This system of conversion, however, appeared too slow to the fanatical party, and the archbishop of To- ledo, cardinal Ximenes (q. v.), obtained from the grand inquisitor an authorization to establish an Inquisition among the Elches (Christians who had embraced Is- lamism ; most of them were baptized Moors), and this gave him the means of gradually monopolizing the work of converting the Moors. He set to work, not only by preaching, but also by bribery, and he was at first so successful that thousands were baptized. But this awakened the opposition of the most earnest be- lievers in Mohammedanism. This opposition Ximenes thought to subdue by imprisonment and other severities against their priests ; and, in order to strike at the root, he caused aU the copies of the Koran and all Arab works of theology to be seized. It is said that he thus collect- ed 80,000 (?) works. He then caused them to be pub- licly burned. These proceedings led, as he had expect- ed," to an outbreak, directed chiefly against himself. Count Tendilla and the archbishop of Talavera, how- ever, succeeded in quelling the insurrection by promis- ing that the grievances complained of would be inquired into. A capitulation -was drawn up, which needed only the royal sanction. Ximenes, whose conduct had at first been sharply blamed by Isabella, had, however, I succeeded in converting both her and the king to his I views ; and the capitulation, for which count Tendilla I had given both his wife and children as hostages, was I rejected by the king, A royal edict was even pro- claimed leaving the Moors to choose between being bap- tized and punishment for high-treason. Some 50,000 of the inhabitants of Granada sought peace by submit- ting to baptism ; others sold their possessions and emi- grated to Africa. The ]\Ioors who became Christians received now the name of Moriscoes. But the manner in which the inhabitants of Granada had been treated led to an insurrection in the mountains of the district of Alpuj arras. The energetic measures taken to repress that outbreak seemed at first successful ; but an attack, in 1500, on the moimtains of Serrena de Bondej almost
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entirely inhabited by Moors, proved disastrous to the ' guage or of any article of their national dress, the danc-
Spaniards; one of their best generals, Alonso de Aguiiar, was killed, and his army destroyed. The Moors, how- ever, were at last obliged to submit. A large number em- igrated to Africa ; others were baptized, stipulating for nothing of their former rights but their dress, language, and exemption from the Inquisition for forty years. This was granted them, but soon evaded ; no tribunal of the Inquisition was, indeed, established at Granada, but that of Cordova extended its jurisdiction over Granada. Nine years later another remnant of Mohammedan Moors were forcibly Christianized in the same manner, and baptized en masse in 1526. In the same year a tribunal of the Inquisition was finally established at
ing an Arab dance or playing on an instrument suspect- ed to be of Arab origin, were punished as crimes. Only those Moors more anciently settled in Valencia were al- lowed a little more liberty. Yet, in spite of oppression and watching, the Moriscoes after a few years began to contemj)late again a revolt — the more as Spain was then weakened by her war in the Netherlands, and threaten- ed both by France and England. They opened negoti- ations with Trance, and in 1005 a vast conspiracy was organized, relying on the assistance of the Frciicli. It was, however, betrayed, and the grand inquisiiur now clamored that the Moriscoes should either be sent out f Spain or destroyed by the sword. Although Philip
Granada, and on the 7th of December a proclamation 1 III, who was then on the throne, did not wish to accede appeared forbidding the floors from wearing their na- to so general a measure, and even tlie pope declined to tional dress, or using their national language and their favor it, yet, as this step seemed to be llie only possible Arab names. But the very next day the Moors pur- means ofsecuring tranquillity to the state, the king issued chased the recall of that decree for a sum of 200,000 a proclamation (Aug. 4, 1009) banishing the ^Moriscoes ducats : this was subsequently several times renewed, of Valencia to Africa. The landed nobility, who fore- The Moors were also, in spite of the treaties concluded saw the loss of their best farmers, and the clergy tliat with them, subjected to several heavy taxes ; so that, of their tenants, protested in vain, and grand prepara- besides paying tithes to the Church, they had to pay tions were made to secure the execution of the edict, tithes to the king, and a tax for breeding silk-worms. A delay was granted the Jloors for the regulation of Aside from their outward compulsatory profession of their affairs ; they were not allowed to sell their land, Christianity, which the vexatious treatment they ex- and could only take away so much of their personal perienced at the hands of the Christians did not tend to property as they could carry off themselves. At first mak£ them like any the more, they were at heart tirnily the Moors offered to pay enormous sums to obtain the attached to the old religion, and grew more attached to recall of that edict; but afterwards, when they had time it in proportion as they suffered for it. They retained i to reflect, and saw that nothing was to be done, their the niiis()ue beside the" church, had their alfaki as well ] sorrow changed to joy; they looked upon their exile as as their llomish priests, circumcised their children after ; a liberation from slaven,-, in which they could cast aside they were baptized, celebrated their marriages accord- their mask of Christianity. The emigration proceeded