Introduction
The expulsion of Portuguese Jews in 1497 constitutes one of the central events in the history of Sephardic Judaism. Following the expulsion of Spanish Jews in 1492, many refugees found temporary shelter in neighboring Portugal, but this brief period of respite ended in disappointment when King Manuel I decided to emulate Spanish expulsion policies. This event not only ended the existence of an ancient and prosperous Jewish community in the Iberian Peninsula, but also created extensive waves of migration that shaped the face of the Sephardic diaspora for many generations.
Historical Background
The Jewish community in Portugal enjoyed relative stability for centuries under Portuguese rule. Unlike Spain, where severe antisemitic pogroms occurred during the 14th and 15th centuries, Portugal was considered a relatively safe haven for Jews. The Portuguese Jewish community was organized and prosperous, with active synagogues, study houses, and communal institutions. Many Jews engaged in commerce, medicine, and held important public positions.
When the expulsion of Spanish Jews was declared in 1492, approximately 120,000 Spanish Jews crossed the border into Portugal hoping to find refuge. King John II of Portugal agreed to accept them temporarily in exchange for payment, but made it clear that this was a provisional arrangement. Most refugees hoped they could continue their journey to other lands or that the political situation would change in their favor.
Manuel I’s Rise to Power and Political Change
In 1495, Manuel I ascended to the throne, known as “Manuel the Fortunate.” Unlike his predecessor, Manuel was determined to unify Portugal under the Catholic Christian religion. His decision was influenced by several central factors: the desire to emulate the Spanish model of religious unification, pressure from the Catholic Church, and the aspiration to strengthen his relations with other Christian kingdoms in Europe.
The decisive factor was the marriage agreement that Manuel sought to establish with Isabella the Younger, daughter of the Spanish royal couple Ferdinand and Isabella. The Spanish parents conditioned the marriage on Manuel’s expulsion of all Jews from Portugal, similar to what they had done in Spain. This marriage was supposed to strengthen the alliance between the two kingdoms and promote the unification of the Iberian Peninsula under unified Christian rule.
The Decree and Its Execution – December 1496
In December 1496, Manuel I signed the expulsion decree, which gave Jews until October 1497 to leave the country or convert to Christianity. The decree included detailed instructions regarding Jewish property, prohibition on the export of gold and silver from the country, and severe restrictions on the choice of departure ports. Unlike the Spanish expulsion, which at least provided several months of preparation time, the time given to Portuguese Jews was shorter and the restrictions more severe.
The king ordered that all Jewish children under the age of 14 be taken from their parents and forcibly baptized as Christians. This decision was particularly harsh and created countless personal tragedies. Many families were forced to hide their children or attempt to flee secretly to prevent forced separation.
Additionally, only three authorized departure ports were established: Lisbon, Porto, and Setúbal. This restriction created a bottleneck and encouraged a situation of dependency and uncertainty among the Jewish community. Many Jews discovered that there were insufficient ships available or that passage prices had been artificially inflated.
Forced Conversions and New Christians
In practice, only a minority of Jews managed to leave Portugal in time. King Manuel, who understood that the departure of many Jews would significantly harm the country’s economy, chose a cynical solution: mass forced conversions. In April 1497, near the Jewish Passover, thousands of Jews were gathered in the Rossio – Lisbon’s central square – and given an ultimatum: baptism or death.
Most Jews, who stood with their young children in harsh conditions, were forced to choose baptism. Thus was created a large group of “New Christians” or “Marranos” – Jews who converted to Christianity by force but continued to maintain their Jewish faith and rituals in secret. This phenomenon became a central characteristic of Jewish life in Portugal and its colonies for many centuries.
Economic and Social Consequences
The expulsion of Portuguese Jews and their forced conversions created far-reaching economic and social consequences. King Manuel, fearful of economic damage, decided to grant New Christians a twenty-year period of immunity from Inquisition investigations. This decision stemmed from his understanding that Jews were an integral part of the Portuguese economy, especially in the fields of commerce, banking, and advanced crafts.
This measure allowed many New Christians to continue their economic activity while partially maintaining their Jewish identity. However, the situation created constant tension between the established Christian population and the New Christians, who were always suspected of heresy and returning to their former religion.
Migration and Global Dispersion
Community members who managed to leave Portugal scattered around the world. Some arrived in North Africa, especially Morocco and Tunisia, where they joined existing Jewish communities. Others reached Northern Mediterranean cities – Thessalonica, Istanbul, and Venice – where they were received with relative warmth by local authorities who understood their economic value.
A significant portion of refugees reached Amsterdam, which became an important center of Sephardic Judaism. There they established a magnificent and wealthy community that greatly influenced the economic and cultural development of the city. The Amsterdam community became an important center for Jewish studies and the publication of Jewish books.
Subsequently, with the expansion of the Portuguese empire, New Christians also reached Portuguese colonies in Brazil, India, and Southeast Asia. In some of these places they found greater freedom to practice their religion, especially in remote cities where Inquisition supervision was weaker.
The Portuguese Inquisition
Despite the immunity Manuel granted to New Christians, in 1536 the Portuguese Inquisition was established under John III. The Portuguese Inquisition was even more severe than the Spanish one, conducting cruel persecutions against New Christians suspected of Judaism. During more than two hundred years of activity, the Inquisition burned thousands of people for heresy and blasphemy.
The Inquisition’s persecutions created another wave of emigration from Portugal. Many New Christians fled to countries where they could openly return to their ancestral religion, especially to Amsterdam, Hamburg, and London. This process continued until the 18th century.
Historical Legacy
The expulsion of Portuguese Jews and its consequences continued to influence the Jewish world for many centuries. The Sephardic communities created following the expulsion developed special cultural and religious traditions while preserving the memory of their lost homeland. The Ladino language, Sephardic customs, and special prayers became symbols of a unique identity that persisted despite wide geographical dispersion.
The phenomenon of New Christians also created a special chapter in Jewish history. In many places around the world, families maintained hidden Jewish traditions for generations, even when family members themselves did not understand their origin. In some cases, people discovered their Jewish ancestry only in the 20th and 21st centuries, and some even returned to their ancestral religion.
Conclusion
The expulsion of Portuguese Jews was a defining event that ended a period of a thousand years of continuous Jewish presence in the Iberian Peninsula. The event not only created immense personal suffering for thousands of families, but also shaped the face of world Judaism. The new Sephardic communities created following the expulsion enriched Jewish culture with new currents and unique traditions, and contributed to the economic and cultural development of many cities in Europe and around the world.
Although Portugal lost a prosperous and creative community, the memory of Portuguese Judaism was preserved in the hearts of their descendants scattered around the world. In recent decades, Portugal itself has begun to acknowledge this dark part of its history and extend a hand to descendants of the expelled communities, in a belated attempt to correct a historical injustice and honor the memory of a community that was an integral part of Portuguese culture.