The former Jews of this kingdom : Sicilian converts after the expulsion, 1492-1516 / Nadia Zeldes.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zeldes, N. (Nadia), 1952- author.

Series:

The Medieval Mediterranean ; 46.

The Medieval Mediterranean ; 46

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jews--Italy--Sicily--History--16th century.

Jews.

Crypto--Jews--Italy--Sicily--History--16th century.

Crypto.

Crypto--Jews--Legal status, laws, etc--Italy--Sicily.

Sicily (Italy)--Ethnic relations.

Sicily (Italy).

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Leiden, Netherlands : Brill, [2003]

Summary:

This book examines the presence of the converted Jews in Sicily following the 1492 expulsion, discussing their legal status, economic activities and integration into Sicilian society, and the phenomenon of conversion and return of many exiles. The research is based on the account of books of the Spanish Inquisition in Sicily and other contemporary sources. Detailed inventories of confiscated property offer insights into the converts' cultural world, and can also be of interest to the scholar of social and material history in Early Modern Europe. By focussing on royal policies towards the converted Jews, and on the process of establishing the Spanish Inquisition in Sicily, the study sheds new light on Ferdinand the Catholic's politics in Sicily and southern Italy.

Contents:

List of Tables . vii

Preface . ix

Acknowledgments . xi

Maps . xii

Introduction . 1

I. The Cultural Heritage . 2

II. Sicily in the Later Middle Ages . 3

III. The Historiography and the Sources . 10

IV. Some Methodological and Technical Considerations . 15

Chapter One: The Formation and Composition of the Neophyti Population in Sicily

I. Conversions Before the Expulsion . 19

II. Expulsion and the Encouragement of Conversion . 21

III. Exile and Return . 27

IV. Immigrants and Foreigners . 43

V. Numerical Evaluation . 50

VI. Conclusions . 58

Chapter Two: New Christians or Former Jews-Legal, Social, and Economic Frameworks

I. Royal Policies-Taxation, Discrimination and Protection . 71

II. An Uneasy Welcome:ã Attitudes of the Old Christian Population . 83

III. Jews, Converts, and the Sicilian Economy . 100

IV. Conclusions . 125

Chapter Three: In the Shadow of the Inquisition

I. The First Period-Formal Beginnings to 1500 . 131

II. The Spanish Inquisition and the Neophyti: 1500 to 1510 . 143

III. The Auto de fé of 1511 . 171

IV. Acts of Faith from November 1511 to August 1515: 'Relaxations' and Mass Reconciliations . 191

V. The Revolt of 1516 and its Aftermath . 199

VI. Conclusions . 214

Chapter Four: Tracing a Portrait of Sicilian Converts

I. Judaizing . 219

II. The Evidence of Material Culture . 235

III. Group Identity . 254

IV. Conclusions . 283

General Conclusion . 288

Appendix 1: Dates, Coins, Weights, and Measures . 296

Appendix 2: Documents . 298

Glossary . 323

Bibliography . 325

Index.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9789004476004

9004476008

OCLC:

605921810

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789004476004 DOI