Resumen de Die spanische Conquista und die Idee der Menschenrechte im Werk des Bartolomé de Las Casas (1484-1566)
Lukas Gschwend, Christoph Good
In view of the history of human rights and liberties the European research community is still focused on the anglo-french development line, starting with the Magna Charta Libertatum (1215), proceeding with the Habeas-Corpus-act (1679) and the declaration of Rights (1689) and finding its historical climax with the Bill of the Rights of Virginia, the American Declaration of Independence (both 1776) and the Déclaration des Droits de l'homme et du citoyen (1789). The aim of this article is to present a scarcely researched contribution to the history of the idea of human rights: the influence of the 15th and 16th century Spanish late scholasticism with the spiritual center at the law school of Salamanca. The main interest is on the life and work of Bartolomé de las Casas (1484-1566) and his practical pleading for equality and freedom of the newly discoverde indigenous peoples in Latin-America, based on anthropological, natural and roman law arguments.Thereby Las Casas leaves the level of pure ethical protest against the Conquista behind and devises ascertained humans rights as equality and freedom of men, religious freedom and the right of political self-determination,derived from a modified Christian and Aristotelian natural law theory.
