Jewish Officials at Royal Courts in al-Andalus and Castile (Tenth to Fourteenth Centuries)

What is it about?

The article argues that there were significant continuities in the types of Jewish officials who served the rulers of Islamic al-Andalus and Christian Castile between the tenth and the fourteenth centuries. Instead of viewing these continuities through the lens of the court Jews’ self-image, as much of the scholarship on the topic has done, I examine the identities of Jewish officials from the point of view of their royal employers. While the adherence to the intellectual values of the Andalusi court culture remained a marker of elite identity within the Jewish communities throughout the period, rulers were far more interested in the Jewish officials’ effectiveness as treasurers and tax collectors. The exercise of fiscal power on behalf of the state formed the material foundation upon which Jewish administrators could build and develop their refined cultural sensibilities.

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Photo by Eliott Van Buggenhout on Unsplash

Photo by Eliott Van Buggenhout on Unsplash

Why is it important?

While the body of scholarship on interfaith relations in medieval Spain is extensive, there are few studies that trace the shifts in the treatment of religious minorities as Iberian territories gradually transitioned from Muslim to Christian control. Although the term “convivencia” is often invoked when discussing al-Andalus and Christian Spain, the practical dynamics of religious coexistence remain inadequately understood, particularly in terms of power negotiations among diverse groups in medieval Iberian societies. This article, along with my book, “Jews and Christians in Medieval Castile: Tradition, Coexistence, and Change,” aims to illuminate this crucial but understudied issue.

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