History of the Spanish Inquisition

The Spanish Inquisition, they were expelling the Jews from Spain.

They had just kicked out the Moors, so Spain wasn't Spain

for a long time. It was conquered by the Muslims.

They had to kick the Muslims out before they could get Spain as we

know it today, and when they did that, there was a lot of Jews in the

country who thought that they were gonna get to stay,

but as soon as they kicked

the Moors out, they kind of switch up a little bit.

All right, now the Jews have to go, too.

The Spanish Inquisition came into existence when Ferdinand and Isabella were

dealing with long-standing and seemingly intractable civil war

and anarchy.

Creation of the Inquisition is an indication they saw Jews

and Judaizers

as central to both the Muslim problem in the territory yet to be conquered

and the problem of anarchy in areas under their control.

When the victorious Spanish army marched into Malaga after the successful

campaign to drive the Moors from Spain, they found 400

Jews living there. Virtually all were Judaized Christians who had fled the

Inquisition from Spain to Granada, where they reverted to Judaism.

The apostates were ordered to decide whether they wanted to live completely as

Christians or leave the country.

Shortly after the royal couple entered Granada, they extended

that option to all of

Spain's

Jews. On March 31, 1492, while still in Granada,

Ferdinand and Isabella signed the edict expelling the Jews from the kingdoms of

Castile and Aragon.

As before,

Jews could convert and remain, but the Inquisition had removed much of

the incentive to convert.

Large numbers chose to leave.

Their experience in Granada convinced the monarchs that a total separation was the

only solution to the Jewish problem they identified.

Another part of it would totally be the accusations of

blood sacrifice, not only animal, perhaps worse than animal

sacrifice.

Killing children, yeah. They're accused of killing children lots

of, everywhere

they've gone. Certainly not saying that's true,

but everywhere they've gone,

they've been accused of kidnapping, torturing,

and draining the blood of children.

And basically, Columbus, not many people know this, he

starts his very first journal and diary of his

story, of his first voyage in the Americas,

he starts it off on the

day that the Jews were expelled from Spain.

"I departed for the New World."