Gran ofensiva antijudía de la Inquisición de Granada 1715-27

Abstract

The arrival to the throne of the new king, Philip V, was a cause for hope among the Portuguese Jews residing in Spain. However, in 1715 with the arrival of the new queen and her Italian advisors, these hopes vanished. The Inquisition, which had been relegated to the background, took the offensive, and initiated the persecution of Jews throughout the Iberian Peninsula. In a relatively short time hundreds were brought to trial, numerous autos de fe were celebrated, and many people were burnt at the stake, despite the fact that it was the Age of Enlightenment.

With the purpose of explaining this belated outbreak of anti-Jewish feeling, this article analyzes this persecution in the district court of Granada, which among other things stands out for its great religious fervour and the spectacularity of some of its autos de fe. Almost four hundred people were judged there. Thirty-six of them were condemned to death, and thirteen autos de fe were celebrated in a period of seven years. After analyzing the origin of these events, this article examines the political, economic and social consequences which these events had for the court. Through these persecutions the Inquisition sought to show its power, and thus demonstrate the imperious necessity of maintaining the Inquisition as an institution in order to strengthen Spanish religious unity which was continuously threatened by these minorities.