Spanish and Portuguese Conflict in the Spice Islands: The Loaysa Expedition to the Moluccas 1525-1535: From Book XX of The General and Natural History of the Indies by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes

Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, a Spanish chronicler, wrote General y Natural Historia de las Indias, a significant primary source for researchers of the Spanish presence in the New World. Part One, published in 1535, covers the first three Spanish voyages to the East Indies, while Part Two, published separately in 1557, focuses on the two subsequent and little-known Spanish follow-up expeditions to the Moluccas. The chronicle provides details of the 10 years of hardships and conflict with the Portuguese, the growing unrest among the indigenous hosts, and the indigenous culture, commerce, geography, and fauna and flora of the Spice Islands.

Format: Hardback
Length: 196 pages
Publication date: 12 May 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, a prominent figure in the history of the Spanish presence in the New World, held the dual roles of warden of the fortress and port of Santo Domingo on the island of Hispaniola and serving as the official chronicler of the first half-century of Spanish exploration and settlement. His monumental work, General y Natural Historia de las Indias, consisting of three parts and spanning fifty books, hundreds of chapters, and thousands of pages, remains a primary source for researchers studying this period. Part One, published in 1535 and later reprinted and augmented in 1547, includes the first nineteen books of the General Historia. In 1557, a third edition of the work was released, featuring Book XX, the first book of Part II.

Book XX, which was printed separately in Valladolid in the year of Oviedo's death, focuses specifically on the first three Spanish voyages to the East Indies. While it might be anticipated that the narrative of Magellan's voyage would take center stage in Book XX, Oviedo devoted only the first four chapters to this monumental expedition. The remaining thirty-one chapters delve into the two subsequent and relatively unknown Spanish follow-up expeditions to the Moluccas, which occurred between 1525 and 1535. The first expedition, initially led by García Jofre de Loaysa, set out from Coruña to follow Magellan's route through the Strait and across the Pacific. A second relief expedition under Alvaro Saavedra was dispatched in 1527 to search for Loaysa's company from the Pacific coast of New Spain. In each venture, only one vessel managed to reach the Spice Islands.

Oviedo's narrative provides a detailed account of the ten years of hardships and conflict experienced by the Spanish as they established settlements in the New World. It also sheds light on the growing unrest that their presence provoked among the indigenous hosts. The news that Charles V had pawned his claim to the King João III of Portugal opened up a window of opportunity for a select few Spaniards to negotiate a passage back to Europe. This marked a significant turning point in the Spanish colonization of the Americas, as it allowed for the exchange of knowledge, technology, and culture between the Old and New Worlds.

Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés's General y Natural Historia de las Indias remains a cornerstone of historical research on the Spanish presence in the New World. Its comprehensive coverage of the period 1492–1548, coupled with the detailed narratives of the voyages and the struggles of the Spanish colonists, provides a valuable insight into the complex and multifaceted nature of this era.

Weight: 644g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367700751