1506 Massacre of Jews - Lisbon, Portugal
N 38° 42.894 W 009° 08.347
29S E 487905 N 4285148
A memorial to the Jews murdered during the 1506 Massacre is located in the Rossio area of Lisbon, Portugal.
Waymark Code: WM9TM1
Location: Lisboa, Portugal
Date Posted: 09/28/2010
Views: 30
The memorial text reads (in Portuguese): "Em memoria dos milhares de judeus vitimas da intolerancia e do fanatismo religioso assassinados no massacre iniciado a 19 de abril de 1506 neste largo." English translation: In memory of the thousands of Jews who were the victims of intolerance and religious fanaticism and murdered in the massacre initiated on April 19, 1506, in this square.
The following additional information about the massacre is from Wikipedia (
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"1506 massacre at Lisbon
After the expulsion of Jews and Muslims in 1492 from Spain and Portugal, conversos continued to be suspect in times of social strain. In 1506, a months-long plague caused people to look for scapegoats for the misfortune. Some became suspicious that conversos must be practicing Judaism and therefore be at fault. On April 17, 1506, several conversos were discovered who had in their possession "some lambs and poultry prepared according to Jewish custom; also unleavened bread and bitter herbs according to the regulations for the Passover, which festival they celebrated far into the night." Officials seized several, but released them after a few days.
The populace, which had expected to see them punished, swore vengeance. On the same day on which the conversos were freed, the Dominicans displayed in a side-chapel of their church, where several New Christians were present, a crucifix and a reliquary in glass from which a peculiar light issued. A New Christian who tried to explain the miracle as due to natural causes, was dragged from the church and killed by an infuriated woman. A Dominican roused the populace still more. Friar João Mocho and the Aragonese friar Bernardo, crucifix in hand, were said to go through the streets of the city, crying "Heresy!" and calling upon the people to destroy the conversos. Attracted by the outcry, sailors from Holland, Zeeland and others from ships in the port of Lisbon, joined the Dominicans and formed a mob with local men to pursue the conversos.
The mob dragged innocent victims from their houses and killed some. Old Christians who were in any way associated with New Christians were also attacked. The mob attacked the tax-farmer João Rodrigo Mascarenhas, a New Christian; although a wealthy and distinguished man, his work also made him resented by many. They demolished his house. Within 48 hours, many conversos were killed; by the third day all who could had escaped, often with the help of other Portuguese. The killing spree lasted from 19 to 21 April, in what came to be known as the Easter Massacre.
King Manuel severely punished those who took part in the killings. The ringleaders were executed. The Dominicans who encouraged the riot were also executed. Local people convicted of murder or pillage suffered corporal punishment, and their property was confiscated. The king granted religious freedom for 20 years to all conversos in an attempt at compensation. Lisbon lost Foral privileges. The foreigners who had taken part generally escaped punishment, leaving with their ships.
In 2006, the Jewish community of Portugal held a ceremony in Lisbon to commemorate this event."