Dogs of God : Columbus, the Inquisition, and the defeat of the Moors / James Reston, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reston, James, Jr., 1941-2023.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Inquisition--Spain.

Inquisition.

Muslims.

Spain.

Muslims--Spain--To 1500.

Spain--History--Ferdinand and Isabella, 1479-1516.

History.

Columbus, Christopher.

Physical Description:

xx, 363 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Doubleday, 2005.

Summary:

From historian James Reston, Jr., comes a riveting account of the pivotal events of 1492, a year when towering political ambitions, horrific religious excesses, and a drive toward adventure and conquest changed the world forever. "The Dogs of God chronicles one of the most savage epochs in human history, the years of the Spanish Inquisition. In an effort to consolidate their power on the Iberian peninsula and free themselves from the yoke of the Vatican, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella turned to the priest Tomas de Torquemada, a member of the Dominican order. Torquemada urged an Inquisition that would strengthen the sovereigns' authority throughout Spain, particularly in the coming campaign against the Moors of Granada. When Granada fell, tens of thousands of Muslims were given the choice of converting to Christianity or facing death or banishment. Torquemada then turned his ferocity on Spain's Jews, forcing upon them the same grim choice. And in the end, more than 120,000 Jews left their homeland. With rich characterizations of the central players and breathtaking descriptions of the starkly beautiful Iberian peninsula, "Dogs of God also portrays a time during which the entanglement of religious and political passions set the stage for the birth of modern Europe. Ferdinand and Isabella, in solidifying their control over the Iberian peninsula, also presaged the creation of the modern state, with its centralized authority and its collective sense of identity. Reston's engrossing narrative brings all of the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition into a terrifyingly brutal focus. And he looks beyond the dark deeds of 1492 as well, capturing the excitement of exploration and thepromise of the future that was born in the same year. With an iron grip secured on the political affairs of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella turned their eyes toward the New World and the creation of an empire--and toward a young sea captain named Christopher Columbus.

Contents:

Part I Confluence 1

1 The Land of the Infidel 3

2 Sowers of Discord 16

3 He and No Other! 28

4 As Much as the One Is Worth 36

5 The Lady and Her Brotherhood 50

6 Leathery Turtles and Ravening Wolves 62

7 A Glimpse of Hell 72

8 Woe Is Me, Alhama 83

9 The Inquisitor's Martyrdom 99

10 Spices and Black Gold 114

11 The Pilot of the Argonauts 128

12 The Court Rabbis 137

13 The Valiant, the Powerful, and the Unlucky 148

14 Gossamer, Velvet, and Blue Silk 161

15 The Learned Men of Salamanca 171

16 Do What Is Most Convenient 181

17 Upstaged 191

Part II Apocalypse 197

18 The Holy Innocent 199

19 The Will of Allah 215

20 The 4th Day of the Moon, Rebie Primera 230

21 Promiser of Kingdoms 245

22 The Pit and the Snare 255

23 The Curse of Palos 270

24 Angels of Retribution 279

25 Harvests Bitter and Sweet 291

26 Theatre in Barcelona 308

27 The Division of the World 317.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [341]-347) and index.

ISBN:

0385508484

OCLC:

59003080