On This Day

Jews of Palma, Mallorca, are massacred

On 31 March 1492, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, issued the Alhambra Decree, ordering all unconverted Jews to leave their kingdoms and...

On 31 March 1492, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, issued the Alhambra Decree, ordering all unconverted Jews to leave their kingdoms and territories by the end of July that year, unless they converted to Christianity. Motivated by a desire for religious unity following the completion of the Reconquista and amid fears that unconverted Jews were influencing conversos (Jewish converts to Christianity) to revert to Judaism, the decree brought to an end more than a millennium of Jewish presence in the Iberian Peninsula. It also ranks among the most consequential events in Spanish and Jewish history.

Historical Significance

On 31 March 1492, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, issued the Alhambra Decree, ordering all unconverted Jews to leave their kingdoms and territories by the end of July that year, unless they converted to Christianity.

Events Before

  1. Ottomans defeat the Serbian army in the bloody Battle of Kosovo, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest of Southeaster

    Ottomans defeat the Serbian army in the bloody Battle of Kosovo, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest of Southeastern Europe. Large losses on both sides including Sultan Murad and Serbian leader Prince Lazar. (NS date)

  2. Battle of Falköping: Danes defeat King Albert of Sweden

    Battle of Falköping: Danes defeat King Albert of Sweden

  3. French and Genuese armada sails out against barbarian pirates

    French and Genuese armada sails out against barbarian pirates

  4. Lithuanian Civil War (1389-1392): the Teutonic Knights begin a five-week siege of Vilnius

    Lithuanian Civil War (1389-1392): the Teutonic Knights begin a five-week siege of Vilnius

  5. First trial for witchcraft in Paris

    First trial for witchcraft in Paris

Events After

  1. Korean Confucian scholar and statesman Jeong Mong-ju is assassinated on the Sonjuk Bridge in Gaeseong (now North Korea).

    Korean Confucian scholar and statesman Jeong Mong-ju is assassinated on the Sonjuk Bridge in Gaeseong (now North Korea). A brown spot on the bridge is still said to be his blood.

  2. Assassination attempt on Olivier de Clisson, Constable of France, by Pierre de Craon fails

    Assassination attempt on Olivier de Clisson, Constable of France, by Pierre de Craon fails

  3. Nanboku-chō, Emperor Go-Kameyama of Japan, abdicates in favor of rival claimant Go-Komatsu

    The Nanboku-chō period (南北朝時代, Nanboku-chō jidai), also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period, was a period in Japanese history between 1336 and 1392, during the formative years of the...

  4. Osmanen occupy Turnovo, Bulgaria

    Osmanen occupy Turnovo, Bulgaria

  5. Ekiho exorcises the Zen temple and its surroundings of an old badger

    Ekiho exorcises the Zen temple and its surroundings of an old badger

More from the 1390s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 24, 1391?
On 31 March 1492, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, issued the Alhambra Decree, ordering all unconverted Jews to leave their kingdoms and territories by the end of July that year, unless they converted to Christianity. Motivated by a desire for religious unity following the completion of the Reconquista and amid fears that unconverted Jews were influencing conversos (Jewish converts to Christianity) to revert to Judaism, the decree brought to an end more than a millennium of Jewish presence in the Iberian Peninsula. It also ranks among the most consequential events in Spanish and Jewish history.
Why is Jews of Palma, Mallorca, are massacred significant?
On 31 March 1492, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, issued the Alhambra Decree, ordering all unconverted Jews to leave their kingdoms and territories by the end of July that year, unless they converted to Christianity.

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