Ferrand Martinez
Encyclopedia
Ferrand Martinez
Spanish cleric, Archdeacon
of Écija
. An antisemitic agitator whom historians cite a the prime mover behind the series of pogroms against the Spanish Jews in 1391 beginning in the city of Seville
.
Little is known of Martinez's early life (the 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia has no article on him). Before taking up the position at Écija, he was the confessor of the queen mother
of Aragon
. Beginning in 1378, he began preaching sermons against the Jews. Although Juan I commanded him to crease his rabble-rousing, he ignored the royal order, as well commands from Barroso, archbishop of Toledo, the primate of Spain. For more than a decade, Martinez continued his verbal assaults, telling Catholics to "expel the Jews...and to demolish their synagogues.". Though put on trial in 1388, his activities were not checked by the king, though the latter stated that the Jews must not be maltreated.
The tipping point occurred when both Juan I and Borroso died in 1390, leaving his 11 year old son, Henry III
to rule under the regency of his mother. Martinez continued his campaign against the Jews of Seville, calling on clergy and people to destroy synagogues and seize their Holy Books and other accoutrements. These events led to a further royal order deposing Martinez from his office and ordering damaged synagogues be repaired at Church expense. Declaring the neither the state nor the local church authorities had power over him, he ignored the commands.
The first anti-Jewish riots began in Seville in March of 1391. It was on 6 June that the first great massacre occurred. Thousands of Jews were murdered and many were forced to accept baptism. Over the course of the year, the massacres would spread to all of Spain (though nothing of the kind happened in Portugal
). These events inaugurated the beginning of the mass conversions as fear gripped the Jewish communities of Spain.
Martinez was imprisoned again by royal order in 1395, though he was quickly released. He died not long there after, leaving his fortune to a hospital he had founded in San Maria.
Spanish cleric, Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Écija
Écija
Écija is a city belonging to the province of Seville, Spain. It is located in the Andalusian countryside, 85 km east of the city of Seville. According to the 2008 census, Écija has a total population of 40,100 inhabitants, ranking as the fifth most populous city in the province...
. An antisemitic agitator whom historians cite a the prime mover behind the series of pogroms against the Spanish Jews in 1391 beginning in the city of 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...
.
Little is known of Martinez's early life (the 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia has no article on him). Before taking up the position at Écija, he was the confessor of the queen mother
Queen mother
Queen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577...
of Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
. Beginning in 1378, he began preaching sermons against the Jews. Although Juan I commanded him to crease his rabble-rousing, he ignored the royal order, as well commands from Barroso, archbishop of Toledo, the primate of Spain. For more than a decade, Martinez continued his verbal assaults, telling Catholics to "expel the Jews...and to demolish their synagogues.". Though put on trial in 1388, his activities were not checked by the king, though the latter stated that the Jews must not be maltreated.
The tipping point occurred when both Juan I and Borroso died in 1390, leaving his 11 year old son, Henry III
Henry III of Castile
Henry III KG , sometimes known as Henry the Sufferer or Henry the Infirm , was the son of John I and Eleanor of Aragon, and succeeded him as King of the Castilian Crown in 1390....
to rule under the regency of his mother. Martinez continued his campaign against the Jews of Seville, calling on clergy and people to destroy synagogues and seize their Holy Books and other accoutrements. These events led to a further royal order deposing Martinez from his office and ordering damaged synagogues be repaired at Church expense. Declaring the neither the state nor the local church authorities had power over him, he ignored the commands.
The first anti-Jewish riots began in Seville in March of 1391. It was on 6 June that the first great massacre occurred. Thousands of Jews were murdered and many were forced to accept baptism. Over the course of the year, the massacres would spread to all of Spain (though nothing of the kind happened in 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...
). These events inaugurated the beginning of the mass conversions as fear gripped the Jewish communities of Spain.
Martinez was imprisoned again by royal order in 1395, though he was quickly released. He died not long there after, leaving his fortune to a hospital he had founded in San Maria.
External links
- The Jewish Encyclopedia http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=223&letter=M