The city of Ancona lies on the Adriatic coast of Italy, 180 miles north east of Rome and 200 miles south of Venice. Its port is one of Italy's busiest and in centuries past the city's economy relied on maritime trade with the Ottoman Empire through the port of Ragusa, modern day Dubrovnik in Croatia.
Until 1535, life for the Jews of Ancona was little different from any other Italian city. They were restricted in the work they could do, were obliged to wear distinctive clothing marking them out as Jews, were shunned by the majority population and subjected from time to time to punitive taxes and persecutions. Their lives improved in 1535, the indirect result of the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 and Portugal in 1496.
When Spain and Portugal expelled their Jewish populations they permitted those who converted to Christianity to stay. For many families, conversion seemed to be an easy way out. It turned out they were wrong. The Spanish population disliked them; they did not believe that their conversions were sincere and they resented the fact that they enjoyed the same freedom as Christians. They frequently reported them to the Inquisition for living secret Jewish lives and called them Marranos, meaning pigs. More politely, they were called New Christians.
It is true that many of the New Christians did try to preserve their ancestral customs, but the Inquisition persecuted them all indiscriminately, holding autos-da-fe (public trials) of those accused of observing Jewish practices, or encouraging others to do so. The trials invariably ended with mass executions, with dozens of New Christians put to death by fire. The converts soon realised that their lives were no better than if they had been expelled with their Jewish friends and family. Although forbidden to leave Spain, many did escape, heading wherever they could. Some settled in Ancona where a few returned to Judaism while the majority carried on much as before, keeping themselves to themselves, uncertain whether the Inquisition in Italy would turn out to be as brutal as that in Spain.
Scattered across Europe and North Africa, with contacts in the major ports and cities, the business people among the New Christians found their opportunities for trade greatly enhanced. Ancona, which had always been energetic in encouraging merchants to settle in the city, had recently come under papal rule. In 1535, the Pope realising the economic potential of the city, invited “all merchants of whatever nation, faith or sect, whether Turk, Jew or infidel" to Ancona, even if they were "of Jewish origin, called New Christians”. To facilitate his new policy, the Pope removed all restrictions from the Jews in the city and the New Christians were finally free to return to their former life as Jews. They believed that they were finally free of the cold hand of the Inquisition. They couldn’t have been more wrong.
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