Surrender Treaty of the Kingdom of Granada

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

The Surrender Treaty of the Kingdom of Granada was ratified on November 25, 1491. The principal purpose of the treaty, at least from the perspective of Spain, was to offer religious tolerance to Granada's Muslim population in return for its capitulation and relinquishment of control of such facilities as the palace of the Alhambra and the Alhizan, a fortress near the Alhambra (sites that remain among Spain's major tourist attractions). Reference is also made to Albaicín (Albaycín), a district in Granada, and the Alpujarras, a nearby region of mountain villages. Thus the treaty assures Muslims that they would be secure in their persons and property and would be allowed to continue to live in their residences. The treaty also states that Muslims would be allowed to maintain their own system of law without interference; disputes between Muslims were to be adjudicated by Muslim jurists, and those between a Christian and a Muslim were to be adjudicated by one Christian and one Muslim jurist. Mosques and other religious properties were to remain undisturbed, and no Christian could enter a mosque without permission. Muslims would not be required to wear badges or signs on their clothing, as Jews were required to wear, and any appointed Christian governors were to treat Muslims “affectionately.”

The treaty contains numerous other provisions. It states, for example, that Muslim captives taken during the siege of Granada should be freed and that Muslim slaves who escaped from their masters to take refuge in Granada would not be returned to their masters. At the same time, Muslims would be required to turn over Christian captives. Further, no Muslim would be prosecuted for killing a Christian during the siege, and Muslims were not to be required to return any property, such as horses, jewels, or precious metals, seized during the siege. The treaty allows Muslims who wanted to immigrate to Africa (“Berber lands”) to do so within a certain period of time. Any Christian who converted to Islam would not be forced to reconvert to Christianity, and no Muslim would be forced to convert to Christianity. It is stipulated that Muslims pay the same taxes as other citizens.

A key provision of the treaty is the one that applies to Jews. The treaty notes that Jews in Granada were to benefit from the contents of the treaty, with one important provision: they had to convert to Christianity or leave within three years. Indeed, 1492 was a watershed year in Spanish history, for, in fact, Spain revoked its protection of Jews and expelled them under the terms of the Alhambra Decree, also called the Edict of Expulsion, issued on March 31, 1492. That same year, Christopher Columbus made his historic voyage to the New World, a voyage that Ferdinand and Isabella, flush with success in reclaiming Spain, authorized in large part in the hope of recouping income lost from the departure of the nation's Jews, who formed a significant part of Spain's business, financial, and commercial class.