Converso facts for kids
A converso was a Jewish person in Spain or Portugal who changed their religion to Catholicism. This happened a lot during the 1300s and 1400s. Their children and grandchildren were also called conversos.
To make sure these "New Christians" were truly Catholic, the Holy Office of the Inquisition was started in Spain in 1478. The Spanish rulers, Ferdinand and Isabella, later forced all remaining Jewish people to leave Spain in 1492. This happened after Christians took back Spain in the Reconquista. Many Jewish people chose to become conversos instead of leaving their homes.
Some conversos did not truly become Catholic. They secretly continued to practice Judaism. These people were called judaizantes or, in a mean way, marranos (which means "swine").
New Christians who were originally Muslim were called moriscos. Unlike Jewish conversos, moriscos were later forced to leave Spain even after they converted.
Conversos were important in the Revolt of the Comuneros in 1520–1521. This was a big uprising against the ruler, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
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History of Conversos
In 1391, a church leader named Ferrand Martínez openly spoke against Jewish people. He encouraged non-Jewish people to act against them. This led to violent riots on June 4, 1391. Many synagogues in Seville were burned down and churches were built in their place. During these riots, many Jewish people fled Spain. Some converted to Christianity out of fear, and some were sold to Muslims. This was the biggest forced mass conversion of Jewish people in Spain.
The Church and the rulers did not expect so many people to convert. These new converts created a new problem. Their conversion helped stop the fighting between Christians and Jewish people for a while. But it also created a new group that was not fully Catholic or Jewish, leading to new problems.
Conversos now had the same rights as other citizens. They started to compete in business and other areas. This led to more riots in Toledo in 1449. In 1478, the rulers set up the Inquisition. This group would check if the new Christians (conversos) were truly loyal to their new faith. Because of this pressure, some Jewish people and conversos left Spain. Others formed secret communities to keep Judaism alive, even if they seemed Christian on the outside.
Keeping Jewish Traditions Alive
Conversas (women conversos) were very important in keeping Jewish traditions alive. They secretly celebrated many Jewish holidays like Shabbat. Conversas cooked traditional Jewish foods for the Sabbath (which starts Friday evening), Yom Kippur, and other holidays.
During festivals like Sukkot and Passover, conversas helped out. They might give clothes to Jewish women, attend a seder (a special Passover meal), or get matzah (unleavened bread). Conversas also made sure their families ate similar foods to Jewish people, like only kosher birds and animals. They also gave money to help the Jewish/Converso community and synagogues. Jewish people and conversos shared books and knowledge. Jewish people taught conversos how to read to help them keep their heritage. Some conversos even worked on Sundays, which was against church rules, to show their quiet resistance.
The Jewish holiday of Purim was kept by conversos in a secret way. They pretended it was a Christian holiday and called it "Festival of Santa Esterica".
What Conversos Faced
Conversos were often viewed with suspicion. Both the Jewish community they left and the Christian community they joined sometimes called them tornadizo (meaning "renegade" or "traitor"). Rulers like James I and Alfonso X made laws to stop people from using this mean word.
Laws were also made to protect their property. Other laws tried to stop them from converting back to Judaism or Islam. They were even told they couldn't live or eat with Jewish people, so they wouldn't go back to their old faith.
Conversos did not have equal rights. For example, Alfonso VII said that "recently converted" people could not hold public office in Toledo. They had some supporters, but also many strong opponents. They were sometimes attacked during times of trouble, like during sickness or after an earthquake. They were also investigated by the Spanish Inquisition and Portuguese Inquisition.
Later, having "pure blood" (called limpieza de sangre), meaning no non-Christian family members, became very important, especially for noble families. However, a bishop named Lope de Barrientos once listed many important Spanish noble families who had converso members. He pointed out that since most Jewish people in Spain had converted long ago, it was hard for any Christian to be sure they weren't descended from conversos.
Conversos in Different Countries
In Spain
The Chuetas are a group of people living on the Spanish island of Majorca today. They are descendants of Jewish people from Majorca who were either forced to convert to Christianity or secretly practiced Judaism. They traditionally only married within their own group.
The Chuetas have faced stigma (being seen as different or bad) even today. In recent times, with more freedom of religion, the social pressure has lessened. About 18,000 people on the island today have Chueta surnames. Historically, the churches of Saint Eulalia and Montesión in Palma de Mallorca were used by these families.
Even with changes, some rejection still exists. A survey in 2001 found that 30% of people in Majorca would never marry a Chueta, and 5% did not even want to be friends with them.
In Italy
After the Spanish Inquisition began in 1492, some conversos left Spain and Portugal to find a better life. They went to other parts of Europe, especially Italy. There, they were still often viewed with suspicion. Many conversos in Italian cities did not openly practice Judaism, because they could gain more advantages in the Christian world.
The first cities to openly accept conversos who wanted to return to Judaism were Florence, Ferrara, and Ancona. Most of these conversos arrived from Portugal after 1536. In 1549, Duke Cosimo de' Medici allowed Portuguese conversos to live and trade in Florence. Many of these re-converted Jewish people lived in the Jewish ghetto of Florence.
Conversos arrived in Ferrara in 1535. They were able to live alongside their neighbors and openly return to Judaism. This was thanks to special permissions given by Duke Ercole II. After a plague and the fall of Ferrara, many Jewish people moved north to the busy ports of Venice. Venice slowly became a place for conversos. Some stayed permanently, while others stopped there on their way to Turkey. Leaders in Venice decided to accept conversos because they knew that if they didn't, these successful traders would go to Turkey, which was a rival. Many conversos during this time struggled with their Christian and Jewish identities.
Conversos in Ancona faced difficult lives under the pope. In 1555, they fled to Ferrara. Portuguese conversos in Ancona were tricked into believing they could openly return to Judaism. But the next pope, Pope Paul IV, changed this. He imprisoned 102 conversos who refused to live in the ghetto and wear special badges. By 1588, when a duke offered them a new chance to live there and help the city's economy, they refused because they had become very distrustful.
See also
In Spanish: Judeoconverso (España) para niños
- Marrano
- Chuetas
- Crypto-Judaism
- Judaism in Mexico
