20. Conversos

Session 20

Conversos: Jews in a Persecuting Society

1. The conversos 2. A rejected minority 3. A resisting minority 4. The expulsion of the Jews

1. The conversos

the conversos persecution of the 14th and 15th centuries, created a population of New Christians (Cristianos Nuevos, Cristaos Novos) – conversos – marranos from Arabic muharram 'ritually forbidden'

the conversos persecution of the 14th and 15th centuries, created a population of forced converts – an event unprecedented in Jewish history – an event contrary to the tradition of the Church Gregory the Great, in the 7th century, counseled Christians: to labor by good words and suitable preaching to convert the unbelievers and cause them to believe in our faith and to lead them to it not by force nor by pressure … for the Lord is not pleased by service that men give him through fear, but with that they do willingly and without any pressure.

the conversos to those who converted (life and properties granted) (left calls and juderías) – many conversos became sincere Christians – many returned secretly to Judaism

2. A rejected minority

a rejected minority conversos constituted an intermediate society – conversos were powerful, wealthy and learned, an elite in Christian society as they had been in Jewish society • some acted as creditors, tax collectors and farmers • some served in the royal administration, the church

– conversos had left Judaism but did not assimilate into Old Christian society

a rejected minority conversos victims of a double rejection – they were suspicious to Jews no real Jews

– they were suspicious to Christians no sincere Christians

a rejected minority Christians established segregatory measures (sangre) conversos not accepted in brotherhoods, guilds and corporations • cleanliness of blood test (limpieza de sangre) was required the silversmiths (plateros) of Valencia, since the 15th century

• cleanliness of blood was required until the 19th century

a rejected minority rejection of conversos by Old Christians could turn into persecution pogroms of the 15th century: directed mainly against conversos Toledo 1449 Lisbon 1509

3. A resisting minority

a resisting minority a lot of the conversos considered their conversion to be temporary: cryptojews judaizantes (judaizers): returning secretly to Judaism

a resisting minority judaizantes preserved basic beliefs and practices of Judaism – preserved prayers – preserved feasts and festivals Pesach, Sukkot, Yom Kippur, particularly Sabbat

– preserved dietary precepts

a resisting minority what to do with those who resisted to become good and true Christians? –

some proposed educational measures

–

some proposed repression by the end of the 15th century they proposed to intrust that repression to an institution called the Holy Office or Inquisition

a resisting minority in 15th and 16th century Inquisition one of the most important instruments for persecuting judaizantes the judaizantes in Valencia 91.6 percent of victims of Inquisition 1484-1530 most of conversos accused and tried by the Inquisition were sentenced to death (burnt alive)

a resisting minority Inquisition persecuted heretics, what the tribunal defined and declared as heretics. Included: –

Christians who returned to their former faith (Judaism, Islam), Christians who converted to an other religion (apostasy)

–

Christians accused of blasphemy, evil magical practices, sodomy, statements against dogmas and teachings of the church, sacrilege

Inquisition: an institution of a persecuting society –

not the only

–

not the worst

–

not a Spanish case

Woodcut showing punishments for witches from Tengler's Laienspiegel, Mainz, 1508

4. The expulsion of the Jews

the expulsion those Jews became segregated minorities in places were their presence was still tolerated – they were confined to specific gated quarters – their access to the other parts of the city was restricted

the expulsion the role of Jews was never to be the same again – Jews were now a small minority, mostly living in small towns – Jews were humble and poor artisans, not very learned better Jews had converted or had emigrated

the expulsion the role of Jews was never to be the same again – their financial role diminished in the 15th century a few mighty financiers continued to exist in the entourage of the king at the same time increased the role of the Christian financiers, many conversos

– their cultural role diminished in the 15th century

the expulsion that was the general context for a decision taken the 31 of March of 1492 the Catholic Monarchs, Fernando of Aragon and Isabel of Castile, announced Edict of Expulsion they granted Jews ninety days to choose between converting to Christianity and leaving Iberia

the expulsion the reasons: a problem – aspect: new religious and national fervor – aspect: prevent contact between Jews and conversos to prevent the returning of conversos to Judaism

the expulsion the figures a low estimate: circa 80.000 Jews living in Iberia in 1492 • circa 40.000 converted to Christianity • circa 40.000 refused conversion and left though a good number returned within the next five years to convert to Christianity

the expulsion the destinies – at the invitation of Sultan Bajazet II, many Iberian Jews settled in the Ottoman Empire Bulgaria, Greece, Palestine, Rhodes, Romania, Turkey, and Yugoslavia

– other communities were founded in North Africa, Mediterranean and Northern Europe, South and North America

Morocco Ottoman Empire of the Jews from Iberia, 1492 The expulsion

the expulsion these Jews preserved – religion: basic beliefs and practices of Judaism – language: ladino or spanyol, in Morocco hakitía generally written in Hebrew characters (aljamiado)

the expulsion a poem in Ladino, sung by the Jews of Sarajevo por qué llorax blanca niña / por qué lloraz blanca flor? / Lloro por vos cavallero / que os vax y me dexás / me dexás niña y muchacha, / chica y de poca edad. / Tengo niños chiquiticos, / lloran y demandan pan. / Si demandan al su padre, / qué respuesta les vo a dar? why do you weep fair child / why do you weep fair flower? / I weep for you, my knight, / for you go and leave me alone. / In me you leave a child, / a young girl of tender years. / Tiny little babes have I / who cry and ask for bread. / If they ask for their father, how shall I answer them?