In 1492, the patrons of Columbus’s journey attempt to restore order after their recent expulsion of Spain’s Jews 225. Ferdinand and Isabella. Spanish monarchs best known as the sponsors and patrons of Christopher Columbus. Manuscript DS
in Spanish, signed “Yo el Rey,” (I the King) and “Yo el Reyna,” (I the Queen), one page, 8.25 x 7.75, September 15, 1492. Document reads, in full (translated): “Don Juan de Ribera there we have given orders concerning matters relating to San Sebastián and especially as regards the provost and goal of the said town, as you will see by our letters in which we command you, for our service, to repair to the said town, and carry into execution the orders we give you in this matter, and to work for the establishment of the said town and its residents in peace and concord, as benefits our service, Zaragoza, XV day of September of ninety and two years.” Signed at the conclusion by the king and queen, and countersigned by Fernand Aluares, secretary to the king and queen. In fine condition, with intersecting folds, a couple lightly passing through the signatures, and some scattered light foxing to blank areas. All writing is extremely bold. When Ferdinand and Isabella finally completed the Catholic Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula in the Battle of Granada in January of 1492, they took control of the city’s large Jewish and Muslim population. With non-Catholic hostilities at a climax, they issued the Alhambra Decree, accusing Jews of trying to ‘subvert their holy Catholic faith and draw faithful Christians away from their beliefs,’ and gave them four months to either convert or leave the country; the punishment for refusal to comply was death without trial. As the town of Calahorra emptied, the local synagogue was converted into a church, and became the hermitage of San Sebastian. In this stunning decree, the Catholic Monarchs ordered Don Juan de Ribera, Commander in Chief of the frontiers of Navarre (the border of which held the city of Calahorra), to “repair to the said town, and…work for the establishment of the said town and its residents in peace and concord, as benefits our service.” A remarkable document involving Spain’s turbulence at home, just as Columbus began his first voyage to the New World. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/ DNA and RR Auction COA.…(MB $750) | 61