The Status of Jews in Spain

Among European countries, Spain had the most Jewish immigrants in the early centuries after Jesus Christ’s birth. Jews rebuilt cities like Alisane and Alibre and a great number of them resided in Qartabe, Talitle, Ashbiliet, Saraqsate and Almolqa.
Decision made by ecclesiastical assembly in Alibre in 303 and 304, prohibited mixing of Christians and Jews in specific cases. When a Christian king, Ricardoi, took the rule, such prohibitions became official and were extended. Consequently, Christian slaves belonging to Jews were set free and using Christian servants by Jews and their marriage with Christian women were prohibited. In addition to that, Jews were forced to have a mark to demarcate them from other people.
With the kingdom of Sesbut, the circle of hard decisions were tightened. He made Jews decide between converting to Christianity and leaving the country. So many of them were forced to leave Spain and many others, despite the fact pretended to be Christian, but because their integrity was being questioned, the eighth meeting of the Association of Toledo ruled that they have to be baptized and openly eat pork meat. From that time, Jews were banned from doing their religious ceremonies and property of Jews who still insisted on their religion, were confiscated.
Following orders issued by King Airfih, Jews had to accept Christianity or should be leaving the country within a year. As a result of this, the proliferation of Jews who remained on the island, but they pretend to Christianity. In the reign of Akhika, Community Church of Toledo, distributed all Jews as slaves among Christians separated their children from them to be educated according to the Christian faith.
The status of Jews in Spain was such that in 711, the land was opened to Muslim armies. During the Muslim rule in Andalusia, the Jews with the rights of obligation, were given unprecedented peace and freedom in an atmosphere of tolerance.
Charlemagne (771-814) allowed a group of Jews who lived in the north of Spain, at the foot of the mountains Brans, a residence permit to be an obstacle to the progress of Muslims in the area. The tribe of Jews, with the aim to adhere to this border region, were permitted to land ownership and the rights and privileges.
During the war of Christians against Muslims, with the aim to retake Spain, groups of Jews in Christian Spain became a member of the army, and as part of the country was occupied by Christians, their lives compared with the Muslim minority in those regions got better. While the Muslims were not allowed to live in the city, especially in the "Todial" and "Sarqsate", Jews continued to live in their homes in these cities. They even were allowed to build temples for themselves.
During this period, new rulers of the Christian community in its new structure, benefited from Jews in matters of diplomacy and translation of Islamic culture. At the same time, Jews also tried to counter with bribery and a variety of effects, attract consent and support of its Board of Governors. In the thirteenth and fourteenth century ... of any fine the court ordered the rabbis, for violation of the cause (closed Saturday) were received, nine-tenths of it went to the Sultan.
However, this situation didn't last long. In 1390 Christian preachers named Martin Hernando and Marti Nir, with an impassioned speech, agitated Seville Catholic Christians against Jews and they raided the neighborhood of Jews, killed four thousands of them... The following year, the same events occurred in Bolonsia, Cordoba, Toledo and Barcelona all of them were the effect of speeches by those preachers.
Officials of the Catholic Church, used all their efforts to banish Jews and forced them to convert to Christianity in less than three months or leave Spain or die. In this case, many Jews wanting to escape from the clutches of death and displacement, accepted Christianity.
It is ironic that those Jews who converted to Christianity apparently, but remained at the heart to their faith, in their residence in their neighborhood (ghetto) built temples which to the exterior was like the Catholic Church and had a bell, crosses and statues related to Christianity, but when they gathered, they would practice their religion in accordance with Jewish law.
In years 1449 and 1467 in Toledo, Jews were subjected to murder and pillage. The same incident occurred in 1473 in Cordoba and then was repeated in other cities in Spain. In 1469, the marriage of Ferdinand II of Oregon with Isabel, Queen of Qeshtalh, and Spain provided a unifying effect. These two uses the big loans given by a Jewish banker named Don Abraham Seignior at their disposal in the fight against the Muslims and conquest of Granada and after that Signore was appointed as the head of the organization of tax collection, and Jewish rabbis.
In 1480 the gallows was set up for tribunals of the Inquisition and its victims were Maranos tribes (Jews who were pretending to accept the Christian faith), Arabs and Christians who had converted to Islam.
But then in 1492 when the New Christianity, dominated and extended its influence around the peninsula, "Iberia" and Ferdinand and Isabel established the first national government in Europe that were operated under the authority of the central government. They need to see that in the new situation, they are insure of people's loyalty towards themselves. So after large groups of Jews became Christians and a great amount of them stayed at their former religion.
Thus, Ferdinand and Isabel, issued a decree under which all Jewish men and women, young and old are required to leave the country permanently along with their fathers and sons and servants and their relatives before July of that year (1492).
Following this command, a large number of Jewish refugees, took asylum to Muslim Ottoman state and were supported by that state and some others went to central Europe, the Netherlands and France. About seventy to eighty thousands of them also went to Portugal, but Spanish priests, aroused public opinion against them and asked Emmanuel, King of Portugal to refuse to accept Jews in his country. Thus, in 1495, the decree for their expulsion from Portugal's was issued, but it was decided that the children of less than fourteen years, be forcibly kept in Portugal to adopt regulations Christ and be under training.
William Guy writes:
Expulsion of Jews in 1492 from Spain has special significance because it reveals the hidden corners of the courts of the Inquisition.
Many Europeans believe that the court of the Catholic Church, was formed to do persecution against the Church of Rome (like Protestants in later periods), but the historical facts indicate that the purpose of the Pope (Innocent III) by establishing the Court was to explore the Jews who pretended to adopt Christianity and put this religion at risk. The church felt that the establishment of a coherent and systematic deliberate conspiracy of Jews pretending to Christianity, for disseminating innovations and superstitions among the followers of the church.
Evidence showed that the conspiracy was targeted at the foundation of Christianity. In particular, notice the Church of the letter of the largest Jewish religious leaders of that era on the brink (= Constantinople), the capital of the Ottoman Caliphate lived, to Rabbi Khimur, head of the Jewish immigrants in Provence (Provence), France, the plot more than Before making a clear and definitive. Rabbi Khimur had asked most Jewish rabbis to make clear the eve of duty of the Jews who were expelled from most countries in Europe.
In the thirteenth January 1489, in its written response he had said that they ought to act as the Trojan horse method; to obey the appearance of Christianity and be dressed as priests, teachers, lawyers and doctors and become so infiltrated with guile and cunning enemy to heart and follow their true intentions.
The audit court actions remain within this range and later suffered all those who were convicted of blasphemy and heresy and treason, as it were.
Bernard Lewis, American scholar and orientalist, writes:
In 1523, when the expulsion of the Jews from Spain is still in the minds, memories remain vivid and disturbing, Eliyahu Kapsali, Jewish historian, says about the chronicles of the time:
When Sultan Bayazid, King of Turkey, became aware of the scourges that the King of Spain had brought to the Jews and heard that they are looking for a safe haven, had mercy on them. Thus, by sending messengers to all crisscross of its territory issued a written statement that none of the rulers of the cities are allowed to refuse to accept Jews, or expel them, rather they should be welcomed. Therefore, all people in all parts of the country, welcomed Jews and supported them at any time. They weren't abused them or harmed.
Thousands of people who were expelled from Spain, came to Turkey and the country became full of Jews. After that, the Jewish minorities living in Turkey staged numerous charity work, to free prisoners and spent a great deal of money.
Lewis adds: This latter reference, was the situation of countless Jews who were kidnapped by pirates or were taken hostage during sea voyages by ship captains or crew.
In the same way, Luis writes: Jews who had been forced to convert to Christian, for becoming Jewish again, preferred an Islamic atmosphere rather than a Christian one. The clearest example of this is what happened between years 1555-1556 in which a group pf Portuguese Jews who had converted back to Judaism and lived in Ankona-a state in the territory of Pope- were called Morano and were recognized as apostate. In the interrogation made of them, they confessed to their crimes and again converted to Christianity. In reward, they were condemned to work in ships for their entire life instead of being killed. All 24 Jews who had remained were choked to death and burned in fire. Even Ottoman Empire’s political intervention for saving them was unfruitful.