Secondary sourceBook1579

Tyrannies et cruautez des Espagnols

Bartolomé de las Casas; translated by Jacques de Miggrode · 1579

A 1579 French translation of Las Casas's account of Spanish cruelty in the Americas, printed during the Dutch Revolt against Spain.

This 1579 French translation of Las Casas's own account spread his denunciation of Spanish cruelty across Europe.

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Front cover of a book bound in dark brown marbled leather with thin gold-tooled border lines. Centered is a gold stamped emblem of a crowned or helmeted griffin-like creature above the initials J.C.B. in gold script, with a Latin motto on a ribbon above. — Bartolomé de las Casas, translated by Jacques de Miggrode, Tyrannies et cruautez des Espagnols, 1579. Bibliothèque nationale de France.

About this source

What it is

This is a French translation, made by Jacques de Miggrode, of Bartolomé de las Casas's account of Spanish treatment of Indigenous peoples in the Americas, first published in French in Antwerp in 1579. The book is held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France, bound in dark leather with gold-stamped decoration.

Why it matters

Las Casas wrote the original account to expose the violence of Spanish conquest. Its translation into French during the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule shows how his writings were used across Europe as political propaganda against Spain, feeding what became known as the Black Legend — the idea of Spain as uniquely cruel among colonial powers.

Look closer

Why might a Dutch or Flemish printer want to publish this book during a rebellion against Spain?
What does the fine binding of this copy suggest about who owned or valued it?
How might translation and republishing change the purpose of a text from its original intent?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Bartolomé de las Casas on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.