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After Spanish inquisitions begin at the end of the 15th century and Jews are forced out of Spain, many fled to England in hopes of hiding there even though Judaism was still outlawed
After split from Catholic church, religious differences were more tolerated and it was easier for Jews to get in as long as they converted -
Due to the fact that Judaism was banned in England at the time, any jews who were still practicing did so in secret
They met in private homes and “underground” synagogues
Life was hard, there was still a lot of anti-semitism, especially concerning Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice
They received a lot of blame for major events that went wrong -
Established an English branch and became entrusted with the loan transactions of the English treasury.
Used its vast empire to sneak Jews out of Portugal and Spain and into Muslim countries and England. -
Head of Antwerp establishment of House of Mendes, Henry VIII personally intervened on his behalf
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Henry VIII had broken with the Catholic Church to marry Anne Boleyn. Safe from arrest, a handful of conversos, primarily traders, arrived on English shores.
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Severs ties with Catholic church and Pope, declares himself head of Protestant Church, and Jews originally heavily persecuted by Catholic inquisitions now have more religious freedoms even though they are still banished.
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Second wave of conversos joined the first, comprised mainly of musicians from Italy who had been invited to play at King Henry’s court.
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Authorities arrested a number of conversos in London following a public uproar over baptized Jews blatantly practicing their former religion.
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Orders arrest and sequestration of property of certain Merchant Strangers suspected to be Jews. Fery vew remained in London, mostly Jews who had been settled in London for over 30 years and were no longer considered Merchant Strangers.
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Devoutly Catholic
Heavy persecution of non-Catholics
Religious freedoms of Jews cut back and forced into hiding and submission again -
Elizabeth becomes queen
Religious toleration to appease both sects
Jews allowed to enter country only as Christian converts(Marranos)
Jews now have more religious freedoms again
Merchant of Venice published and heavy focus on anti-Semitism -
Professing Jew, invited to England to help oversee and develop mining operations. He was accused of heresy when he denied believing in Christianity, but whether he was punished for this is unknown.
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Pope Gregory XIII: Issued a Bull banning the use of Jewish doctors. This did not prevent many popes from using Jews as their personal physicians.
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the Converso Dr. Hector Nunes was lauded as a hero for being the first to warn of the sailing of the Spanish Armada.
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Spanish armada defeated
Weakened cause of inquisition
Flow of “conversos” from Spain and Portugal decreases -
Christopher Marlowe’s anti-Semitic play, The Jew of Malta, was first performed.
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Synagogue services were held privately in a house owned by Solomon Abenaes. He was then in negotiation with the English court over an Anglo-Turkish alliance against Spain.
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Roderigo Lopez, Queen Elizabeth's physician and a Marrano, was executed after being accused by the Earl of Essex of trying to poison the queen. The Earl, who headed the War Party and was allied with the Portuguese pretender, Dom Antonio, was incensed at Lopez's efforts to establish peace with Spain after the defeat of the Armada. The anti-Semitism raised by the trial is reflected in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.
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The wedding was in Holland, but the bride was on board a English ship and was captured
Queen Elizabeth, upon seeing the bride, offered to allow her to stay in England, but only if they would convert
The couple declined and moved to Amsterdam to be married
