The Kings Ferdinand and Isabella, by the grace of God, Kings of Castile, Leon, Aragon and other domains of the crown - to Prince John, the Dukes, Marquises, Counts, religious orders and their Masters,... Lords of Castles, Knights and all Jewish men and women of any age and whoever this letter concerns, health and grace to him.
It is well known that in our domains, there are some bad Christians who have Judaized and have committed apostasy against the holy Catholic faith, the majority being caused by relations between Jews and Christians. Therefore, in the year 1480, we ordered that the Jews be separated from the cities and provinces of our dominions and that separate sectors be allotted to them, hoping that with this separation the existing situation would be remedied, and we ordered that the Inquisition in these domains; and in the term of 12 years it has worked and the Inquisition has found many guilty people. In addition, we are informed by the Inquisition and others of the great damage that persists to the Christians when they relate to the Jews, and in turn these Jews treat in every way to subvert the Holy Catholic Faith and are trying to hinder believing Christians from coming closer to their beliefs.
These Jews have instructed those Christians in the ceremonies and beliefs of their laws, circumcising their children and giving them prayer books, and declaring to them the fast-days, and calling them together to teach them the histories of its laws, informing them when the Passover festivities are and how to observe it, giving them the unleavened bread and the ceremonially prepared meats, and giving instruction of the things that they should abstain from with relation to food and other things requiring the following of the laws of Moses, letting them know in full knowledge that there is no other law or truth ad out of this. And so he makes it clear based on his confessions of these Jews the very ones whom they have perverted that it has resulted in great harm and detriment to the holy Catholic faith, and as we knew the true remedy of these harms and difficulties lay in interfering with all communication between the aforementioned Jews and the Christians and sending them out of all our dominions, we are content to order whether said Jews from all the cities and towns and places of Andalusia where apparently they had done the greatest damage, and believing that this would be enough so that in those and other cities and towns and places in our kingdoms and our possessions it would be effective and they would cease to commit the aforementioned. And because we have been informed that none of this, neither is the case nor the justices done for some of the aforementioned Jews finding them very guilty for the aforementioned crimes and transgressions against the holy Catholic faith have been a complete remedy to obviate and correct these crimes and offenses. And to the Christian faith and religion every day it seems that the Jews increase in continuing their evil and objective damage to where they reside and converse; and because there is no place to further offend our holy belief, such as those whom God has protected to this day and those who have been influenced, it is the duty of Holy Mother Church to repair and reduce this situation to the previous state, due to the frailty of the human being, it could happen that we can succumb to the diabolical temptation that continually fights against us, so that, if the main cause is the so-called Jews, if they are not converted, they must be expelled from the Kingdom.
Because of that when a detestable and powerful crime is committed by some members of some group it is reasonable the group should be acquitted or annihilated and the minors by the majors will be punished by each other and those who allow the good and honest in the cities and in the towns and by their contact may harm others they must be expelled from the group of people and despite minor reasons they will be detrimental to the Republic and the majority for the majority of their crimes would be dangerous and contagious so that the Council of eminent men and gentlemen of our kingdom and other people of conscience and knowledge of our supreme council and after much deliberation agreed to dictate that all Jews and Jewesses must leave our kingdoms and that it is never allowed to return.
We further order in this edict that Jews of any age who reside in our domains or territories depart with their sons and daughters, servants and small or large relatives of all ages to the end of July of this year and that they do not dare to return to our lands and that they do not take a step forward to trespass in the way that if any Jew who does not accept this edict is found in these domains or returns, he will be blamed to death and confiscation of their property.
And we have ordered that no person in our kingdom regardless of their social status including nobles who hide or guard Do not defend a Jew or Jewess either publicly or secretly from the end of July and subsequent months in your homes or elsewhere in our region with the risk of losing as punishment all your fiefs and fortifications, privileges and hereditary property.
Let the Jews be able to get rid of their homes and all their belongings within the stipulated period therefore we provide our commitment to protection and security so that at the end of the month of July they can sell and exchange their properties and furniture and any another article and dispose of them freely at their discretion that during this period no one should do any damage, injure them or injustice to these people or their property which would be unjustified and whoever transgresses this will incur punishment for those who violate our Royal security. br />We give and grant permission to the aforementioned Jews and Jewish women to take their goods and belongings with them outside our regions. possessions by sea or by land except gold and silver, or minted currency or other article prohibited by the laws of the kingdom.
So we order all councilors, magistrates, knights, guards, officials, good men of the city of Burgos and other cities and towns of our kingdom and domains, and to all our vassals and people, to respect and obey this letter and everything it contains, and to give the kind of assistance and help necessary for its execution, subject to punishment by our sovereign grace and the confiscation of all goods and properties for our royal house and that this be notified to all and that none pretend to ignore it, we order that this edict be proclaimed in all the squares and meeting places of all the cities and in the main cities and towns of the dioceses, and be done by the herald in the presence of the notary public, and that none or no one does the contrary of what has been defined, subject to the c witness of our sovereign grace and the annulment of their charges and confiscation of their assets to those who do the opposite.
And we order that it be evidenced and proven to the court with a signed testimony specifying the way in which the edict was carried out
Given in this city of Granada on the thirty-first day of March in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1492. Signed I, the King, I the Queen, and Juan de la Colonia, secretary to the King and Queen, who He has written it by order of their Majesties. Courtesy of SEFARAD
The Sumerians they were the first inhabitants of Mesopotamia. In spring, when the ice and snow melted in the mountains, the rivers Tigers and Euphrates they were filled with the water that came from the mountains. Therefore the rivers were in flood:the waters flooded the neighboring lands.