The portuguese under the nobility (the inquisition against the vassals of the Duke of Pastrana accused of judaism in the 17th century)

Abstract

This project is the result of a detailed study about how the justice system and the inquisitorial institution managed to penetrate the spaces belonging to the jurisdiction of the Spanish Monarchy during the seventeenth century. The duchy and the manor house of Pastrana, situated in the Alcarria district, are the subject matter of this analysis. The protagonists of the complex problem studied were the Portuguese groups who settled on the territory and the manor house of this estate during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These groups participated fully in the social, economic and political life of the estate. Their role in revitalizing and internally organizing the estate was remarkable. The accusation of Judaism against some of these Portuguese people and the inquisitorial process to which they were subjected provide a perspective on some of the fundamental aspects of this interesting topic.