Rebranding Religion: Religious Manipulation in 15th Century Castile

Increasing religious intolerance in Castile resulted in the expulsion of Muslims in 1502. However, just 50 years earlier Castile was known as one of the most religiously tolerant Christian kingdoms of Europe. Scholars have debated the reasons for the rapid shift in royal religious policy. But rather than asking why, here it is questioned how Castilian royalty used this Anti-Muslim shift to consolidate their power. This study focuses on primary source documents such as the “Capitulations of Granada” to answer this question. Created in December 1491, the Capitulations were a collection of decrees that guaranteed the protection of Muslims and their traditions following the surrender of the Muslim kingdom of Granada to the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Detailed analysis of this document illustrates that a sudden negative shift towards Muslims did occur but asserts that this shift was deliberately shaped by the Castilian monarchy for political gain

The Space Between Love and Hate: Coexistence During Convivencia

The period preceding the expulsion of Jews and Muslims from Iberia in the late 15th and early 16th centuries was marred by conflict. The extent and degree of the discord has long been fiercely debated amongst scholars in two camps. Many late 20th century scholars have accepted the concept of Convivencia or “coexistence,” which argues that Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived in relative harmony with one another, peacefully blending their different cultures together. Others argue that there was no amicable cohabitation between the rival cultures and that Convivencia is a modern creation of later historians. This study focuses on Christian and Muslim primary source documents centering on 15th century Castile to gain insight of this debate. By analyzing personal accounts of daily life as well as legal documents including capitulations, land distributions, a Sunni Muslim breviary detailing social laws, a glimpse of the attitudes and feelings of individuals living within the supposed Convivencia can be seen. This research demonstrates that while Convivencia might not have been attained, there were genuine and earnest efforts by both the Christian ruling class and their Muslim subjects to live together without violence or severe oppression. PART OF SESSION 1A. CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS: Comment: Jeanette Fregulia, Carroll CollegeChair: Ellen Kittell, University of Idaho Francesca M. Duncan, University of Portland, undergraduate student“A Collaborative Crusade: Economic Incentives for Religious Tolerance in Sicily, 1061–1189” John Franzwa, Western Oregon University, undergraduate student“The Space Between Love and Hate: Coexistence During Convivencia” James M. Masnov, Portland State University, graduate student“Religious Freedom Matters, At Home and Abroad: Thomas Jefferson in Paris in the 1780s