Persecution of Jews and Muslims by Manuel I of Portugal
On the 5th of December 1496, King Manuel I signed a decree that would force all Jews and Muslims to leave Portugal by October of the following year. This decision emerged from marriage negotiations between Manuel and Isabella, Princess of Asturias, daughter of Spain's Catholic Monarchs. The union required an unstated condition: the eradication of non-Catholic faiths from Portuguese soil. Isaac Abrabanel had once served as treasurer under King Afonso V, holding prominent political power within the kingdom. By the late 1400s, Lisbon and Évora hosted thriving Jewish communities who managed trade and diplomacy across Europe. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand began acquiring lands controlled by non-Christians around 1478, setting a precedent for religious uniformity. Manuel sought to secure his throne through this alliance while eliminating internal religious diversity. The initial edict promised expulsion but quickly transformed into forced conversion when the king barred departure.
The 1497 edict turned expulsion into baptism, preventing Jews from leaving their homeland entirely. Those who refused to pay taxes faced deportation to São Tomé and Príncipe islands off Africa's western coast. Hard times followed these exiles, with many dying during the journey or upon arrival in tropical conditions. The government prevented emigration despite earlier promises of freedom to leave. Families were separated as children were taken from parents to be raised as Christians. This policy created a class of New Christians living under constant surveillance by the Holy Office. Some conversos later escaped to Ottoman cities like Salonica and Constantinople after the 1506 massacre. Smaller groups reached Amsterdam, France, Brazil, Curaçao, Antilles, Surinam, and New Amsterdam. Their descendants still use Ladino language in Greece and Turkey today. The Portuguese-based dialects remain visible in Caribbean synagogues such as the Willemstad Snoa.
A violent outbreak in 1506 claimed the lives of approximately 2,000 people in Lisbon before authorities allowed survivors to depart. The Portuguese Inquisition was established in 1536 and operated for nearly three hundred years until its abolition in 1821. The Holy Office maintained strict control over New Christians throughout this period. Many crypto-Jews continued practicing their faith secretly while facing execution if discovered. Burning of suspected heretics became common practice within Lisbon's public squares. The institution lasted longer than any other European tribunal of its kind. Survivors who fled found refuge in Morocco's Wattasid Sultanate or Ottoman territories. Some descendants of these exiles include philosopher Baruch Spinoza and economist David Ricardo. Their stories illustrate how religious persecution shaped intellectual history across centuries.
A small group known as the Last of the Marranos preserved Jewish traditions in rural Belmonte within Castelo Branco province. These families practiced intermarriage and limited contact with outsiders to maintain secrecy for generations. They remained hidden until the late twentieth century when they re-established ties with international Jewish communities. A formal rabbi now leads a public synagogue where previously only private rituals occurred. Frédéric Brenner and Stan Neumann documented their story in the 1990 film Les Derniers Marranes. Most New Christians eventually left Portugal to openly embrace Judaism abroad. Only those in isolated villages chose to stay and survive through extreme caution. Their survival depended on silence, intergenerational transmission of coded practices, and geographic isolation from urban centers. Today scattered families continue this tradition alongside the larger Belmonte community.
Manuel I ordered all Muslim subjects to depart without provocation in December 1496, mirroring actions taken against Jews. Contemporary historians Damião de Góis and Jerónimo Osório recorded that officials initially planned forced conversion or execution before choosing deportation instead. Fear of retaliation from North African kingdoms influenced this decision significantly. Anti-Muslim riots had been common in neighboring Valencia during the 1460s but never occurred in Portugal itself. Muslims perceived as alien found refuge primarily in Castile or fled directly to North Africa. Some historians attribute the policy to ambitions of conquering Morocco while others cite Dominican confessor Friar Jorge Vogado's influence. The Catholic Monarchs aimed to create monolithic Christian unity across the Iberian Peninsula. Tolerance toward Muslim minorities had previously exceeded levels seen elsewhere in Europe before these decrees took effect.
David Reubeni arrived in Portugal in 1525 claiming command over a Jewish army within the Ottoman Empire. He received papal approval seeking Portuguese assistance to fight Muslim forces with ammunition supplies. During his several-month stay, messianic expectations spread among New Christians throughout Lisbon. His presence led to Solomon Molcho converting to Christianity before both men were expelled from the kingdom. In the nineteenth century affluent Sephardi families like Ruah and Bensaude resettled from Morocco back into Portugal. The first synagogue built since the fifteenth century opened its doors in 1904 within Lisbon. These early returns marked attempts by descendants to reclaim political leverage after centuries of exile. Messianic hopes fueled brief periods of optimism before royal authorities crushed any movement toward return.
Portuguese parliament changed nationality laws in 2014 granting citizenship to direct descendants of expelled Sephardi Jews. Proof requires attesting family connections through collateral lines or expressions used in Judaeo-Portuguese rites. Several hundred Turkish Jews emigrated to Portugal starting in 2015 after proving descent from those expelled in 1497. The law responded to historical events while addressing growing concerns about European Jewish communities. Use of Ladino or Portuguese-based dialects in religious ceremonies serves as additional evidence of heritage. This legal shift reversed nearly five centuries of exclusion for diaspora populations seeking connection to their ancestral homeland. Migration patterns now flow backward compared to the original expulsions that began over half a millennium ago.
Common questions
When did King Manuel I sign the decree to expel Jews and Muslims from Portugal?
King Manuel I signed the decree on the 5th of December 1496. This order mandated that all Jews and Muslims leave Portugal by October of the following year.
What happened to Jewish communities in Lisbon after the 1497 edict forced conversion instead of expulsion?
The government prevented emigration despite earlier promises of freedom to leave. Families were separated as children were taken from parents to be raised as Christians, creating a class of New Christians under constant surveillance by the Holy Office.
How many people died during the violent outbreak in Lisbon in 1506 before authorities allowed survivors to depart?
A violent outbreak in 1506 claimed the lives of approximately 2,000 people in Lisbon. The Portuguese Inquisition was established in 1536 and operated for nearly three hundred years until its abolition in 1821.
Where did the Last of the Marranos preserve Jewish traditions in rural Portugal until the late twentieth century?
A small group known as the Last of the Marranos preserved Jewish traditions in rural Belmonte within Castelo Branco province. These families practiced intermarriage and limited contact with outsiders to maintain secrecy for generations.
When did the Portuguese parliament change nationality laws to grant citizenship to direct descendants of expelled Sephardi Jews?
Portuguese parliament changed nationality laws in 2014 granting citizenship to direct descendants of expelled Sephardi Jews. Several hundred Turkish Jews emigrated to Portugal starting in 2015 after proving descent from those expelled in 1497.