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The Expulsions from Spain and Portugal
The aim of the Spanish Inquisition, which began in 1480,
was to combat any manifestations of heresy against the Church.
The Inquisition was directed mainly against conversos
in order to expose and punish those who were caught being ‘Christian imposters.
‘ It was a merciless court that sent thousands of converts to be burned at the stake.
But for the Dominican monk, Tomas de Torquemada, that was not enough.
he demanded that all Jews be expelled from Spain,
claiming they were a bad influence on their brethren, the conversos. In March 1492,
the majority of the expelled Jews fled to Portugal. In October 1497,
King Manuel I ordered that the Jews be expelled from Portugal as well.
