Morisco

Quick Facts: Who was Morisco?

Subject:

Morisco

Known for:

Former Muslim community in Spain, subjected to forced conversion and expulsion by Catholic authorities.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Moriscos (Spanish: [moˈɾiskos], Catalan: [muˈɾiskus]; Portuguese: mouriscos [mo(u)ˈɾiʃkuʃ]; "Moorish") were former Muslims and their descendants whom the Catholic Church and Habsburg Spain commanded to forcibly convert to Christianity or face compulsory exile after Spain outlawed Islam. Spain had a sizeable Muslim population, the mudéjars, in the early 16th century. The Iberian Union mistrusted Moriscos and feared that they would prompt new invasions from the Ottoman Empire after the Fall of Constantinople, so between 1609 and 1614 they began to expel them systematically from the various kingdoms of the Union. The most severe expulsions occurred in the eastern Kingdom of Valencia. The exact number of Moriscos present in Spain before the expulsion is unknown and can only be guessed based on official records of the edict of expulsion.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Furthermore, the overall number who were able to avoid deportation is also unknown, with estimates on the proportion of those who avoided expulsion or returned to Spain ranging from 5% to 40%. The large majority settled on the western fringe of the Ottoman Empire and in the Kingdom of Morocco. The last mass prosecution against Moriscos for crypto-Islamic practices occurred in Granada in 1727, with most receiving relatively light sentences. In the Spanish language and unrelated to the Moriscos of Spain (who were European Muslims), the term Morisco was used In colonial-era documentation in Spanish America to denote mixed-race castas: the children of Spanish men and women of European-Mulata ancestry. The label morisco for Muslims who converted to Christianity began to appear in texts in the first half of the sixteenth century, though the use of the term at this time was limited.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Usage became widespread in Christian sources during the second half of the century, but it was unclear whether Moriscos adopted the term. In their texts, it was more common for them to speak of themselves simply as muslimes (Muslims); in later periods, they may have begun to accept the label. In modern times, the label is in widespread use in Spanish literature and adopted by other languages, including Standard Arabic: الموريسكيون, romanized: al-Mūrīskiyyūn. The word morisco appears in twelfth-century Castilian texts as an adjective for the noun moro. These two words are comparable to the English adjective "Moorish" and noun "Moor".

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1609: 1609 Milestone — The Iberian Union mistrusted Moriscos and feared that they would prompt new invasions from the Ottoman Empire after the Fall of Constantinople, so between 1609 and 1614 they began to expel them systematically from the various kingdoms of the Union.
2. 1727: 1727 Milestone — The last mass prosecution against Moriscos for crypto-Islamic practices occurred in Granada in 1727, with most receiving relatively light sentences.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Morisco

True or False: “The term 'Morisco' was initially used exclusively as a racial descriptor in Spanish America, unrelated to the Iberian Peninsula's Muslim converts.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While it later became a racial category in Spanish America, the term first appeared in texts in the first half of the sixteenth century to identify former Muslims in Spain.

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• El Greco — Historical peer (Died in 1614) (1614): Master of the Spanish Renaissance, blending Byzantine tradition with Mannerism.
• Elizabeth Báthory — Historical peer (Died in 1614) (1614): Hungarian noblewoman and alleged serial killer of the House of Báthory.
• Anne Robert Jacques Turgot — Historical peer (Born in 1727) (1727): Pioneering French economist and statesman, advocate for economic liberalism.
• George I of Great Britain — Historical peer (Died in 1727) (1727): First British monarch of the House of Hanover; King of Great Britain and Ireland.

Frequently Asked Questions about Morisco