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Primary sourceDocument17 April 1492

Capitulations of Santa Fe

Catholic Monarchs · 17 April 1492

The 1492 contract between Columbus and the Catholic Monarchs granting him titles and a share of profits before his first voyage.

The contract that gave Columbus his titles and share of profits before his first voyage, later a source of dispute.

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Open bound register showing two manuscript pages of handwritten Spanish legal text in brown ink on aged parchment, with a signature and date line near the top right of the right page. Dark background surrounds the book.
Register of the Capitulations of Santa Fe, Granada, 1492. Archive of the Crown of Aragon.

About this source

What it is

Signed in Santa Fe, Granada, on 17 April 1492 by Christopher Columbus and the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II and Isabella I, this document granted Columbus the titles of admiral, viceroy and governor-general, the honorific "don," and a tenth share of riches from his planned voyage. The original has not survived; the earliest surviving copy is held in the General Archive of the Crown of Aragon.

Why it matters

This agreement set the legal and financial terms for Columbus's first voyage and became the basis for later disputes between Columbus and the Spanish crown over his rights and rewards. It shows how Columbus negotiated for personal power and wealth before ever setting sail, and reflects the legal customs Ferdinand's secretary Juan de Coloma drew on to draft it.

Look closer

  • What titles and rewards did Columbus demand, and what does that tell us about his ambitions?
  • Why do you think the word "Asia" is missing from the document?
  • Why might this agreement later cause conflict between Columbus and the Crown?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella I on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Handwritten Spanish manuscript page in brown-black ink on aged paper, showing dated diary entries from August 1492 (Friday 3, Saturday 4, Sunday, Monday 6, Tuesday 7 de agosto), written in 16th-century script. This is a copy of the abstract by Bartolomé de las Casas, not the original journal.Diary entry

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Secondary source

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Black-and-white scan of an early printed page in Gothic-style black letter type, with a large decorated initial at the top left. The page is the first page of a printed Spanish text of Columbus's letter, dense with columns of text.Letter

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Colored print of a ship's deck scene. A bearded man in a blue cloak over an orange tunic stands center, one arm raised and pointing. Around him sailors crowd in, some drawing swords and grappling, and a kneeling man in a tan robe is held by others on the right.Painting

Secondary source

Columbus Admonishes His Men

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