See also: Decree

The decree of Alhambra , known to have caused the expulsion of the Jewish S of Spain , was published the March 31st 1492 by the Kings Catholiques of Spain - Isabelle de Castille, married to Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1469 -, following the triumph on the Moor S, and the fall of Grenade.

The decree ordered the conversion or the departure of all the Juif S of Spain, its territories and possessions before the July 31st 1492, and leads to their Diaspora in the the Maghreb, southernmost Europe and the Ottoman Empire, where the sultan Bayezid II had agreed to give them refuge.

The community resigned itself to the decree, except notable for Rav Don Isaac Abravanel, which opposed a savage resistance to it, seeking to make cancel or revoke the decree. One lends to him a answer to the prophetic tone, even Messianic. It is however about a literary creation.

150  000 Jews choose conversion, 150  000 with 200  000 the exile in Navarre, with the Portugal, in Italy, North Africa or the Eastern Mediterranean.

Those which leave try to recover their credits and to sell their goods before their departure, too quickly and at a loss. The parents hastily marry their children, as of twelve or thirteen years, believer who the couples will be favoured in the big departure. All seek the port, the surest host country. With the approach of July, one makes proclaim that no Jew can carry gold, but one authorizes their clothing and their luggage to them. The exiled futures try to negotiate their gold in silk trade and furs. The jewels are confiscated by the urban councils, the Inquisiteur S or not very scrupulous intermediaries. The Jews will be excavated at the time of the loading. Sometimes they must be sold like slave to pay their voyage. Many are those which perish.

The catholic Kings quickly realize of the vacuum left by the departure of the Jews. Dice November 1492, they announce in the close kingdoms and with the the Maghreb which they authorize the return and would restore their goods with those which would be made baptize. A rather significant number of Jews folded up with the Portugal return by Badajoz and Ciudad Rodrigo, and become Conversos while trying to find their sold goods earlier a few months. The decree of Alhambra remained officially into force until 1967, date of its abrogation on the initiative of the Minister for Tourism Manuel Fraga Iribarne.

Translation of the text of the decree of Alhambra

Of the King Ferdinand, and the queen Isabelle, by the grace of God, King and Queen of Castille, the León, Aragon and other possessions of the crown - with prince Juan, with the dukes, marquis, counts, the saints orders, priors, knights commanders, lords of the castles, riders, and with all the Juif S, men and women of any age, and with all the others that this letter could concern - which health and the grace is on you.

You know extremely well that in our territories are certain bad Chrétiens which are judaïsés and are guilty of Apostasie towards our Holy faith Catholique, the majority being due to communications between Juifs and Christians. This is why, in the year 1480, we ordered that the Jews are separated from the cities and cities from our fields and that it to them is allotted separated districts, by hoping that the problem is solved by such a separation. And we ordered that a Inquisition is established in such a field; and in twelve years, that functioned, the Enquiry found many culprits. Moreover, we are informed by the Enquiry and others that the great damage caused with the Christians persists, and that continues because of the conversations and communications which they hold with the Jews, such Jews trying by all the means of reversing our holy faith Catholique and trying to divert faithful Chrétiens of their beliefs.

These Jews inform these Christians on the ceremonies and observances of their Loi, the Circoncision their children, and give them books with which to request, the days of fast issue to them, them meet in order to teach to them the histories of their Loi, announce to them when to await Passover, and how to observe it, unleavened bread and of the ritually prepared dishes give them, inform them of what they should abstain from with regard to food, and other subjects requiring to observe the Law of Moïse, inviting them to understand that it does not have there other laws or truths apart from it. Of all that precedes, it is thus clear that, on the basis of confession of such Jews, as much as those which were perverted by them, that because a great wrong and detriment with our holy catholic faith.

And because we knew that the true remedy for such evils and difficulties lay in the rupture of all communications between the aforementioned Jews and Christians, and to return them from all the places of our reigns, we sought to satisfy us while ordering in known as Juifs of all the cities, villages and places of Andalusia where it appeared that they had made great wrongs, believer that would suffice so that those of the other cities, villages and places in our reigns and possessions would cease making the aforesaid acts. And owing to the fact that we were informed that neither this, nor returned justice with certain of the aforesaid recognized Jews very-culprits of the aforesaid crimes and transgressions towards our holy faith Catholique, was a complete remedy to avoid and correct such an opprobrium and offends with the faith and the religion Christian women; because it appears each day that a growing number of the aforesaid Jews continues to perpetrate their bad intentions and vermin where which they resides and converses; and because there is no more place by where offending our holy faith more, as well for those which God protected so far as for those already affected, it is with our Holy Mother the Church to repair and reduce the business in its former state, since, because of our human weakness, it could happen that we succumb to the diabolic temptation which attacks us continuously, if its main cause were not withdrawn from it, which means to expel the aforementioned Jews of the kingdom. Because, with each time a serious and hateful crime is committed by the members of a given group, it is reasonable that is dissolved or destroyed the group, smallest being punished for largest, one for the other; and that those which pervert the good one and honest life of the lives and villages, and which could wound the others by contagion, are expelled of the center of the people, and which they could still, for other less reasons, which would make wrong to the Republic, it is thus with stronger reasons for major of this kind, dangerous and contagious crimes as they are it.

Consequently, with the council and the opinion of the eminent men and the riders of our reign, and other people of knowledge and conscience of our Supreme council, after having deliberated much, it was concluded and solved that is ordered with all the Jews and Jewish to leave our kingdoms, and that they are never authorized to go back there.

And we order moreover in this edict that all the Jews and Jewish of any age, residing in our fields and territories, leave with their sons and girls, their servants and parents, large and small, whatever their age, by the end of July of this year, and that they do not dare to return on our grounds, was this of a foot, nor to be introduced there without permission in some manner that it either. Any Jew which would not obey this edict and would be found in our kingdom and fields, or which turns over in the kingdom in some manner that it was, will incur the capital punishment, and the confiscation of all his goods.

We order moreover that no one, whatever its station or its situation of nobility, does not hide, guard or defends some Jew or Jewish, that it is in a public or secret way, starting from the end of July and beyond, in their house or some place that it is of our reign, under penalty of punishment of loss of their effects, vassal, fortresses and privileges hereditary.

So that the aforementioned Jews can sell their household and their effects endéans the period given, we provide them for the moment the insurance with our royal protection and safety, so that, by the end of July, they can sell and exchange their effects, pieces of furniture, and other objects, and to demolish itself some as freely as they will like it; and that During the aforementioned period, nobody has the right to harm, make an attempt on, or to carry damage to their people or their goods, which is contrary with justice, and will make incur the punishment which occurs with those which violate our royal safety.

We thus grant the permission to known as Juifs and Jewish to carry their goods and effects apart from our possessions, that it is by sea route or terrestrial, in the condition which they carry neither but, neither money, nor currency strikes, or any other object prohibited by the laws of the kingdom.

Consequently, we order with all the advisers, magistrates, riders, carries blazons, official, gentlemen of the city of Burgos and other cities and villages of our kingdoms and possessions, and on all our vassal and prone, that they observe and yield with this letter, and all that it contains, and that they all employ their means and favors to carry out it, under penalty of punishments by our sovereign grace and of confiscation of all their goods and loads to the profit of our royal house.

And in order to carry this for submission to all, so that nobody can claim to be unaware of it, we order that this edict is proclaimed in all the places and usual points of meeting of any city; and that in all the large cities and villages of the diocese, that is done by the drum of city in the presence of the public scribe; and that neither one nor the other makes the opposite of what is desired, under penalty of punishments by our sovereign grace and of confiscation of all the goods and loads of anyone which would make the opposite. And we order moreover than one proof is provided to the court, in the form of a written deposition, way by which the edict is carried out.

Lu downtown this of Grenade the thirty-and-unième day of March in the year of our Lord Jesus-Christ - 1492.

Signed, me, the King, me the Queen, Juan de Coloma, Secretary of the King and the Queen, which I wrote on the order of our Majesties.

See too

• black Legend Spanish
• Enquiry: Spanish Enquiry;
• racial Laws
• crucial Year: Decree of Alhambra;
• Industrial relations policy of " Purity of blood ".