Source: Amy Notes (ID702)
Author: Howard, Amy (ID633)
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did they do it anyway, or was this a practice that stopped when forbidden?
did they do it anyway, or was this a practice that stopped when forbidden?
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Hidalgos had an armed following of slaves or servants
Date Created: 2023-10-12 20:56:17
Source: The King?s Coffer (ID 83)
Author: Bushnell, Amy (ID 32)
Content_id: 3941
The hidalgo of substance had an armed following of slaves or servants who were known as the people of his house, much as sailors and soldiers were called people of the sea or of war. Sometimes there were reasons of security for such a retinue. A friar feared to travel to his triennial chapter meeting without at least one bodyguard, and Bishop Dias Vara Calderon, when he made his visit to Florida in 1674-75, hired three companies of soldiers to accompany his progress: one of Spanish infantry, one of Indian archers, and the other of Indian arquebusiers. [Note 77: Gov. Salazar Vallecilla 5/22/1647; Antonio Ponce de Leon, affidavit, 2/26/1687, and Fr. Domingo de Ojeda 2/20/1687. The three companies were of Spanish infantry, Indian archers, and Indian arquebusiers.] About town an entourage was for prestige or intimidation. The crown, trying to preserve order and prevent formation of rival authority in faraway places, forbade treasury officials to bring their followers to councils or have themselves accompanied in public; it was also forbidden to arm Indians or slaves. [Note 78: Gov. Rojas j Borja 11/6/1628; Cedula to Gov. Marques Cabrera 3/22/1685.] AN424 It was not merely the secular hidalgo who enjoyed his following. When Father Leturiondo went out by night bearing the Host to the dying, he summoned 12 soldiers from the guardhouse and had the church bell tolled for hours to make the faithful join the procession. [Note 79: The fiscal of the Council commented that it did not honor the church to advertise the town’s location by night to pirates (Gov. Quiroga y Losada, act on bell ringing, 5/28/1689, and comment on that and the governor’s letter of 8/16/1689, on 7/12/1693.] (Bushnell KC)