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Primary sourceDocument31 March 1492

Alhambra Decree

Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon · 31 March 1492

The 1492 edict by Isabella and Ferdinand ordering Spain's Jews to convert to Christianity or leave the kingdom.

Isabella co-issued this decree, making it a direct record of her religious policy and authority as queen.

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Scan of a handwritten Spanish manuscript page in old script, with signatures below the text, a wax seal impression on a diamond-shaped paper flap at lower right, and additional scribbled signatures at lower left.
Alhambra Decree, 31 March 1492. Held at the Alhambra, Granada.

About this source

What it is

This is a royal decree issued on 31 March 1492 by Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, the joint Catholic Monarchs. It ordered the expulsion of Jews who had not converted to Christianity from the Crowns of Castile and Aragon by the end of July that year. A copy is kept at the Alhambra in Granada.

Why it matters

The decree shows how closely Isabella's rule was tied to religious policy. It followed decades of persecution of Jews in Spain and was meant to stop converted Christians from secretly keeping Jewish practices. It led to the conversion or expulsion of tens of thousands of people, reshaping Spanish society for centuries and causing long-lasting suffering for Jewish communities and their descendants.

Look closer

  • Why might the monarchs have targeted converts' contact with Jews rather than only Jews themselves?
  • What does the decree's language reveal about how the rulers justified their decision?
  • Whose voices are missing from this document?

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