«The Treason of the Jews» The Survival of a Medieval Anti-Jewish Myth in Spanish Historiography

Abstract

Born in the thirteenth century, the myth that the Jews betrayed the Visigoths and facilitated, or even provoked, the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula has proven to be one of the most enduring anti-Semitic myths in history. This article will show how the myth was created and how it was transmitted in Spanish historiography for centuries. This analysis is a contribution to the study of the influence that medieval anti-Jewish ideas have had in building the image of the Jews and their role in society throughout history.