New Christians ( Spanish: Cristiano nuevo ) is a historical term used in Spain and Portugal after the Reconquista to refer to a social group consisting of Muslims and Jews converted to Christianity, as well as for their descendants even several generations after the transition to the Christian religion. The term was first used in relation to Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity after the anti-Jewish pogroms of 1391.
“New Christians” in the then Pyrenean society were opposed to the so-called “ primordial Christians ”, supposedly having a Christian origin “from all sides” and “from time immemorial” ( tiempo inmemorial ), although in practice, for the recognition of the primordial Christian, it was usually required that Christians were only parents and all the grandparents of a person. The “New Christians”, even despite the change of faith, were persecuted and harassed for many years after the Reconquista.
In Portugal in 1772, the Marquis of Pombal equalized the rights of new and old Christians.
See also
- Marranas
- Moriski
Notes
Literature
- J. Lúcio de Azevedo (1989). História dos Cristãos Novos Portugueses. Lisboa: Clássica Editora.