Converso

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As Converso ( Pl. Conversos ) in the Spanish and Portuguese language areas Jews who converted to Catholic Christianity and their descendants were referred to. Converts from the Moorish population who converted from Islam to Catholicism , however, were called Moriscos (in German: Morisken ).

Initially, conversos were considered excellent Christians simply by the act of conversion . In most cases, however, the conversion took place under duress and the conversos were often suspected of continuing to practice their old religion as crypto- Jews. From the 13th century an increasing anti-Semitism against the new Christians ( Spanish cristianos nuevos , Portuguese cristãos novos ) became noticeable. These tensions, which also served the economic interests of the ancient Christians ( Spanish: cristianos viejos , Portuguese: cristãos-velhos ), finally culminated in a persecution of the Conversos by the Spanish Inquisition at the end of the Middle Ages . From the 15th to the 19th century anyone in Spain who wanted to hold a prestigious office, attend university or join an order had to prove his Limpieza de sangre ("purity of blood"), which means that he was not descended from Jews or Muslims.

In today's research, Converso and Marrano are the common names for Judeoconversos of Iberian origin and their descendants.

literature

  • Ulrich Horst : The Spanish Dominicans and the problem of the Jewish Christians (“conversos”). In: Dominicans and Jews. People, Conflicts and Perspectives from the 13th to the 20th Century / Dominicans and Jews. Personalities, Conflicts, and Perspectives from the 13th to the 20th Century. Edited by Elias H. Füllenbach OP and Gianfranco Miletto, Berlin / Munich / Boston 2015 (= sources and research on the history of the Dominican Order, new series, vol. 14), p. 273ff.
  • Julio Valdeón Baruque: Judíos y Conversos en la Castilla medieval . Valladolid 2004. ISBN 84-8183-134-4 .
  • Norman Roth: Conversos, Inquisition, and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain . Wisconsin (1995) 2002. ISBN 0299142302 .
  • Yosef Kaplan: Jews and conversos. Studies in society and inquisiton . Jerusalem 1985.
  • David Graizbord: Conversos. In: Dan Diner (Ed.): Encyclopedia of Jewish History and Culture (EJGK). Volume 2: Co-Ha. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2012, ISBN 978-3-476-02502-9 , pp. 39-43.
  • More literature in the main article

See also

Web links