Final answer:
The Jews who refused to convert to Christianity were expelled from Spain in 1492 as part of the Alhambra Decree, following the completion of the Reconquista and the establishment of Christian rule throughout the Iberian Peninsula.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Expulsion of Jews from Spain
In 1492, the Jews who refused to convert to Christianity were officially expelled from Spain. This event was the culmination of increasing persecution Jewish communities faced on the Iberian Peninsula during that period. Though Jews had a longstanding presence in Spain, with a rich legacy dating back over a thousand years, their position became precarious, particularly in the later Middle Ages. This was a time marked by forced conversions, massacres, and political enactments against Jews. The Inquisition played a significant role in this, inquiring after the personal morals and beliefs of individuals and ensuring that Muslims and Jews either embraced Catholicism or left the country.
The year 1492 was pivotal, not only because it marked the end of the seven-hundred-year-old presence of Jewish culture in Spain with the forced expulsion, but it was also the same year that the last Muslim ruler was expelled, and Christopher Columbus embarked on his first journey to the Americas. The Christian victory of the Reconquista severed ties with eastern centers of civilization and demanded religious conformity on the peninsula.
Historical Context
Historical evidence suggests that Jewish populations thrived under Muslim rule after the Islamic conquest of Spain in 711 CE. They were involved in government, trade, and were well-integrated into the societies of Muslim Al-Andalus. However, as Christian dominance resumed with the Reconquista and the establishment of purely Christian kingdoms, Jews faced ever-increasing hostility and restrictions, leading to the Alhambra Decree which officially ordered their expulsion.