Humanities 3 II' Spain and the New World

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Humanities 3II. Spain and the New World
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Lecture 4Christians and Jews
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Outline

• The Creation of Spain
• The Inquisition
• The Edict of Expulsion

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Background

• 711 Muslim armies enter Iberian peninsula from
  Africa, and within several decades extend their
  control of the peninsula to the French border.
• Jews had lived in Spain since the 5th c. BCE, but
  many more (gt50,000) enter in the train of the
  Muslim armies. By the 12th c. 90 of the worlds
  Jewish population lives in Spain.
• From the 8th c. on, Christian armies attempt to
  turn back the Arab presence in Spain in what will
  be called La Reconquista. By 13th c. Granada
  remains the sole Muslim kingdom.

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The Rise of Anti-Semitism

• 1215 Fourth Lateran Council institutes Badge of
  Shame that Jews are required to wear in public.
• 1348-51 Plague (black death) blamed on the
  Jews.
• 1391 Anti-Jewish riots throughout Castile and
  Arragon.
• 1415 Study of Talmud forbidden by papal bull.
  Many Jews convert to Christianity those who
  continued to practice Judaism secretly are called
  marranos (swine).

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Ferdinand and Isabella

• 1469 Marriage of Isabella of Castile and León to
  Ferdinand of Aragón (children include Catherine
  of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII).
• 1474 Isabella and Ferdinand jointly succeed to
  the throne of Castile and León.
• 1479 Unification of the kingdoms of Castile and
  Aragon.

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• During the 1480s, Ferdinand and Isabella fight a
  costly war against the last Muslim presence on
  the Spanish peninsula the southernmost kingdom
  of Granada. This is represented as a holy war on
  behalf of Christianity. Special taxes and the
  possessions of Jew who are imprisoned, killed or
  expelled are dedicated to the cause.
• Support grows for the doctrine of pureza de
  sangre (purity of blood).

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The Spanish Inquisition 1480-1492

• 1478 Inquisition is set up to root out marranos
  in cities throughout Spain.
• 1483 The Dominican monk Tomás de Torquemada
  appointed as chief inquisitor
• The Inquisition was a religious proceeding.
  Officially, it aimed at exposing heresy
  Christians who were secretly practicing Judaism.

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• Many brought before the Inquisition were absolved
  or reconciled. Those who were not were
  condemned as heretics and handed over to the
  secular authorities for punishment (the
  auto-de-fé, or act of faith).
• Del Pugar claims that as many as 2000 Jews were
  burned at the stake (Reader, 2). This may be an
  exaggeration.

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Pedro Berruguete, Saint Dominic Presiding over
an auto-da-fe, c. 1490
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Events of 1492

• January Ferdinand and Isabella seize Granada,
  driving the Moors from Spain.
• March 31 Urged on by Torquemada, Ferdinand and
  Isabella sign edict of expulsion.

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Edict of Expulsion
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• June 30 Last Jews (between 75,000 and 200,000)
  leave Spain, mainly for Portugal.
• August 3 Columbus sails from Palos. Lands at
  San Salvador on October 11.

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Issues

• Freedom of conscience vs. the demand for religion
  orthodoxy and conformity
• Toleration as a positive value
• The value of identity how does one define
  oneself (religion, ethnicity, history)? Is this
  identity sometimes more important than life
  itself?