Abstract:

The forced conversions of both Jews and Muslims in Spain from the end of the Fifteenth Century through to the early Sixteenth Century created an enormous problem around questions of belief and identity. From a situation where the three religious groups of medieval Spain — Jews, Muslims, and Christians — had (relatively) clearly demarcated lives, living spaces, and often professions, in the space of no more than one generation a supposedly mono-confessional country was created, where all were now Christians — at least on paper. This talk will examine the issues of belief and identity as they affected the recently converted Muslims of Spain, look at evidence for integration and/or assimilation, and also consider the experience of the converted Jews which showed both similarities and differences to that of the Moriscos.