The Canary Isleands

[chef de chambre]

Hi All,

Some of you may know I have a background in pre Columbian studies, and I have an interest in recorded early contact with indigenous peoples.

I've been aware for a while of the early activities of the Portuguese and Spanish crowns, in North Africa, and along the West African coast, but I have never had any opportunity to read of these efforts in any detail.

Recently, reading Keens' "Nobles, Knights and Men at Arms in the MIddle Ages, I became aware that apparently an early record exists of early 15th century exploration and conquest in the Canary Islands, and that two works are out there that deal with the subject - "Le Canarien", ed E. Serra Rafols and A. Cioranescu (Las Palmas, 1959-65), and "Le Conquete et les conquerants des Iles Canaries (Paris, 1896).

Has anybody on the board read either of these? I can read French (haltingly), but Spanish is beyond me. Is there anything regarding the subject in English? Is there any other works written on the subject?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Andrew Young]

Im sure you could fine someone to translate the texts for you Bob....my wife is hispanic, and often translates (she is fluent in several forms of spanish and grew up speaking english...went to school in the caribbean). While my background isnt exactly the same, Im very interested in early colonial history...if colonial is indeed the right word. I could ask her if she was up to the challenge of translating.

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Because I'm cool like that I have HISTORY OF THE DISCOVERY and CONQUEST OF THE CANARY ISLANDS
Which I believe is the text you looking for. Long been in English

[chef de chambre]

Hi Brent,

Very cool. Jenn had just found and downloaded the original French version on Google books.

Who did the translation and when?

[chef de chambre]

Im sure you could fine someone to translate the texts for you Bob....my wife is hispanic, and often translates (she is fluent in several forms of spanish and grew up speaking english...went to school in the caribbean). While my background isnt exactly the same, Im very interested in early colonial history...if colonial is indeed the right word. I could ask her if she was up to the challenge of translating.

Hi Drew,

Thanks very much for the kind offer. The original work is in French, but I am still looking for more modern analysis, which I assume will be in Spanish. The original French account is available for free on Google Books, which my wife found by highlighting the title I had wrote on this thread, then cut and pasted and searched on google, if you are interested.

[^]

I think its 18th century, Jenn should be able to get it on Google books

[Baron Alejandro]

Chef,

I read fluent spanish, but I've never studied the canary islands. I might have to check around at the libraries and see if that book is here!

[chef de chambre]

Duly got and snagged.

Very Cool.

[chef de chambre]

Chef,

I read fluent spanish, but I've never studied the canary islands. I might have to check around at the libraries and see if that book is here!

Well, it is really interesting to me, as a precursor to Spanish exploration. Two French knights headed an expedition in 1402, and the whole affair continued on to 1422. Interesting images of knights in the typical '14th century mafia' rigs leading a bunch of soldiers and sailors from the same time, in exotic locales.

[Rittmeister Frye]

Chef;

That sounds like a very interesting study. I know that the Spaniards had quite a bit of trouble with the locals, who were, according to the reports I remember reading, tall and blond or red-haired peoples, of which (again, working from old memory) there isn't a lot of information. I understand that there have been some fairly recent archaeological discoveries made of the burial grounds, and I remember something about accidental mumification being one of the more interesting aspects of the study.

At any rate, indeed the conquest of the Canaries is indeed one of the major starting points for the Spaniards, in learning how to cope with (and conquer and control) indigenous peoples. I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Cheers!

Gordon

[Fire Stryker]

@ Brent

I did find Volume 2 on Google Books; this seems to be a captains "travel log". Further searches for Volume 1 have proven fruitless on Google Books. However, it does seem that there might be another English version, but it isn't public domain.

@ Gordon, it did mention that the indigenous people were Caucasian.

Jenn

[chef de chambre]

Hi Gordon,

The interesting thing is that once the natives were conquered and/or converted, and the land passed from Benttencourt's control to the Spanish crown directly (1422, I think), the Spanish crown made the natives on the same legal standing as any Spanish subject. Apparently, they essentially intermarried with the Spanish, and many old families are of native stock.

The translator Jenn mentioned wrote his second volume as the Canaries as they were in his day (1760), and made particular commentary regarding the Spanish policy, which he contrasted with their habitual later policy as being enlightened and productive in comparison.

From what I have been able to make out so far, the natives sound like North Africans, Caucasians like Tuaregs and the like, their religion was some form of animism.

Interesting reading, I just wish I could find the actual record on the conquest in English to make reading go faster.

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Jenn my copy is the Elibron, 2 volumes in one book. Which is the other edition on there. It is a reprint. So Chef will just have to read it with the missing pages and decide if it is worth getting a copy of.

[Rittmeister Frye]

From my memory (which certainly could be faulty!) the Spanish Crown learned a fair amount from the conquest of the Canaries which it later used to it's benefit in the conquest of the Americas. There is a definite evolution in Crown policy with the various institutions of the Reconquista, such as the system of encomienda and repartimiento coming more and more under Crown control as the years progressed. Also, the memories of the experience with the Canaries and the early Caribbean conqests brought forth the efforts such luminaries as Bernabe de las Casas with his vision of Erasmus and More's dreams of Utopia being set in place in the Americas.

I think the biggest lesson learned by the Crown though was to distrust it's own Lieutenants, who for the most part were nothing but freebooters eager to set up their own kingdoms if possible. All were brought to heel one way or another, with even Cortez not being trusted to oversee the kingdom which he presented to Carlos I (Charles V). (Of course this could be just a lesson learned from overweening vassals during times of civil discord, but it certainly was well learned in the Colonial experience!)

Again, this is a fascinating foray, and I very much look forward to what you find out!

Cheers!

Gordon

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Anyone who is interested in the subject of early European goings on in America should check out the books on La Isabella which was the first town founded by Columbus, which failed and only existed a very long time which was dug in the last decade.

[Winterborne]

Back when my wife and I were in an Elizabethan dance troupe, we did a couple of Spanish 'Canario' dances. They were supposed to have been inspired by the native dance of the Canaries. Lots of stomping. Kind of like tap-dancing (very hard and with your heel a lot of the time) during a galliard.

[Fearghus Macildubh]

I recall reading that the Spanish also recruited colonists from the Canary Islands, after the initial conquests. Something about the Canarians being more apt to prosper in the colonies as opposed to someone from the mainland. In Lousianna, their descendants are called Islenos and in Latin America, Canarios.

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Canary Islanders were also settled in San Antonio.