The New Christians of Spanish Naples 1528-1671 A Fragile Elite [Hardcover]

This study reveals the more complex reality of Early Modern Naples than what has commonly been represented, in which royal representatives in the city came to depend on the assistance of a series of merchants, financiers, and bureaucrats who shared a common identity as conversos, descendants of converted Jews.Introduction 1. From Jews to New Christians: Religious Minorities in the Making of Spanish Naples 2. Conversos in Counter-Reformation Italy 3. 'El de los Catalanes': The First Campaign against the New Christians, 1569-1582 4. The Rise of the Portuguese Merchant Bankers, 1580-1656 5. The Inquisition against the Vaaz Conclusion Documentary AppendixPeter A. Mazur is a Research Fellow at the University of York, UK. He achieved his PhD at Northwestern University, USA, in 2008. His research interests are primarily focused on the history of the Catholic church in the Counter-reformation and its relationships with religious minorities in the Italian peninsula.