Manuscript DS in Spanish, signed by Ferdinand, "Yo el Rey," and by Isabella, "Yo la Reyna,” one page, 8.5 x 12.25, in part (translated): "Whereas we have ordered the seizing of the goods and the debts owed to Diego Alvarez de Herrera…in the amount of 240,000 maravedas which the said Diego Alvarez admitted having passed from these our dominions into the Kingdom of Portugal at the time that the Jews left by our mandate…for a price charged the said Jews and which they then paid him." In fine condition, with a couple of short fold splits.
Issued by Ferdinand and Isabella on March 31, 1492, the Alhambra Decree ordered the removal of all practicing Jews from the regions of Castile and Aragon within a four-month span, an edict designed to purge Jewish influence from Spain’s large 'converso' population. The broad expulsion also meant that monies and property left behind were to be roundly confiscated by the Spanish crown. The expelled Jews were forbidden from carrying gold or silver out of the kingdom, and remaining Spanish Christians who were caught helping to smuggle gold or silver out of the country were penalized by a fine of equal value to the amount smuggled.
In the same year as the Alhambra Decree, Ferdinand and Isabella famously sponsored the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World, which set sail from Palos, Spain on August 3, 1492. Two months later on October 12, Columbus made landfall on San Salvador in the Bahamas—a date now immortalized as 'Columbus Day' in America. Later that month, Columbus sighted Cuba, which he thought was mainland China, and in December the expedition landed on Hispaniola, which Columbus thought might be Japan. The explorer returned to Spain with gold, spices, and 'Indian' captives in March 1493, where he was received with the highest honors by the Spanish court.
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