This edition marks the first time that a central section of Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda's "De Orbe Novo" has been made available in German translation, accompanied by a detailed commentary. The focus is on one of the most dramatic moments in early colonial history: the encounter between Hernán Cortés and Montezuma, from their first diplomatic contact to the violent end of the Aztec ruler. The translation not only makes an important 16th-century Latin text accessible but also situates it within the intellectual-historical context of its time. Sepúlveda was not only a historian but also one of the most controversial voices in the Valladolid Disputation, in which Spain's treatment of the indigenous peoples of the New World was debated. Precisely for this reason, "De Orbe Novo" is far more than an account of conquest: the work is a key text for understanding Europe's political, theological, and moral self-interpretation in the early modern period.
This edition combines the original Latin text, a German translation, and explanatory commentaries on historical, philological, and intertextual issues. It is intended for historians, Latin scholars, and anyone interested in the discovery of the Americas, Spanish expansion, and the intellectual conflicts of the Renaissance.