Two Portuguese Exiles in Castile
2001; Purdue University Press; Volume: 19; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1534-5165
Autores Tópico(s)Sephardic Jews and Inquisition Studies
ResumoPortuguese in CastileThis is a work of historical research about the Jews of Portugal, during the century preceding their expulsion from that country. It is the first of Elias Lipiner's writings to be published in English; hitherto, his books and articles have appeared in print in either Yiddish, Portuguese, or Hebrew. This book is a fine example of Lipiner's work, and will serve very well to introduce this remarkable scholar to readers who are inexpert in those languages.The Two Portuguese Exiles of the title are David Negro, longtime favorite of the Portuguese King D. Fernando (1376-1383), and Isaac Abravanel, minister at the court of King Alfonso V (1438-1481). Both were Portuguese Jews, among the wealthiest and most influential men of their community, deeply involved in the economic and political life of Portugal. Both were entangled in similar conspiracies concerned with the subject of Iberian Union (a subject with which the Royal Courts of both Portugal and Spain were much occupied at that time, each trying to gain ascendancy over the other by means of a complicated network of dynastic alliances). Both men fled the country and were tried in absentia; both had all their possessions confiscated. David Negro became Chief Rabbi of Castile under King Juan I and died in 1385. Isaac Abravanel served Ferdinand and Isabella from 1484 to 1492; after the decree of expulsion he became once again an exile, dying in Venice in 1508.This book is a brilliant investigation of these two cases. With great skill the author reveals the similarities between them and places them in a historical context rendered wholly convincing by sound utilization of source material. As he unravels the two stories, Lipiner succeeds in giving the reader a concise overview of the history of the Jews in Portugal. Both Portuguese and Jewish sources are extensively quoted for the benefit of the interested reader: half the book is taken up by supporting documents -- facsimiles, transcriptions, and translations. Some of these are published here for the first time.Lipiner's contribution to the study of the history of Jews and conversos in Portugal and Brazil is inestimable. Born in Bessarabia (Romania) in 1916, he migrated on his own to Brazil at the age of 19. While a struggling law student in S...o Paulo, he became interested in the history of Portuguese Jewry during that tragic period which began before the discovery of Brazil and continued through the colonization of the New World. This interest developed into a lifetime's labor of study and research, performed in addition to the work of an active legal practice. His intimacy with both Portuguese and Jewish sources helped to make him outstanding in the field. …
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