On This Day 1492: The Alhambra Decree Banishes Jews from Spain

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

March 31   On This Day 1492: Alhambra Decree Issued     Dear Readers,   On March 31, 1492, King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain issued the Alhambra Decree, which ordered the expulsion of Jews from Catholic Spain. Spain in the Middle Ages had a diverse population of Christians, Jews and the Muslim Moors. Christians grew in power during the 14th and 15th century, and increasingly began to persecute Jews and force the Moors out of the Iberian Peninsula. Many Jews converted to Christianity to escape persecution, but some of these "conversos" continued to practice Judaism in secret.  In January 1492, Moorish forces in Granada, the last Muslim-held territory in Iberia, surrendered, completing the reconquest of Spain by the Christians. With the Moors defeated, Inquisitor General Tomas de Torquemada-himself a converso-convinced Ferdinand and Isabella to take action against the remaining Jews and establish Spain as a fully Christian territory. The ousting of the Moors was cited as a possible motive for the terrorist attacks in Madrid, Spain, on March 11, 2004. Read the full story. Today is also Joseph Haydn's birthday. Haydn is known as "the father of the Symphony." Mark E. Moran Founder & CEO Click on a product name below to check out our free products that help educators teach students how to use the Web effectively: School Librarians | Social Studies | Ten Steps to Better Web Research SweetSearch | SweetSearch4Me | SweetSearch2Day | findingDulcinea | encontrandoDulcinea | findingEducation Please share this newsletter with a colleague! Click "Forward this newsletter to a friend," below, to share it.

Forward this newsletter to a friend This email was sent to ignoble.experiment@arconati.us by newsletters@dulcineamedia.com |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Dulcinea Media | 205 Sherman St. | Lynbrook | NY | 11563