Queen Isabella: What Was Her Position on Slaves?

Christopher Columbus, as every American student has learned, proposed an expedition to the New World and was funded by the Spanish government and had the support of the King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. In fact, Isabella was the primary supporter of his expedition. She managed to convince the Council members to dedicate Spanish funds. The myth was that she pledged the worth of her jewels to support the trip. However, there is no support for this fact. It appears Isabella was able to allocate money raised from taxes. But it was not meant to be a grant. Ferdinand and Isabella entered into a business contract that stated the following:

"that of all and every kind of merchandise, whether pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and other objects and merchandise whatsoever, of whatever kind, name and sort, which may be bought, bartered, discovered, acquired and obtained within the limits of the said Admiralty, Your Highnesses grant from now henceforth to the said Don Cristóbal [Christopher Columbus] ... the tenth part of the whole, after deducting all the expenses which may be incurred therein”

Columbus was to have 10% of all profits from his expedition. This meant Ferdinand, Isabella and the royal house were to receive 90% of the profit.

Isabella was not entirely focused on new trade routes and profits from goods and resources. Isabella was a highly pious woman. Her dedication to Catholicism was great even though she could be imperious with the papacy. The idea of discovering new lands presented an opportunity to spread Christianity. Isabella’s chief goal was granting the knowledge of God to the natives.

When Columbus returned from his expedition he brought a few natives that he had enslaved. He presented the slaves to Isabella but she was unsettled by it. Isabella ended up freeing the slaves and allowing them to return to their native land. Columbus was violent and decimated whole populations of people. He tortured and murdered and had no compassion for their plight. He wanted gold and other resources and would not restrain himself. Isabella had a strong distaste for slavery and she was concerned by how Columbus treated the native populations. But Isabella was not highly vocal about this and one wonders if she had been more vigorous in her defense of the native populations if the slave trade would have been less entrenched and widespread.