only Pizarro obtain the honor.
The Royal Decree
After the end of the negotiations, the agreement was signed. On the part of the Crown of Castile, the signatory was Queen Isabel, while the illiterate explorer from Extremadura had to mark with a simple "V".
The first point of this agreement summarizes in a general way what was agreed by the two parties. The original read the following:
“First of all, I give license and power to you, the said Captain Francisco Piçarro, so that for us, on our behalf and the Royal Crown of Castile, you can continue the said discovery, conquest and population of the said province of Peru, two hundred leagues of land along the same coast.
The said twelve hundred leagues start from the town called Teninpulla in the Indian language, and later you called it Santiago, it's time to reach the town of Chincha, which can see the said twelve hundred leagues of coast a little more or less. "
The positions granted to Pizarro were three different: governor, bailiff and advance, all for life.
Likewise, he was granted the ability to entrust Indians. To this must be added an annual salary that was subtracted from the land rents.
Other appointments
Apart from those corresponding to Pizarro, the same capitulation established other appointments.
The most important is that of the Extremaduran's partner, Diego de Almagro. This happened to be the governor of the fortress of Tumbes. In addition, he was granted the title of hidalgo and a life annuity.
Likewise, it was established that the inhabitants of the discovered area would be exempt from paying the tithe for what was obtained in the gold mines for five years.
References
- Cervantes Virtual. Miscellany of short texts related to the time of the emperor. Recovered from cervantesvirtual.com
- History of Peru. Capitulation of Toledo. Obtained from historiaperuana.pe
- Titu Cusi Yupanqui, Catherine J. Julien. History of How the Spaniards Arrived in Peru. Recovered from books.google.es
- Gabai male, Rafael. Francisco Pizarro and His Brothers: The Illusion of Power. Recovered from books.google.es
- Peru Routes. The Conquest of Peru. Retrieved from peruroutes.com