Judicial liberations of slaves and their social repercussions in the Iberian Peninsula, 1570-1696

ABSTRACT This article analyzes the manner in which slaves in the southern regions of the Crown of Castile utilized civil justice mechanisms—in both chanceries and local courts—to achieve emancipation from their enslavers between 1570 and 1696. Employing judicial records, this study examines the various strategies implemented by slaves to reach this end, as well as the support provided by their familial networks throughout the emancipation process. Additionally, it explores the impact of this method of self-liberation on the communities where the slaves resided, with an emphasis on the responses of the enslavers and the diverse countermeasures they executed. The analysis also encompasses cases initiated by Moriscos, Asians, and North African Moors, considering the unique aspects of their circumstances within the social landscape of the Hispanic Monarchy during the aforementioned period. Therefore, the aim is to underscore the significance of the judicial system as a tool for slaves’ self-emancipation and its broader implications within the Iberian worlds.