| Date | November 2017 | Marks available | 9 | Reference code | 17N.1.BP.TZ0.08 |
| Level | Both SL and HL | Paper | Paper 1 - first exams 2017 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | To what extent | Question number | 08 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Source E
Atalia Omer and Jason Springs, professors of religion and peace studies, writing in the academic book Religious Nationalism: A Reference Handbook (2013).
In 1469, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon were married [in order] to unite the two crowns of the Spanish Empire. This act was intended to resist the regionalism of Hispania [Spain] by centralizing power and consolidating a shared identity. Though the monarchs did not actively seek to construct a nation, they recognized the need to harness [encourage] a certain degree of popular allegiance based on a common Catholic faith. The Spanish Inquisition consolidated a Spanish–Catholic identity by purging Jewish and Moorish elements in an effort to promote support for a nation that would be only for Spanish Catholics. Hence, as Anthony Marx has suggested, “Jews or converts were described as separate, alien, or as enemies, implying that everyone else shared a blood relationship … habit or faith”. The Inquisition sanctioned [approved] and institutionalized pre-existing anti-Semitism by intentionally excluding Jews. The language of “purity of blood” was integral [central] to the Inquisition; consequently, it provides a clear example of the important interconnections between religion, nationality, and ethnicity.
[Source: Republished with permission of ABC-CLIO Inc, from Religious Nationalism: A Reference Handbook,
Omer, A. and Springs J., 2013, Santa Barbara; permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc]
Source F
Henry Kamen, an historian and Fellow of the British Royal Historical Society, writing in the academic book Spain, 1469–1714: A Society of Conflict (2005).
The expulsion of the Jews from Spain was carried out for religious motives that had long been in the making; the forcible conversion of the Mudéjars was by contrast an abrupt move. It is very likely that the Catholic monarchs expected a further programme of evangelization [preaching] to produce a nation truly united in religion. This, however, did not happen. Instead, the abandonment of a pluralist [diverse] society led to the creation within Christian Spain of two great disadvantaged minorities, conversos and Moriscos, which suffered all the disabilities of prejudice but enjoyed few of the benefits of conversion. From the early 15th century various official bodies began to discriminate against the New Christians, setting in motion the social pressure for “purity of blood”. The university college of San Bartolomé in Salamanca was the first to introduce, in 1482, rules forbidding any but those “of pure blood” from becoming members. The principal impulse [trigger] to the spread of this practice was the founding of the Inquisition, which made Spaniards familiar with the image of conversos as a danger to religious integrity and national security … The Inquisition adopted as its rule (1484) that descendants of those it condemned were not entitled to hold any public office, thereby giving support to the notion that guilt for heresy remained in the blood generation after generation.
[Source: From: Spain, 1469–1714: A Society of Conflict, Henry Kamen, 2005,
Routledge, reproduced by permission of Taylor & Francis Books UK]
Source G
Extracts from The Alhambra Decree or Edict of Expulsion, written in March and issued in April 1492.
We have learned from the inquisitors as well as others of the great harm that comes to Christians who interact with the Jews, these Jews who employ many and all manners to subvert the holy Catholic faith and who keep Christian followers from embracing their beliefs.
It is thus clear, taken from the confessions of these Jews, that their corrupt ways have resulted in great harm and injury to the holy Catholic faith.
After much deliberation it has been decided in council, having reunited the eminent men, knights and other persons of sense and knowledge of our supreme realm, that all Jews and Jewesses must leave our kingdom, never to be allowed to return.
It is also hereby ordered in this edict that before the end of July of this year comes, Jews and Jewesses of all ages residing within our domains and territories must depart from such taking with them their sons and daughters, their servants and their close and distant relatives of every age. It is they who must not dare to return to our lands, nor cross our borders, and if any among these Jews were not to accept this edict and were found to be living within our domains or if these Jews were to return to our lands, they should be condemned to death and their wealth seized.
We hereby command that, under penalty of forfeiting all of their lands and fortresses as well as their hereditary privileges and wealth, no person of our kingdom, no matter their position or noble status, may hide, keep or defend any Jew or Jewess after the month of July has passed nor in the following months whether publicly or secretly, in their homes or throughout our domains.
Source H
Joaquín Turina y Areal, a Spanish artist, depicts an historical scene in the painting “La expulsión de los judíos de Sevilla” [The Expulsion of the Jews from Seville] (late 19th century).
[Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Expulsi%C3%B3n_de_los_jud%C3%ADos_de_Sevilla.jpg]
“The expulsion of the Jews from Spain was carried out for religious motives” (Source F). Using the sources and your own knowledge, to what extent do you agree with this claim?
Markscheme
Apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and award credit wherever it is possible to do so. The following material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. It is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive and no set answer is required. While it is expected that there will be coverage of at least two of the sources, candidates are not required to refer to all four sources in their responses.
Indicative content
Source E
Claims the Catholic monarchs wanted to achieve popular allegiance based on the Catholic faith. However, it regards the Catholic religion as a pretext used to achieve political unity, suggesting that the expulsions may have been motivated by political factors.
Source F
States that the expulsions were a consequence of pre-existing religious motives. It also states that “New Christians” were perceived to be dangerous to national security, which could be interpreted as a political motive for the expulsions.
Source G
The Catholic monarchs offered religious motives for the Edict of Expulsion when they stated that Jews were a negative influence on the Catholic faith. Reference to the confiscation of possessions could indicate the influence of economic motives.
Source H
The Jews travelled with limited material possessions, which may suggest economic motives for their expulsion.
Own knowledge
The role of religious motives could also be supported with reference to the fervent Catholicism of Isabella and Ferdinand, the suspicion that converted Jews continued to practise Judaism in secret, and the role of Torquemada in the failure of negotiations between representatives of the Jews and the Catholic monarchs. Candidates may offer further details about the tensions between the Papacy and the Catholic monarchs.
Candidates may argue that other factors also played a role in the expulsions. These could include the fear that religious diversity might weaken political power; the Catholic monarchs’ desire to destroy local autonomies; their definitive victory over the Muslims and the fall of Granada led to a rise of nationalism, which encouraged anti-converso and anti-Semitic attitudes in the population. There was also resentment of the prosperity of the Jews in Spanish society and candidates may offer further details on the confiscation of the (significant) wealth that could help to rebuild Spain after the wars.
