Jewish settlements in the Ottoman Empire
After the Alhambra Decree (March 1492) and the expulsion of the Sephardi Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, Sultan Bayezid II (1447-1512) seized the opportunity to resettle the expelled community. The Sephardic migrations from Spain to the Ottoman Empire were a long and peculiar process. After the expulsion, Bayezid II sent the Ottoman Navy, commanded by the famous admiral Kemal Reis, to the Spanish lands and facilitated the resettlement. In addition, he issued a firman, or a royal decree, to all the governors of the European provinces ordering a friendly reception of the Jewish refugees. The Sephardi Jews continued to inhabit the Ottoman Empire for the next two centuries. Some of the Spanish Jews, however, converted or were forced to convert to Christianity while living in the Spanish lands before and after the Alhambra Decree. Those who kept practicing Judaism in secret were called Marranos or Anusims. A late 16th century response from Salonika, a type of rabbinic text often documenting the everyday Jewish life, describes an interesting case of Sephardic migration from that period. Three Anusim brothers, Ruben, Shimon and Levy left Portugal in order to find place ‘where they can be Jews and practice the laws of the divine Torah’. Shimon and Ruben’s families thus moved to the city of Monastir (Bitola), today’s North Macedonia, while Levy stayed in the Western Europe, or today’s France.
The Ottoman Empire had a complex governing structure, developed in the course of the several centuries of its imperial history (14th to 20th century). The head of the Empire was the Sultan. The Sultans could issue royal decrees, called firmans, which had an immediate legal application. The word ‘firman’ is of Persian origin and means decree or order. The Sultans’ firmans were interventions on several legislative levels, from highest, constitutional level, to a more practical level – such as granting permission to travel across the Empire.
For more information on this and other peace treaties, see
Title
Jewish settlements in the Ottoman Empire
content
After the Alhambra Decree (March 1492) and the expulsion of the Sephardi Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, Sultan Bayezid II (1447-1512) seized the opportunity to resettle the expelled community. The Sephardic migrations from Spain to the Ottoman Empire were a long and peculiar process. After the expulsion, Bayezid II sent the Ottoman Navy, commanded by the famous admiral Kemal Reis, to the Spanish lands and facilitated the resettlement. In addition, he issued a firman, or a royal decree, to all the governors of the European provinces ordering a friendly reception of the Jewish refugees. The Sephardi Jews continued to inhabit the Ottoman Empire for the next two centuries. Some of the Spanish Jews, however, converted or were forced to convert to Christianity while living in the Spanish lands before and after the Alhambra Decree. Those who kept practicing Judaism in secret were called Marranos or Anusims. A late 16th century response from Salonika, a type of rabbinic text often documenting the everyday Jewish life, describes an interesting case of Sephardic migration from that period. Three Anusim brothers, Ruben, Shimon and Levy left Portugal in order to find place ‘where they can be Jews and practice the laws of the divine Torah’. Shimon and Ruben’s families thus moved to the city of Monastir (Bitola), today’s North Macedonia, while Levy stayed in the Western Europe, or today’s France.
Context
The Ottoman Empire had a complex governing structure, developed in the course of the several centuries of its imperial history (14th to 20th century). The head of the Empire was the Sultan. The Sultans could issue royal decrees, called firmans, which had an immediate legal application. The word ‘firman’ is of Persian origin and means decree or order. The Sultans’ firmans were interventions on several legislative levels, from highest, constitutional level, to a more practical level – such as granting permission to travel across the Empire.
Questions
Can you think of another migration provoked by religious issues? Have you seen a movie dealing with this topic?
Temporal Coverage
16th century
Spatial Coverage
Europe
Greece
map
40.65 / 22.9
Relation
Subject
Is Referenced By
translation of
Ženi Lebl, Plima i slom [Tide and wreck] (Skopje: Fond na Holokaustot na Evreite od Makedonija, 2013).
Audience
Yes
Creator
Naum Trajanovski