Charter granted by Emperor Charles V to Lorenzo de Gorrevod for permission to transport slaves, Spain, 18 August 1518, courtesy of the Archivo General de Indias, Sevilla, Spain. Before 1518, the slave trade was highly regulated and consisted mostly of slaves being sent from Spain to the Americas directly by the Spanish government. However, Emperor Charles V opened the trans-Atlantic slave trade on a massive scale on August 18, 1518 when he granted a charter to Lorenzo de Gorrevod, giving him permission to transport 4,000 slaves directly from Africa to the Spanish American colonies. He circumvented the legal statute established by Fernando and Isabel that slaves must have been born in Spain by allowing Africans to enter the Americas provided they “convert” during the voyage.

Excerpt in Spanish Nuestros oficiales q rresydys en la cibdad de Sevilla en la casa de la contratacion de las yndias sabed que yo he dado licencia e por la presente la doy a lorenço de gorrevod gobernador de bresa de mi consexo para quel o la presona o presonas que su poder para ello obiere pueda pasar a llevar a las yndias yslas e tierra firme del mar oceano descubiertas e por descubrir quatro myll esclavos y esclavas negros que sean xpianos de cada uno la cantidad quel quisiere [. . .] e si el dicho governador de bresa o las dichas presonas que su poder ovieren se consertaren con algunos mercaderes o otras presonas que pasen los dichos esclavos y esclavas desde las yslas de guynea y de otras partes donde se acostumbran traer los dichos negros a estos rreynos e a Portugal y de otras quales quier partes que quysieren [. . .] e que en llegando a cada ysla tornaran xpianos los dichos negros y negras que desembarcaren y de como an pagado alli los derechos del almojarifazgo para que se sepa los que overien pasado y no pasen de la dicha cantidad [. . .]

[Source: Georges Scelle, La traite négrière aux Indes de Castille (Paris, 1906), p.755]

English Translation Our officials who reside in the city of Seville in our House of Trade of the Indies; know ye that I have given permission, and by the present [instrument] do give it, to Lorenzo de Gorrevod, governor of Bresa, member of my Council, whereby he, or the person or persons who may have his authority therefore, may proceed to take to the Indies, the islands and the mainland of the ocean sea already discovered or to be discovered, four thousand negro slaves both male and female, provided that they be Christians, in whatever proportions he may choose [. . .] and if the said governor of Bresa or the persons aforesaid who may have his authority, should make any arrangements with traders or other persons to ship the said slaves, male or female, direct from the isles of Guinea and other regions from which they are wont to bring the said negros to these realms and to Portugal, or from any other region they please [. . .] that the said negroes male and female, having become Christians on reaching those islands, and how they have paid the customs duties there, in order that those taken be known and be not in excess of the aforesaid number.

[Translation from Worger, William H., Nancy L. Clark and Edward Alters Alpers. Eds. Africa and the West: A Documentary History. Vol. 1. Oxford, United Kingdom and New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2010, p.25]