Post-1391 there was a period of uncertainty but many Conversos still found it possible to maintain a level of observance – sometimes even openly. It appeared that a Modus Vivendi could be achieved. But in 1477 the Church persuaded Ferdinand & Isabella to institute the Inquisition; aimed not at Jews but at the ‘heretical’ New Christians.
The 1480s became a decade of hiding, yet scholarship was increased and Spain became a centre of Jewish printing until the axe fell for the remaining Jews in 1492, and 4 months of despair turned into a mass exodus.
Their decision to abandon everything and leave for the unknown – at great cost – was the largest display of faith in the past 1,000 years of Jewish history.
Timestamps:
– [0:00] Topic setup: Spain Part 2 — continuation on conversos/Jewish life pre- and post-1480.
– [0:44] Intro & announcements: new website historyforthecurious.com and listener emails (Menorah/Vatican).
– [6:07] Recap: 1391 massacres and Tortosa debates intensified pressure on Jews/conversos.
– [12:15] Inquisition origins (1480): state-backed institution, torture, informers, auto-da-fé spectacles.
– [20:07] Converso impact: shift from preserving family cohesion to living secret “cover stories.”
– [24:28] La Guardia case (1491): blood libel, forced confessions, executions used to build case for expulsion.
– [30:57] 1492: Fall of Granada and the Alhambra Decree — four months to leave, severe loss of property.
– [52:18] Exodus hardships: banditry, ship abuses, disease, starvation; some returned/converted.
– [56:07] Demographics: estimated ~150,000 left; major resettlement in Ottoman lands and North Africa.
– [40:21 / 45:53] Culture & print: strong late-medieval Spanish rabbinic scholarship and early Hebrew printing; many books later burned but printing continued in exile.
– [1:00:17] Legacy: Sephardic communities revitalized elsewhere; theme — persecution paired with spiritual resilience.