Klein-Venedig

As Little Venice (also Welser- colony ) refers to an area in present-day state of Venezuela, which Charles V had pledged the Welsern 1528-1545. It was by no means an acquisition of a colony.

Prehistory

1519 had I ( later Emperor Charles V ) was added to the imperial election of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation high interest loans at the Augsburg Fugger and Welser merchant houses of the Spanish King Charles. According to estimates owed ​​Charles V the Welsern between 143000-158000 guilders. Charles V was able to prevail against the French king Francis I, but the years passed, without that he had only repaid a small portion of the loan. Then offered to the Welser Charles V to give them a piece of the New World instead of money. Charles V gave them the province of Venezuela as a fief.

Treaty of Venezuela

Charles V and the Welser regulated in the Treaty of Venezuela (actually Treaty of Madrid) on 27 March 1528 by terms of the agreements. The Welser were allowed to use governors and officials, and were exempt from the tax on salt and from all customs duties and port fees in the Spanish monopoly Harbour Seville. They were allowed to enslave hostile Indians ( after prior warning ) and introduce about 4,000 African slaves. The profits of the entire company, the Welser should be involved with 4%. The settled by the Welsern immigrants were each given a piece of farmland.

The Welser had to establish two cities and build three forts, and colonize them also. One tenth of the gold, silver or gemstone discoveries was the King of Spain. Later this tax increased to one-fifth.

The Chamber of Commerce (Casa de la Contratación ) defined the boundaries of the Welser Territory: In the West, the Cape La Vela and to the east was the Cape of Maracapana. These two places are about 900 kilometers away from each other. Also the coastal strip ( " Pearl Coast ") and the adjacent islands (except for Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire and the Islas Gigantes ) were the Welsern available for use. A southern boundary was not fixed. You wrote only " de la una mar à la otra " ( from the one sea to the other ). Refers were probably the Caribbean ( " Mar del Norte " ) and the sought Pacific South Sea ( " Mar del Sur "). On a world map of the Welser of 1530 is written, that the Welser- territory extends to the Strait of Magellan.

Colonization

1529 came Ambrosius Ehinger, the first governor of Little Venice, with 281 colonists to New Augsburg ( Coro ), the then provincial capital of Venezuela. In the same year was founded in New Nuremberg ( Maracaibo ). The plan was originally mainly through the sale of, for example, gold, salt, slaves or exotic woods the debts of Charles V be recovered through, but only the slave trade brought the desired profit. So the governors put more on the sale of slaves and were always ruthless against the Indians before. The Spanish population felt exploited by the Welser. The Spanish missionary Bartolome de Las Casas wrote: "The Germans are worse than the wildest lion. Out of greed these human devils act much more brutal than any of their predecessors. "So the number of complaints to the Audiencia skyrocketed. 1536 came at the request of the Bishop of Coro together a study commission to examine the allegations of violence against Spaniards and Indians. However, the then Governor George Hohermuth undertook an expedition in search of El Dorado and his deputy Nicholas spring man also was not interested in the issues of justice and launched an expedition in 1537 also.

Termination of the contract

1546 Charles V announced the Venezuela Treaty. The colonial policy of the Welser in his eyes was a bust: The Governors enriched themselves, food, horses and equipment had to because of the bad economy are delivered from the Caribbean still, Maracaibo was in ruins, Coro lost its function as the capital, Juan de Carvajal took over forged documents, the government, and most pagan Indians, Christianity was still completely unknown. To 1556 V. Bartholomew Welser processed to his tenure in South America, but he finally lost Little Venice and spring 's farm in Colombia.

Governors

The Lieutenant Governor Nicholas spring 1530 by Ambrosius Ehinger man received the full power over Venezuela.