Black Africans’ Freedom Litigation Suits to Define Just War and Just Slavery in the Early Spanish Empire

Enslaved Black Africans in the early Spanish Empire successfully challenged their enslavement through litigation, arguing that their conversion to Christianity rendered their captivity unjust. This legal strategy, examined in port cities like Cartagena and Seville, revealed how enslaved individuals' legal arguments influenced broader discourse on the morality of slavery and warfare within the Spanish Empire. The study highlights the intersection of diverse intellectual traditions—those of enslaved Africans and European elites—and demonstrates how these interactions reshaped justifications for slavery and war.

Ireton, C. L. (2020). Black Africans’ Freedom Litigation Suits to Define Just War and Just Slavery in the Early Spanish Empire. Renaissance Quarterly, 73(4), 1277–1319. https://doi.org/10.1017/rqx.2020.219