Ferdinand and Isabella do not expel the Jews in 1492

Hi!

I'm not sure how realistic this is given the completion of the Reconquista in 1492, but...how would European life (and perhaps even the early Western Hemisphere) life have changed had Ferdinand and Isabella not expelled the Jews in 1492? Conceivably, Their Majesties could issue a proclamation guaranteeing the Jews' safety provided that they pay a special tax or something like that (unless they convert, in which case they don't have to pay). This would probably be welcome news for the Jews: after all, with the Muslims gone and Spanish nationalism all revved up, they could be next and a tax would be better than expulsion, execution, or (in some cases) conversion.

I can imagine Jewish settlers in the Spanish New World once it opens up (especially if they are subject to anti-Semitism in Spain proper -- think of the Puritans and Massachusetts). Curacao and the Dutch Antilles would probably get fewer Jews.

Anything else?

ACG
 
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HJ Tulp

Donor
Wasn't one of the bigger problem Jews in Spain faced was that they weren't trusted even if they did convert?
 
That, I don't know. However, I remember hearing once that the court had a famous Jew in it (I can't remember who). The rulers said that he didn't have to go if he didn't want to (they'd make an exception for him) but he turned them down.

Perhaps the Spanish authorities were skeptical of the sincerity of the converted Jews' faith -- maybe that figured into it.

I can't help but think: if the Reconquista finishes two years earlier, the court recommends that the Jews settle the New World. It reduces their presence in Europe (in effect, an expulsion disguised as colonization) and helps provide settlers to found colonies in America (presumably they'd have to swear allegiance to the Catholic authorities though).
 
That, I don't know. However, I remember hearing once that the court had a famous Jew in it (I can't remember who). The rulers said that he didn't have to go if he didn't want to (they'd make an exception for him) but he turned them down.

Perhaps the Spanish authorities were skeptical of the sincerity of the converted Jews' faith -- maybe that figured into it.

I can't help but think: if the Reconquista finishes two years earlier, the court recommends that the Jews settle the New World. It reduces their presence in Europe (in effect, an expulsion disguised as colonization) and helps provide settlers to found colonies in America (presumably they'd have to swear allegiance to the Catholic authorities though).

First, i believe that the Jew you're talking about is called Isaac Abravanel.

Second, i believe that since that jews of that time were forced to work in trade and commerce - as other kinds of jobs were reserved to the gentiles and it was too high of an honourable job to be give to a jew; that if the jews were to be allowed to remain in spain after the reconquista, they would mostly run the trade routes from the spanish colonies in the New World to mainland Spain, and not participate in the act of colonization.
 
This would have major effects on the Ottoman Empire as it will be short an important portion of its population. I don't think conversion to escape persecution would work well as the Church and Government was terrified of marranos to the point of harassing all Jewish converts in hope of eliminating them. Emigrating to the New World to escape persecution does have some OTL justification. When the English conquered Jamaica it had a substantial Jewish population.
 
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