The title “converso” was given to those Jews who either chose to convert to Christianity during and after the reign of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand, or whose ancestors had chose to convert. Conversos did not always truly convert; for some the change in religion was a lie told in order to keep their homes and property. Even those who did truly convert were still considered Jews because of their choice to remain in Jewish communities and retain their professions. Prior to the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Spanish society had been divided into three “castas,” and after conversion, the Jews held onto their traditionally Jewish professions, which generally involved financial dealings, therefore leading people to continue to think of them as Jewish (“Converso” Encyclopædia Britannica). The smallest rumor of judaizing (engaging in jewish practices) was enough for the Inquisition to persecute a “converso” (Mancing 162). Consequently, “conversos” were often among those who most strongly proclaimed their faith. The Sentencia-Estatuto, written in 1499, made it illegal for Jews to hold “public or ecclesiastical offices and from testifying against Spanish Christians in courts of law” (Mancing162). It became necessary to provide paperwork authenticating “purity of blood” so that even those with the smallest amount of Jewish blood were unable to do those things.
Works Cited:
“converso." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 18 Feb. 2007 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9026092>.
Mancing, Howard. "Converso, Cristiano nuevo." The Cervantes Encyclopedia. 2004.