Cédula
Cédula
Cédula, legislation signed, at least in theory, by the ruling monarch of Castile. A cédula or real cédula was a form of legislation issued by the sovereign to dispense an appointment or favor, resolve a question, or require some action. When solicited from America it was a cédula de parte. When initiated by the Council of the Indies, it was a cédula de oficio. A cédula began with the heading El Rey or La Reina and was signed by the monarch or in his or her name. As a direct communication from the monarch, a cédula took precedence over royal decrees or orders issued by the Council of the Indies or royal ministers.
See alsoCastile .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Diccionario de la lengua española, 18th ed. (1956).
Additional Bibliography
Twinam, Ann. Public Lives, Private Secrets: Gender, Honor, Sexuality, and Illegitimacy in Colonial Spanish America. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1999.
Mark A. Burkholder