Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 2.pdf/522

472 Balearic Ballads

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

from the Jewish quarter, which was surrounded with walls and provided with gates. Jaime II., the nephew of Don Sancho, succeeded him, but was under the guardianship of his uncle

At

the beginning of his regency, Philip, in the king's name, confirmed all the privileges of the Jews, and in 1325 bestowed on them the right of citizenship. He protected them from forcible bapPhilip.

tism, and strictly forbade the baptism of their children against the parents' will. Permission was granted them (1331) to build a new synagogue in their quarter, but it was not to be top elaborate. As one means of preventing the erection of a handsome

building, Jaime collected all their money into the state treasury. Under Pedro IV. (1336-87), who in 1344 united Majorca with the kingdom of Aragon, the Jews of the Balearic Isles lived unmolested, with all their rights safeguarded but at the time of the hostile agitations against the Jews in Spain their peaceful condition likewise came to an end. The greater the indebtedness of the Christians to the Jews, the more inimical became their attitude. As a result of this state of affairs, the governor of the islands forbade (1390) all Jews to carry weapons, even in their own quarter, or to leave their homes two hours after sunset without carrying a light. After the outbreaks in Valencia and Barcelona (1391), the governor had to interfere for the safety of the Jews' quarter in Palma. On Aug. 24, The 1391, the long-dreaded calamity fell Massacre upon the community of Majorca. Jewof 1391. ish homes were sacked; and even the houses of Christians sheltering Jews in concealment were not spared. About 300 Jews were put to death, 800 saved themselves in the royal castle, and the rest underwent baptism. When Queen Violante was informed of the outrage, she condemned the inhabitants of the islands to pay a fine of 150,000 florins (or, according to some authorities, year later (1392), however, Juan 104,000 florins). I. granted full amnesty to all who had practised violence against the Jews or "the Calle," because they had done it for the welfare of king and state and he further declared all debts of the Christians to the Jews to be null and void. Soon after the catastrophe of 1391 the Jews began again to settle on the island, and on Jan. 21, 1393, the governor issued an edict for their protection, providing that a citizen who should injure a Jew should be hanged, and that a knight for the same offense should be subjected to the strappado. The advantageous position of the islands, the tradingpoint midway between Catalonia, Provence, and Sicily, attracted thither many of the Jews of Provence and Sicily, besides some from Tunis, Algiers, In the height of their and other African cities. prosperity there were in Majorca more than a thouAmong those sand Jewish families. who settled there were a number of Besettlement, people of treacherous character, who acted as informers against their fellowJews, and, through malice and envy, or in order to extort money, bore false witness against men of blameless reputation, until, at the request of the community, they were expelled from the island. The Jews, with the sanction of the king, had their

'

A



own

472

organizations and secretaries or representatives

appointed by themselves. The following are frequently mentioned as acting in that capacity in the first half of the fourteenth century Abraham Malaquin, Hayum Cohen, Jucef Barqui, Vital and Judah Cresques, Jacob Cohen, Rafael Dayen (p'l), the famlies Natgar, Sasportas, Xulelli, Moses Ramon, Sadon (Sadoc) b. Dahut (David). The last is probably not

the

same as the Sayd

burned (Aug.

b.

David who was publicly

incontinence with a nun. the Catalonian-African ritual, with regulations similar to those of the congregation at Perpignan: among others was the 12, 1381) for

The congregation had

enactment (1319) that Jews and JewInternal esses should not wear clothes of finer Conditions, material than that specified in the code of the organization.

Transgres-

law were to be punished bodily after the king's consent had been obtained, or were to be excommunicated. sors of this

The Jews

of the islands soon forgot their bitWaxing arrogant from experiences of 1391. wealth, they became indifferent to religion, disreter

garded the most important religious obligations, assumed Christian names, and intermarried with Christians. The deep-rooted hate of the passionate folk of Majorca was nourished by the bigoted Ferdinand of Aragon (1412-16), who issued a decree against the Jews (March 20, 1413), by

Renewed which they were compelled to dwell Oppression exclusively in the Jewish quarter, and 1413. were forbidden to eat or drink with Christians to employ Christian nurses

or other servants to attend Christian marriages or funerals to adopt the title " Don " to hold any public office to carry weapons, such as swords or daggers; to use any costly material for their clothes; to wear silk, fur, or any ornaments; to sell any foodstuffs to Christians; to make them gifts of pastry, meats, or drinks to be physicians to them, or to give









them any medicine. Moreover, they had to wear the badge that marked the Jew. Christian women, whether married or unmarried, and courtezans, were strictly prohibited from visiting the Jews' quarter by day or night. Jews who wished to be baptized were not to be deterred by any one from their resolve and the officers of the king were or;

dered to prevent Jewish women converted to Christianity from emigrating to Africa, since they reverted

Judaism when there and sent for their children to follow them. Toward the end of August, 1415, Vincente Ferrer came to Majorca in order to convert the Jews, and pursued this work for nearly six to

months.

Twenty years later (1435) occurred the calamity long dreaded by Simon Duran. In order to set the gullible people against the Jews, a malevolent report was spread that the Jews of Palma had crucified a Saracen during Holy Week. The Jews charged with this crime were promptly put in chains. Their fellow-Jews interceded for them, and at the bidding of the governor they were removed from the episcopal keep and taken to the state prison. The clergy, enraged at this step, incited the people against the governor, and still more violently against the Jews.

A

tribunal,

composed

chiefly of

Dominicans and