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In this paper I propose analysing the concepts of discovery and conquest, especially the latter, because its use varies in legal documents, which started with the Reyes Católicos, concerning the treatment of Spaniards toward Indians. The crucial point in my analysis will concern the discussion about the nature of the concept of conquest, its relationship with that of just war and the ethics of its application by the participants in the Controversia de Valladolid (1550-51): Bartolomé de las Casas and Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda. The end point of my analysis is 1563, in the reign of Philip II, and the analysis is based on the lexical uses of these concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]