Queen Isabel and the Jews
There are, unfortunately, a number of people who object to the ongoing project of securing the canonization of Her Majesty Queen Isabel. Among those are supporters of liberation theology (read: communist heretics) and some Jewish groups.
Two of the primary objections raised to her canonization are her expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 and her establishment of the Spanish Inquisition in 1483. I shall now deal with each of these in turn, the expulsion in this post and the Inquisition in the next.
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The expulsion of the Jews took place as a result of the confluence of a number of factors. Queen Isabel was under enormous pressure from her husband, members of the clergy and the populace at large. This alone, however, does not explain the Queen's action, as Isabel's undoubted piety and faithfulness could have withstood such assaults.
Allow, perhaps, a bit of background.
After the establishment of Islam in the 7th century and its rapid spread by the sword (emphasis here on by the sword, but I suppose that's another topic...), a great deal of formerly Christian lands were under Moslem control within a relatively short period of time. By the 8th century, the Mohammadean armies were on the banks of Mauretania and casting their greedy eyes to the Visigothic kingdom(s) in Spain. Because of divisions among the Christian camps, the Moslems, especially the Moors, were able to conquer most of Spain in relatively short order.
There were, however, numerous instances of Jews aiding the Moslems in their takeovers. What their motives were are not entirely clear- perhaps they thought that a single united kingdom under the Moslems was preferable to the strife-ridden rule of the Visigothic kings (at the time, the kings were Arian heretics and there was a great deal of religious tension).
The expulsion of the Jews was then seen, in some sense, as a fair retribution for the aid that they had given the Moselms in overthrowing the Christian kingdoms so many years before.
However, there is more to it than that. Because of their part in aiding the invaders and the fact that they weren't Christian, the Jews enjoyed positions of influence and power within the new Moslem administration of Iberia. Over time, the Jews in Spain grew to be a wealthy and powerful class. As the Christians slowly drove the Moslems back, the Jews retained their positions of power in the new Christian courts and were often recipients of royal patronage.
Because of their enormous wealth and the lingering feeling that the Jews had been partly responsible for the successful invasion of Spain in the first place, resentment against them was present beneath the political surface for some time. It occassionally boiled over into violent outburts against them and, by Isabel's time, there had been several significant massacres of Jews within the past hundred years or so.
Queen Isabel's action must therefore be carefully placed within this context. Firstly, there was a great deal of popular resentment against them. Isabel's government had weathered significant storms before this, so it is entirely possible to view their expulsion as a measure for their own protection (i.e. because otherwise similar massacres might occur).
However, it should more appropriately be placed in the context of the pressure exerted upon her by her confessor and her husband. Despite her obvious brilliance, Isabel's humility often meant that she valued the advice of others over her own good judgment and this is plainly one of those cases. Her humility coupled with her belief in a wife being obedient to her husband and a Christian being obedient to the Church meant that her objections (and she did indeed have them, the Jews were not expelled right away but only after much and continued pressure) eventually gave way.
Finally, it should be noted that the expulsion of the Jews is not an impediment to Isabel's canonization. The expulsion was a political mistake, not a religious one and therefore does not preclude canonization.
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Isabel, Holy Queen of Spain and the Americas, pray for us!
Two of the primary objections raised to her canonization are her expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 and her establishment of the Spanish Inquisition in 1483. I shall now deal with each of these in turn, the expulsion in this post and the Inquisition in the next.
~
The expulsion of the Jews took place as a result of the confluence of a number of factors. Queen Isabel was under enormous pressure from her husband, members of the clergy and the populace at large. This alone, however, does not explain the Queen's action, as Isabel's undoubted piety and faithfulness could have withstood such assaults.
Allow, perhaps, a bit of background.
After the establishment of Islam in the 7th century and its rapid spread by the sword (emphasis here on by the sword, but I suppose that's another topic...), a great deal of formerly Christian lands were under Moslem control within a relatively short period of time. By the 8th century, the Mohammadean armies were on the banks of Mauretania and casting their greedy eyes to the Visigothic kingdom(s) in Spain. Because of divisions among the Christian camps, the Moslems, especially the Moors, were able to conquer most of Spain in relatively short order.
There were, however, numerous instances of Jews aiding the Moslems in their takeovers. What their motives were are not entirely clear- perhaps they thought that a single united kingdom under the Moslems was preferable to the strife-ridden rule of the Visigothic kings (at the time, the kings were Arian heretics and there was a great deal of religious tension).
The expulsion of the Jews was then seen, in some sense, as a fair retribution for the aid that they had given the Moselms in overthrowing the Christian kingdoms so many years before.
However, there is more to it than that. Because of their part in aiding the invaders and the fact that they weren't Christian, the Jews enjoyed positions of influence and power within the new Moslem administration of Iberia. Over time, the Jews in Spain grew to be a wealthy and powerful class. As the Christians slowly drove the Moslems back, the Jews retained their positions of power in the new Christian courts and were often recipients of royal patronage.
Because of their enormous wealth and the lingering feeling that the Jews had been partly responsible for the successful invasion of Spain in the first place, resentment against them was present beneath the political surface for some time. It occassionally boiled over into violent outburts against them and, by Isabel's time, there had been several significant massacres of Jews within the past hundred years or so.
Queen Isabel's action must therefore be carefully placed within this context. Firstly, there was a great deal of popular resentment against them. Isabel's government had weathered significant storms before this, so it is entirely possible to view their expulsion as a measure for their own protection (i.e. because otherwise similar massacres might occur).
However, it should more appropriately be placed in the context of the pressure exerted upon her by her confessor and her husband. Despite her obvious brilliance, Isabel's humility often meant that she valued the advice of others over her own good judgment and this is plainly one of those cases. Her humility coupled with her belief in a wife being obedient to her husband and a Christian being obedient to the Church meant that her objections (and she did indeed have them, the Jews were not expelled right away but only after much and continued pressure) eventually gave way.
Finally, it should be noted that the expulsion of the Jews is not an impediment to Isabel's canonization. The expulsion was a political mistake, not a religious one and therefore does not preclude canonization.
~
Isabel, Holy Queen of Spain and the Americas, pray for us!
posted by Jason | Saturday, November 26, 2005
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