Földvári Books

El Tizón - Jews Among 16th-Century Spanish Nobility

Mendoza y Bobadilla, Francisco

Tizón de España. [Tizón de la nobleza de España.]

[Spain]: late 18th century. Manuscript in Spanish, in brown ink, on good quality laid paper (“Albers” watermark). [3] [122] [1] [3 (blank)] ff. Light stains throughout. Ownership inscription on f. 1. Bound into 18th century French handwritten document on vellum. Overall in very good condition.

A rare 18th-century manuscript copy of this important 16th-century genealogical text, cataloging the Semitic heritage of the Spanish nobility.

As early as the fifteenth century, the infiltration of conversos (or New-Christians, Jews who had converted to Christianity under the pressure of the Spanish Inquisition) into the Spanish aristocracy was widely recognized. In response to the anti-converso disturbances in Toledo in 1449, various measures were taken by Old-Christian society against this phenomenon, culminating in the Alhambra Decree of 1492, which expelled practicing Jews from the Crowns of Castile and Aragon. Yet, the issue of limpieza de sangre (purity of blood) persisted.

By the sixteenth century, two genealogical texts outlining the Semitic heritage of the Spanish nobility began circulating covertly in Spain. The earlier one, El Libro verde de Aragon (The Green Book of Aragon), anonymously authored, focused on the genealogy of the Aragonese nobility. The other, Tizón de la nobleza de España (Blot on the Nobility of Spain), authored in 1560 by Cardinal Francisco Mendoza y Bobadilla, directly addressed Philip II. Displeased by the rejection of two family members from a military order, Mendoza y Bobadilla purported to demonstrate that the majority of the Spanish nobility, including the King himself, had Jewish and Moorish lineage. Here we present a late 18th-century manuscript copy of this text.

Our copy includes a short introduction detailing the reasons that prompted Mendoza y Bobadilla to write Tizón, a brief prologue presented to Philip II by the author, the genealogy of one hundred noble families, and an index. The introduction and index appear to have been written by a different, possibly contemporary or somewhat later hand. This same hand added marginal notes to each entry, indicating the Jewish or Moorish lineage of the family or other "blots," such as slaves or bastards.

Until the second half of the 19th century, the text of the Tizón circulated only in manuscript form, often altered, added to, and distorted. Despite its significance, comprehensive analyses are scarce due to widespread destruction and variations among copies.

The author, Francisco de Mendoza y Bobadilla (1508–1566), was a Spanish humanist, theologian, and cardinal who served as bishop of Coria and Burgos.. Esteemed by Erasmus and a friend of Ignatius of Loyola, he supported the Jesuits and promoted reforms aligned with the Council of Trent. He managed diplomatic missions for Emperor Charles V, founded the first Tridentine seminary in Burgos, and contributed significantly to the Catholic Reformation.

Literature: Beusterien J. (1997). The libro verde: blood fictions from early modern Spain (dissertation). University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1997

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Price: €20,000.00