Abravanel
Encyclopedia
The Abravanel family is one of the oldest and most distinguished Jewish families of the Iberian peninsula
; they trace their origin from the biblical King David. Members of this family lived in Seville
, Córdoba (Spanish province), Castile-Leon, and Calatayud
. Seville is where its most prominent representative, Don Judah Abravanel, once dwelt.
Don Judah Abravanel was treasurer and tax-collector under Sancho IV (1284–95) and Ferdinand IV (1295–1312). In 1310 he and other Jews guaranteed the loans made to the crown of Castile to finance the siege of Algeciras. It is probable that he was almoxarife ("collector of revenues") of Castile. Another eminent member of the family was SAMUEL of Seville, of whom Menahem b. Zerah wrote that he was "intelligent, loved wise men, befriended them, was good to them and was eager to study whenever the stress of time permitted." He had great influence at the court of Castile. In 1388 he served as royal treasurer in Andalusia. During the anti-Jewish riots of 1391 he was forcibly converted to Christianity under the name of Juan Sanchez (de Sevilla) and was appointed comptroller in Castile. It is thought that a passage in a poem in the Cancionero de Baena, attributed to Alfonso Alvarez de Villasandino, refers to him. Don Judah Abravanel and his family later fled to Lisbon, Portugal, where they reverted to Judaism and filled important governmental posts.
His son, JUDAH (d. 1471), was in the financial service of the infante Ferdinand of Portugal, who by his will (1437) ordered the repayment to him of the vast sum of 506,000 reis blancs. Later he was apparently in the service of the Duke of Braganza. His export business also brought him into trade relations with Flanders. He was father of Don Isaac *Abrabanel and grandfather of Judah Abrabanel Leone Ebreo and Samuel Abrabanel.
Samuel Abravanel, Don Judah Abravanel's grandson, settled in Valencia
, and Samuel's son, Judah (and perhaps Don Judah himself), left for Portugal
. Isaac, the son of Judah, returned to Castile
, where he lived until the time of the great expulsion of the Jews
from Spain
in 1492. Then, with his three sons, Judah, Joseph, and Samuel, Isaac went to Italy
. Their descendants, as well as other members of the family who arrived later from the Iberian peninsula, lived in the Netherlands
, England
, Ireland
, Germany
, Turkey
, and elsewhere during and since the sixteenth century.
There was a Ladino proverb in Thessaloniki
saying "Ya basta mi nombre ke es Abravanel" meaning "It is sufficient that my name is Abravanel". This proverb was used to denote the pride that the members of the Abravanel clan used to take in their aristocratic origin.
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
; they trace their origin from the biblical King David. Members of this family lived in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Córdoba (Spanish province), Castile-Leon, and Calatayud
Calatayud
Calatayud is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza in Aragón, Spain lying on the river Jalón, in the midst of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. It is the second-largest city in the province after the capital, Zaragoza, and the largest town in Aragón other than the three provincial...
. Seville is where its most prominent representative, Don Judah Abravanel, once dwelt.
Don Judah Abravanel was treasurer and tax-collector under Sancho IV (1284–95) and Ferdinand IV (1295–1312). In 1310 he and other Jews guaranteed the loans made to the crown of Castile to finance the siege of Algeciras. It is probable that he was almoxarife ("collector of revenues") of Castile. Another eminent member of the family was SAMUEL of Seville, of whom Menahem b. Zerah wrote that he was "intelligent, loved wise men, befriended them, was good to them and was eager to study whenever the stress of time permitted." He had great influence at the court of Castile. In 1388 he served as royal treasurer in Andalusia. During the anti-Jewish riots of 1391 he was forcibly converted to Christianity under the name of Juan Sanchez (de Sevilla) and was appointed comptroller in Castile. It is thought that a passage in a poem in the Cancionero de Baena, attributed to Alfonso Alvarez de Villasandino, refers to him. Don Judah Abravanel and his family later fled to Lisbon, Portugal, where they reverted to Judaism and filled important governmental posts.
His son, JUDAH (d. 1471), was in the financial service of the infante Ferdinand of Portugal, who by his will (1437) ordered the repayment to him of the vast sum of 506,000 reis blancs. Later he was apparently in the service of the Duke of Braganza. His export business also brought him into trade relations with Flanders. He was father of Don Isaac *Abrabanel and grandfather of Judah Abrabanel Leone Ebreo and Samuel Abrabanel.
Samuel Abravanel, Don Judah Abravanel's grandson, settled in Valencia
Valencia (city in Spain)
Valencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
, and Samuel's son, Judah (and perhaps Don Judah himself), left for Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. Isaac, the son of Judah, returned to Castile
Castile (historical region)
A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...
, where he lived until the time of the great expulsion of the Jews
Alhambra decree
The Alhambra Decree was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.The edict was formally revoked on 16 December 1968, following the Second...
from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1492. Then, with his three sons, Judah, Joseph, and Samuel, Isaac went to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Their descendants, as well as other members of the family who arrived later from the Iberian peninsula, lived in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and elsewhere during and since the sixteenth century.
There was a Ladino proverb in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
saying "Ya basta mi nombre ke es Abravanel" meaning "It is sufficient that my name is Abravanel". This proverb was used to denote the pride that the members of the Abravanel clan used to take in their aristocratic origin.
Claimed descent from King David
Don Isaac Abravanel wrote that his forebears descended from King David, but this has been challenged on the grounds of lack of sources. It has also been suggested that this family, along with other Sephardic families, "very likely converted to Judaism around 750-900 c.e. ...and that because they were converted by a Davidic descendant at the Jewish Academy in Narbonne, they came to believe that they therefore descended from King David themselves, in accordance with the generational myth-making process described by Zerubavel (2003). Note that virtually all these "Davidic pedigrees" begin around 900-1100."Notable Abravanels
Several of the more prominent members of this family include:- Judah Abravanel was a receiver of customs at Seville, Spain, in 1310. He rendered substantial service to the grandees of Castile. The infante Don Pedro, in his will, dated from Seville, May 9, 1317, ordered that Judah be paid: (1) 15,000 maravedis for clothes delivered; (2) 30,000 maravedis as part of a personal debt, at the same time requesting Judah to release him from paying the rest. Judah had been in great favor with King Alfonso the Wise, with whom he once had a conversation regarding JudaismJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
.- Samuel Abravanel was the son of Judah Abravanel of Seville. He settled in Castile and became a patron of learning. He supported the scholar Menahem ben Zerah and had him elected rabbiRabbiIn Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
of ToledoToledo, SpainToledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
. As a mark of his gratitude, Menahem dedicated to Abravanel his work Ẓedah la-Derek (Provision for the Journey). During the persecution of 1361 he submitted to ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and was baptizedBaptismIn Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
, according to Zacuto, Juan of Seville. He soon, however, returned to Judaism.
- Samuel Abravanel was the son of Judah Abravanel of Seville. He settled in Castile and became a patron of learning. He supported the scholar Menahem ben Zerah and had him elected rabbi
- Don Isaac Abravanel, also Isaac ben Judah Abravanel or Abarbanel (1437-1508) was born in LisbonLisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. He was a Jewish statesman, philosopherPhilosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, Bible commentator, and financier.- Judah Leon AbravanelJudah Leon AbravanelJudah Leon Abravanel was a Jewish Portuguese physician, poet and philosopher...
, also Leon Hebreo or Leo Hebraeus (1460?-1535?), was a European Jewish physician, poet and philosopher, author of the "Dialogues of Love", the eldest son of Don Isaac Abravanel. - Joseph Abravanel (Lisbon, 1471-c.1552), son of Don Isaac Abravanel, was a physicianPhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and scholar. He lived in VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and later in FerraraFerraraFerrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
, and enjoyed a great reputation.- Isaac Abravanel II (?-1573) was son of Joseph Abravanel and grandson of the Bible-commentator. He lived in Ferrara.
- Samuel Abravanel (Lisbon, 1473-Ferrara, 1551) was the youngest son of Isaac Abravanel, and the grandson of Judah. His father sent him to Salonica to pursue his TalmudTalmudThe Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic studies, where he became the pupil of Joseph Fasi. He lived in Naples and was employed as financier by the viceroyViceroyA viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
Don Pedro de ToledoPedro de ToledoPedro de Toledo is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 is 9,880, the density is 14.69/km² and the area is 672.62 km². The elevation is 45 m. The southern part of the municipality is heavily forested and is part of the Serra do Mar mountain range. In the rest...
. Samuel was a patron of Jewish learning. His house was a favorite resort for Jewish and Christian scholars. The PortuguesePortuguese peopleThe Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
refugee David ben Yachya, whom Samuel succeeded in placing as rabbi in Naples, and the Baruch of BeneventoBaruch of BeneventoBaruch of Benevento was an Italian Jewish Cabalist in Naples, during the first half of the 16th century.He was the teacher of Cardinal Ægidius of Viterbo and of Johann Albrecht Widmanstadt in the Zohar and other cabalistic works, and lectured on these subjects in the house of Samuel Abravanel...
, a KabbalistKabbalahKabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
, were his close friends. Following in the footsteps of his father, and aided by his wife, Samuel was always ready to defend his fellow Jews. When Charles VCharles V, Holy Roman EmperorCharles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
issued an edict to expel the Jews from Naples, Benvenida, with the assistance of Leonora, intervened in their behalf so effectively that the decree was revoked. But several years later, when Charles V ordered the Jews either to leave the land or to wear the badge, the Abravanels settled in Ferrara, where Samuel died 1551, and Benvenida three years later.
- Judah Leon Abravanel
- Jonah Abravanel (?-1667) was a poet who lived in AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in the seventeenth century. He was the son of the physician Joseph Abravanel, and a nephew of Manasseh ben Israel. He wrote, in PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Elegio em Louvar da Nova Yesiba, instituido por o Senhor Yshac Pereira, de que he Ros Yesiba o Senhor Haham Menasse ben Israel (Elegy in Praise of New Yesiba, instituted by Lord Yshac Pereira, the Ros Yesiba of which is Lord Haham Menasse ben Israel, Amsterdam, 1644). He also wrote elegiesElegiesis the Hello! Project 2005 shuffle group consisting of Ai Takahashi and Reina Tanaka of Morning Musume, along with Melon Kinenbi's Ayumi Shibata and Country Musume's Mai Satoda. The name comes from the word elegy. They released the single "" on June 22, 2005....
upon the martyrMartyrA martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s Isaac de Castro TartasIsaac de Castro TartasIsaac de Castro Tartas was a Marrano and Jewish martyr.Castro Tartas was born in France, where his parents had found refuge. He was a brother of David Castro Tartas, and a relative of the physician Elijah Montalto, and was trained in philosophy and the classical languages...
(1647) and the Bernals (1655). After 1630, with Dr. Ephraim Bueno, he published ritualistic works and Psalterio de David... transladado con toda fidelidad (Psalterio of David... translated with full fidelity, Amsterdam, 1644). - Maurice AbravanelMaurice AbravanelMaurice Abravanel was aSwiss-American Jewish conductor of classical music. He is remembered as the conductor of the Utah Symphony Orchestra for over 30 years.-Life:...
(b. 1903 in Saloniki, GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
- d. 1993 in Salt Lake City, UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
) was raised in Lausanne, Switzerland and, after emigrating to the USA, became the conductor of the Utah Symphony OrchestraUtah Symphony Orchestra-History:The first attempt to create a symphony group in the Utah area occurred in 1892, before Utah was a state. The Salt Lake Symphony was created and presented just one concert before disbanding. In 1902 the Salt Lake Symphony Orchestra was formed, and it remained in existence until 1911...
. - Senor Abravanel, artistic name Silvio SantosSilvio Santos-External links:*...
, is a famous TV show host in BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and owner of SBT, the country's second biggest television network. - Yuri A. BarbanelYuri A. BarbanelYuri A. Barbanel is a leading Russian chemist born in 1935 in Leningrad . He obtained a Master of Science in chemistry from A. A. Zhdanov Leningrad State University, now Saint Petersburg State University, in 1958 and his Ph.D. in 1964 and his D.Sc. in 1991...
, is a distinguished Soviet/Russian scientist in the field of physical chemistry, born in 1935. - Other families that are thought to be related to the Abravanel family are the Bat and Bart families.
- The family name exists in the forms "Barbanel", "Voronel", and "Abraben"