Minorities in fifteenth and sixteenth century Spain

Convivencia- toleration, living together. This was the state of spain prior to F&I's reign

Mudejars-moors in christian territory

moors-muslims from North Africa

Moriscos- converted moors

Conversos- converted jews.

Did F&I seek political unity, or ethnic cleansing?

• After the conquest of Granada, Talavera tried to convert muslims through preaching, and slow assimilation into christian society
• He respected their culture and would use arabic in religious services.
• many felt this was too slow, so harsher policies were introduced
• 1000s then converted through fear, not change in faith
• there were heavy taxes on muslims in 95 and 99
• Complulsory conversions and taxes provoked a revolt in 1499 which was only appeased by Tendilla and Talavera
• Cisneros used these revolts to claim moors had forfeited their rights. By 1501, moors in Granada;
  • forced to abandon their culture
  • couldn't carry arms
• There was a bonfire of arabic books
• in 1502 they were told to convert or leave.
• Ferdinand sypathised with Tendilla and therefore in Aragon for a generation there were no attacks on the mudejars

• Islam began to slowly vanish from castilian territory.
• From 1511, various decrees attacked the cultural identity of Moriscos
  • use of arabic, clothes, jewellery,circumcision, ritual animal slaughter all banned
• These were all outlawed by 1526 in Granada
• During the Reconquista
  • the entire moorish population of malaga enslaved 1487
  • 100000 moors killed
  • 200000 fled
  • catilian nobles flocked to Granada for land and spioils

• 1480: The cortes of Toledo called that jews where a distinctive badge, the Aljamas be walled off and ther jews to live in ghettos
• 1482: partial expulsion of Jews from Andalucia
• 1483: Jews expelled from various southern cities
• The inquisition further intensified anti-semitism
• 1492 Jews given 4 months to be baptised or leave
• 50000/80000 left to Portugal, North Africa and Itay
• The sultan of Turkey 'marvelled' at this as Jews were 'the wealth of spain'. though of course, many didn't leave and stayed in the same jobs, now as christians.
• The expulsion was ironic as it probably doubled the false converso problem
• The expulsion was not necessarily racist, F and I had jews and conversos as collaberators
• A cult called 'purity of the blood' began.
• The inquisition made spaniards more wary of other religions

• 1480s institutions adopted statutes of the Limieza-
  • college of san bartoleme
  • Jeronomites
• The inquisition made it clear that heresy was in the blood (1484) when they banned descendents of those it condemned from holding public office.
• Economic Motives?
  • No,the 'jews the wealth of spain'
  • No, many Jews were pooor and disadvantaged
  • No, property gains hardly covered costs of running the inquisition
• Political motives?
  • Yes, conformity made people easier to control
  • no, there was no possibility of a jewish invasion#
• Religious Motives?
  • Yes, Isabella was a devout catholic
  • she insisted on religious conformity and even purity of the blood
  • No, the new christians remained persecuted.

• 1520-22:At the start of his reign Moors had been involved in the revolt of the Germania.
• 1525, Moors banned in Aragon
• 1529 Aragonese Moriscos are given 30yrs(a generation) to become fully catholic
• In his reign Charles had many problems with the Ottoman empire and feared a revolt in Spain becasue of the proximity of the Barbary Pirates and North Africa.

• Philip was incredibly devout
  • 'I do not wish, nor do i desire to be the ruler of heretics'
• The council of trent in 1562 created the tridentine decrees, that lead to a new reforming tendency.
• Philip was seen as a champion of the catholc faith, one of the leaders of the catholic reformation
• This meant that Philip wanted more than ever to root out false Moriscos.
• In 1567, 3 new decrees gave the moriscos 3 years to leave spain
• reasons were political;
  • the Turks had been launching offensives in the med
  • a fear of 'the enemy within'
• 1568: Morisco revolt that lasted 2 years.
• In response, 50000 moriscos were expelled from granada and resettled all over Spain, so that they could not group together