Paragraph 1
I, Inés López, appear before Your Reverences with the greatest contrition [remorse] and repentance for my sins … I declare, My Lords, that I did not do servants’ work on some Saturdays, and on Sundays I put on clean clothes. And, sometimes I ate food that was prepared on Friday for Saturday, and I lit candles on Friday evening in accordance with Jewish ritual.
Likewise, I observed some of the Jewish fasts, [fasting] until nightfall. Moreover, I sometimes observed Jewish holidays, when I found out about them from a cousin of mine named Isabel de Lobón, when I was [staying] with her, for she was a widow. And she told me, for the benefit of my soul, to especially observe Passover, for the aforementioned Isabel de Lobón every so often gave me [unleavened bread], warning me not to tell anyone. The aforementioned Isabel de Lobón has left Villarreal [Ciudad Real]; for where, no one knows.
Likewise, I removed the fat from meat whenever I could. Likewise, My Lords, I declare that I ate on low tables at funeral banquets.
Paragraph 2
Mihály Zichy, an artist, depicts the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in the painting Jewish Martyrs (1871).
Paragraph 3
The Spanish Inquisition was created in 1478 because of a heresy which Church authorities called “judaizing”: judaizers were Christians who allegedly continued to practice Jewish ceremonies and espouse [promote] Jewish beliefs. Spain had the largest population of Jews in Western Europe until 1391, when preaching by Dominican friars provoked the forced baptism of Jews and the destruction of their neighbourhoods. Almost instantaneously, these “new” Christians, called conversos, generated debate within Spanish society; questions arose as to whether they were sincere in their new beliefs, and whether they should be allowed to hold the public and ecclesiastical offices that were now open to them because of their baptism … Antagonism toward the conversos was inflamed by their social
success since many converso families deftly [skilfully] climbed a social hierarchy that had been off-limits before their baptism. Conversos came to occupy 85 percent of the posts on the city council of Cuenca, held prominent positions at the royal court, and could achieve remarkable success in the Church.
Historians think the conversos’ social prominence [importance] compounded [intensified] local, urban rivalries and resulted in controversy throughout the fifteenth century.
Question
(a) What, according to Paragraph 1, were the customs that enabled the Inquisition to identify Jews? [3]
(b) What does Paragraph 2 suggest about the situation of the Jewish population of Spain in the late 15th century? [2]
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans
(a)
• Not doing servants’ work on Saturdays.
• Eating food that was prepared on Friday for Saturday.
• Lighting candles on Friday.
• Eating unleavened bread.
(b) What does Source B suggest about the situation of the Jewish population of Spain in the late 15th century? [2]
• Jews faced hostility from the Catholic Church in Spain.
• Military personnel were involved in the oppression of Jews.
• Jews were faced with losing their wealth.
Question
With reference to its origin, purpose and content, analyse the value and limitations of Paragraph 3 for an historian studying the situation of Jews and conversos during the Inquisition. [4]
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans
Value:
• The author is a professor of History, therefore the book is likely to have been well researched and/or, given its date of publication, may offer an overview that benefits from recent research.
• As an academic book on the Inquisition in Spain, it offers detailed knowledge of the period.
• The source provides an insight into the relationship between conversos, Jews and Christians.
Limitations:
• As a general history of the Inquisition between 1478–1614, the focus on the impact on conversos and Jews could be limited.
• The sources available on the Inquisition are, for the most part, documents from the Catholic Church and may contain a biased view of the Jewish question in Spain during the period.
• The data provided refers to the city council of Cuenca only, and the significant presence of conversos in city council positions may not be representative of the overall situation.
Question
Using the sources and your own knowledge, to what extent do you agree with the view that the Inquisition restricted the freedom and prosperity of Jews and conversos in late-medieval Spain? [9]
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans
8. Indicative content
Paragraph 1 It mentions customs and rituals that were condemned by the Inquisition. It became dangerous for Jews to practise them. However, it also suggests that many conversos remained faithful to Judaism.
Paragraph 2 It clearly shows the Inquisition controlling the Jewish population. It depicts the expulsion of the Jewish communities by the civil and religious authorities. It shows the trauma this event represented to the Jewish population and shows the economic cost of the expulsion.
Paragraph 3 It defines the Inquisition in Spain as an institution created to fight the judaizing heresy, which forced the Jews to baptise and become members of the Catholic Church. However, the source mentions that despite conflicts, conversos could access high positions in the social hierarchy.
Own knowledge Candidates might discuss the impact of the Alhambra decree of 1492, which forced the Jewish community to choose between baptism or expulsion. It is estimated that approximately 100 000 people left Spain and sought refuge in other kingdoms like the Netherlands and France. The Jewish community also lost some of their most renowned members, such as the richest and educated elite and several rabbis, who opted for conversion to Christianity. Candidates could also refer to the actions conducted by the inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada against the judaizer heresy. Also, many conversos suffered segregation because of the pure-blood status that prevented them from access to positions in the political hierarchy.
Candidates could provide evidence of the limited effects of the Inquisition’s persecution by providing further detail regarding the levels of social and economic success of conversos considering that several conversos managed to achieve social success. They can discuss the limited success of the pure- blood regulations that were widely criticized and only applied in Castile. They can also highlight that many of the expelled men and women returned to Spain in the 17th century and were allowed, after baptism, to recover their properties.