New Laws of the Indies (1542)

Ordinances promulgated by Charles V on 20 November 1542 (extended 4 June 1543) that prohibited the enslavement of the Indians, ordered their good treatment as free persons, and moved to extinguish the encomienda — an imperial power legislating against its own colonists' interests. Settler resistance forced partial revocation in 1545-46, a failure this object keeps on the record.