Spain had treated its Jewish population far better than any other European county. They constituted the single largest Jewish community in the world. During the centuries of Moorish domination, the Jews had flourished as nowhere else on the continent (Stewart 25). Their fluency in Arabic enabled them to serve as cultural translators between the Spanish-speaking and Arabic-speaking populations. This time during which the Jews and Spanish government got along well was called “convivencia”, meaning “living together peace

There is a good reason to doubt that many Conversos secretly practiced Judaism (Kamen 39). Preachers made the most of the few, small-scale cases involved in Conversos practicing Judaism (Kamen 43). Some Jews whom were raised as Catholics continued to practice vestiges of Jewish traditions, such as throwing a small piece of dough into the fire before baking a loaf of bread. It is possible that these Conversos may not have know customs like this were Jewish in origin - yet to the Inquisitors, such actions were proof that the accused was not a proper Catholic (Stalcup 23). Many Conversos also kept up some Jewish practices and would give gifts of oil to their old synagogues. Inevitably, the conversos began tampering with the Christian doctrine, following their own theological instincts. We may conclude that there was not, in the late 1470s, any proven or significant Judaizing movement among the conversos, nor is their any evidence to explain why such a movement should arise in the late 15th century (Kamen 40).

Problems arose when a number of the converts and their descendants became prominent members of the Roman Catholic Church in Spain and the government bureaucracy (MSN Encarta Premuim). A combination of economic problems and natural disasters in the fourteenth century provoked a rise in intolerance, especially anti-Semitism. Common people became jealous of the prosperous Conversos and renamed them “Marranos,”originally a vulgar word meaning pig (Stewart 36). In addition to being jealous of the Conversos, many felt the baptisms had been a sham (Stewart 37). The Conversos did get some protection from governmental leaders. For example, although Queen Isabella was a devout Catholic, she could see that most of the hatred against the Conversos was motivated not by popular concern for the strength of the church in Spain, but by envy and hatred (Stewart 40). Isabella defended the Jews of Trujillo in 1477, declaring “All the Jews of my kingdoms are mine and are under my shelter and protection, and it is up to me to defend and protect them and to maintain their rights” (qtd.in Stalcup 128). Also, in 1478, the pope authorized kind Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to revive the Inquisition to hunt “secret Jews” and Muslims (Haught 66). These protective measures did not last long however. On November 7, 1478 with the special order “to proceed to extirpation [rooting out] of heresy por via de fuego [by way of fire]” (qtd.in Stewart 42) the Inquisition would begin.

Case 3. Felix Nunes de Miranda, age 62, New Christian, business man, native of the town Almeyda in the Bishopric of Lamego and resident of the city of Bahia, convicted, lying, dissembling, inadequate confession, impenitent and relapse (Roth 303).

On August 3, 1492, one day after the Jewish expulsion from Spain, Columbus set sail. Although it is not certain Columbus was a Jew, his contribution to the survival of the Jewish people cannot be underestimated. Circumstances were so desperate for the Jews, that one must wonder if Columbus had a hidden agenda in his dream to reach the east by sea (Stalcup 168). First, a few years earlier, Columbus had made a trip for Paolo Di Negro, a know Jewish family (Stalcup 164). Secondly, Christopher Columbus’s name suggests he could have been of Jewish ancestry - Critobal Colon has a rich Hebraic origin and was the original name used by some Italian Jews who were forced to move to Genoa (Stalcup 163). Also, Columbus’s father was a weaver, which is one of the few occupations open to Jews (Stalcup 163). One of the most convincing facts was that Columbus was well acquainted with the Old Testament and often cited it (Stalcup 165). How would a non-Jewish seaman have acquired this information? Another

Some topics in this essay:
Autos-da-fe Auto-da-fe, Spain’s Jews, Jews Kamen, Faithful Jews, Catholic Stalcup, Conversos Jews, Ecclesia Miltans, Encarta Premuim, Jews”qtdin Kamen, Judaism Kamen, qtdin stewart, ecclesia miltans, de spina, inquisition spain, jews expelled, jews converted, spanish inquisition, expulsion jews, conversos jews, supposed influence conversos, 15th century, expelled due supposed, jews expelled due, tomas de torquemada, influence conversos inquisition,