1492: The Inquisition and the Sephardic Exile

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue—but the exact same year, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella issued an edict that destroyed the oldest, most prosperous Jewish community in Europe. In this episode, we unpack the terrifying rise of the Spanish Inquisition, the tragedy of the Alhambra Decree, and the massive refugee crisis that followed. Discover how the paranoia surrounding secret converts (conversos) led to state-sponsored terror, and how the exiled Sephardic Jews ultimately found a new golden age under the protection of the Islamic Ottoman Empire.