The Spanish Black Legend has shaped a particular way of telling history and the perception of a skewed past. Attributes such as intolerant, depraved, cruel, inquisitorial, bloodthirsty, cowardly... have defined the figure of the Hispanic, persisting in collective imagination. But why is this so? What is the Black Legend? In this brief synthesis, we will address these points.
What is the Spanish Black Legend?
Following Juderías' definition: "[...] We understand by black legend, the legend of the Inquisitorial Spain, ignorant, fanatical, incapable of ranking among cultured peoples, just as now and before, always ready for violent repression; an enemy of progress and innovation […] began to spread in the sixteenth century, following the Reformation […]" (Molina, 1991, p. 24). Through apparent objectivity, it creates a distorted image of the past, leading to the formation of a certain thought, in this case, about the history of Spain. According to her, Spaniards embodied evil and brutality, a characteristic inherent to the Hispanic character (Mira, 2016).
The Legend is based on a series of assertions proposed to give validity to a propagandistic discourse. Sáenz del Castillo distinguishes three key elements: the poor administration by Spain, the oppression suffered by its subjects, and the cultural and intellectual backwardness of Spaniards. Every servant of the Spanish Crown is a victim of injustice and ignorance caused by political and religious repression (Sáenz del Castillo, 2005, p. 5).
This negative view of Spanish rule is based on a series of facts that lend veracity to the Black Legend, such as: the conquest of New World (by imposing authority by force), the power over the Austrian territories across much of Europe (e.g., the Flemish rebellion), the internal conflicts on the Iberian Peninsula (such as the War of the Communities of Castile, the expulsion of the Jews, etc.), the existence of the Inquisition (as a control tool) and the policy of Philip II, among others (Sáenz del Castillo, 2005, pp. 6-7).
This series of events, according to the Black Legend, is due to Spaniards themselves, considered inferior Europeans by their character and culture. This idea associates with Jewish and Muslim intermixing. A people who use Catholicism not as a religion but as an element for despotic use.
Why did the Black Legend arise?
The Black Legend emerged due to the struggle for hegemony during the Modern Age, as an instrument of propaganda against the first power at the time; coinciding thus with the context of spiritual rupture within the Catholic Church that led to cultural rupture (Sáenz del Castillo, 2005, p. 4).
The Black Legend has two strands: the European and the American, developed independently but contemporaneously with each other and with great connection between them to lend greater credibility (Molina, 1997).
In the case of the European strand, the first aversions begin in the fourteenth century when the dominion of Aragon is present in Italian territories. Following the marital alliance between Aragon and Castile and taking prominence on the European stage, the Italian conflict extends to France, continuing with Charles I. Incidents such as the sacking of Rome (1527) fueled these sentiments, increased by all the Italian literature. Subsequently, under Philip II, denunciations increase, highlighted by the figure of William of Orange who gained support from much of Europe and fought against The Tercios (Figure 1). Works such as Apologetics for the Very Illustrious Prince William, by Pierre Loyseleur de Villiers in 1580, Relations and Letters of Antonio Perez and Anti-Spanish, a work by the Frenchman Arnauld, contributed to feeding the Leyenda. Others who embraced the cause were Jewish and Protestant Spaniards («victims of Spanish injustice») (Juderías, 1997, pp. 226-230; Molina, 1997, pp. 14-17).
In this first stage, the Legend in Europe focuses on a series of changes that the Spanish Monarchy was undergoing: the struggle for European hegemony (the Habsburg monarchy predominated over other nations) and Catholic rupture (with the Lutheran Reformation and the spread of Protestantism with strong roots in the Netherlands, Germany, and England, who found Spain as the principal defender of Catholicism) (Mira, 2016).
Regarding the American strand, the transoceanic expansion of Spaniards brought disputes over these territories by other European powers both physically and theoretically. In this episode, A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies, by Friar Bartolomé de Las Casas, has a great weight; it was the first Spanish work entirely dedicated to discussing «Spanish wickedness in the New World» (Molina, 1997, pp. 21-22). We will further develop this issue later.
In the eighteenth century, the Legend focuses on the religious aspect and the character of Spaniards, leaving aside the national aspect. The religious aspect changes from a dispute between Catholics-Protestants to religious-secular. France takes the role of anti-Spanish protagonist (replacing Holland and England). The Spanish Monarchy as Catholic monarchy against the Enlightened Despotism and Economic Liberalism. Notable works include Letter LXXVIII of Persian Letters by Montesquieu, An Essay on Customs and the Spirit of Nations by Voltaire (Molina, 1997).
Regarding the character of Spaniards, a «scientific» search is made for why they are this way, blaming intermixing with American peoples, against pure white European Nordic blood. This thought would take more shape in the minds of Creoles who developed later the American independence movements. This process used the Legend to «de-Spanish themselves», thus justifying American backwardness and the creation of new states. Through the use of so-called «political catechisms and independence», it was intended to reject Spanish heritage. This continued in the twentieth century with indigenist and Indianist movements (Juderías, 1997; and Molina, 1997).
In the twentieth century, this enlightened rationalism would continue to justify the cultural backwardness of Spain. It was not until the twentieth century that history separated from politics and doctrinairism using a rigorous method of research, putting interpretation in second place. Thus, began a new phase of revisionism of Spanish and American history, especially in the rational aspect.
In the second part of this article, we will address the American issue, focusing on the relevance of Las Casas' role as well as the so-called Spanish White Legend.
Conclusions
Political, religious, and economic rivalry in Renaissance Europe created favorable conditions for an attack on Spanish imperial supremacy. The Black Legend became a means to foster a discrediting opinion and as a weapon in a battle between two sides: the Catholic or Protestant, the believer or secularist, the Spaniard or indigenist. Despite academic defense that the Leyenda has disappeared, Ricardo García Cárcel and Richard L. Kagan argue that, in society, this «imperialophobia» full of prejudices continues. It is here where the historian must ask themselves what role do historians have regarding this? Help correct historical errors that the population still maintains to build as accurate a picture of the past as possible with textual and material sources; or simply give the population the tools and leave them to their fate.
Bibliography
Juderías, J. (1997). The Black Legend. Studies on the concept of Spain abroad. Junta de Castilla y León.
Mira Caballos, E. (2016). The Black Legend. Myth and Reality of the Conquest of America. The Hinojal. Journal of MUVI Studies, 12, 94 -101.
Molina Martínez, M. (1991). The Black Legend. Nerea. Sáenz del Castillo y Caballero, J. (2005). The Spanish American Black Legend. Arbil . http://revista-arbil.es/90leye.htm
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