The Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo was the first court of the Spanish crown in America. It was created by Ferdinand V of Castile in his decree of 1511, but due to disagreements between the governor of Hispaniola, Diego Colon and the Crown, it was not implemented until it was reestablished by

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

in his decree of September 14, 1526. This '' audiencia'' would become part of the

Viceroyalty of New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Amer ...

upon the creation of the latter two decades later. Nevertheless, the ''audiencia'' president was at the same time governor and

captain general Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Comma ...

of the

Captaincy General of Santo Domingo The Captaincy General of Santo Domingo ( es, Capitanía General de Santo Domingo ) was the first colony in the New World, established by Spain in 1492 on the island of Hispaniola. The colony, under the jurisdiction of the Real Audiencia of Sant ...

, which granted him broad administrative powers and autonomy over the Spanish possessions of the Caribbean and most of its mainland coasts. This combined with the judicial oversight that the ''audiencia'' judges had over the region meant that the Santo Domingo ''Audiencia'' was the principal political entity of this region during the colonial period.

Structure

Law II ("That in the City of Santo Domingo in Hispaniola reside the Royal ''Audiencia'' and Chancellory, and of its Ministers, District and Jurisdiction") of Title XV ("Of the Royal ''Audiencias'' and Chancellories of the Indies") of Book II of the ''Recopilación de

Leyes de las Indias The Laws of the Indies ( es, Leyes de las Indias) are the entire body of laws issued by the Spanish Crown for the American and the Asian possessions of its empire. They regulated social, political, religious, and economic life in these areas. T ...

'' of 1680—which compiles the decrees of September 14, 1526; June 4, 1527; April 19, 1583; October 30, 1591, and February 17, 1620—describes the limits and functions of the ''Audiencia''. The ''Audiencia'' of Santo Domingo maintained judicial oversight of

Caracas Province The Venezuela Province (or Province of Caracas) was a province of the Spanish Empire (from 1527), of Gran Colombia (1824-1830) and later of Venezuela (from 1830), apart from an interlude (1528 - 1546) when it was contracted as a concession by the ...

, except for two short periods from 1717 to 1723 and 1739 to 1742, until the establishment of the ''Audiencia'' of Caracas in 1786. It also oversaw the provinces of Maracaibo,

Margarita A margarita is a cocktail consisting of Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight up). ...

, Cumaná ( New Andalusia), Guyana, Barinas and

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, (which had been transferred to the Audiencia of Bogotá in 1739) from 1777 to 1786, while plans for the new ''Real Audiencia of Caracas'' were finalized. The president of the ''Audiencia'' retained administrative oversight of Margarita, Cumaná and Caracas throughout the majority of the colonial period. Because Spain ceded Hispaniola to France in the

Peace of Basel The Peace of Basel of 1795 consists of three peace treaties involving France during the French Revolution (represented by François de Barthélemy). *The first was with Prussia (represented by Karl August von Hardenberg) on 5 April; *The sec ...

of 1795, the ''Audiencia'' was transferred to Santa María del Puerto Príncipe (today Camagüey,

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

) by the royal decree of March 17, 1799. The new ''Audiencia'' was set up the following year and called the ''Real Audiencia'' of Puerto Príncipe. This ''Audiencia'' maintained jurisdiction over Cuba,

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. In 1838 the ''Real Audiencia'' of Havana was created, with the Puerto Príncipe retaining jurisdiction over the Eastern and Central departments of Cuba, since Spain had lost Florida and Louisiana. In 1831 the ''Real Audiencia'' of Puerto Rico was established, but it was dissolved in 1853.

Structure

References

See also