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Why Did Spain Expel Its Jewish Population In 1492?
This Day In History
The Reconquista, Spain’s generations long effort to retake the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors and the Muslims, came to an end in January of 1492. In the wake of the success, the Catholic monarchs of the realm were riding on a wave of power that had not been experienced in decades. With all of the territories formerly held by the Moors back in the hands of Christians, the crown wanted to ensure that nothing could penetrate their Catholic fortress ever again.
The ruling monarchs, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, wasted no time enforcing their new vision for Spain. On March 31st, 1492 (mere months before Columbus set sail on his fateful voyage westward), they enacted the Alhambra Decree, which ordered all Jews in the country to convert to Catholicism or face permanent expulsion. During their long crusade against the Muslims, the Spanish had also turned their religious bigotry against the local Jewish population, which was relatively large.
In 1492, there were an estimated 400,000 practicing Jews in Spain. That number had once been far larger, encompassing 10% to 20% of the population, but years of persecution under the Spanish Inquisition had worn that number down. The next wave of persecution aimed at reducing it even further.
