The Open court . the Jews. Alphonso IX. of Castile (i 158-1196) showedthem still greater favor because of his love for the fair Jewess Ra-chel. The prosperity of the Jews in Castile and their influencereached the greatest height in the reigns of Alphonso XI. (1312-1350) and his son, Peter the Cruel (1350-1369). All this grandeurand these privileges were, nevertheless, not infrequently accompa-nied by violent acts on the part of the populace, and complaints 340 THE OPEN COURT. and protestations from the councils and the Cortes, which had lit-tle or no effect upon the king. More perilous times,
The Open court . the Jews. Alphonso IX. of Castile (i 158-1196) showedthem still greater favor because of his love for the fair Jewess Ra-chel. The prosperity of the Jews in Castile and their influencereached the greatest height in the reigns of Alphonso XI. (1312-1350) and his son, Peter the Cruel (1350-1369). All this grandeurand these privileges were, nevertheless, not infrequently accompa-nied by violent acts on the part of the populace, and complaints 340 THE OPEN COURT. and protestations from the councils and the Cortes, which had lit-tle or no effect upon the king. More perilous times, however, commenced for the Jews ofCastile and the rest of Spain under John I. (i379-1380). This kingfound occasion to deprive them of the immunities they had hith-erto possessed. Under Henry III. tumults took place at Sevillein 1390 and 1391, and the Jewish quarter was attacked and burnedto ashes. This fearful example spread, as by contagion, to Cor-dova, Madrid, Toledo, over the whole of Catalonia, and over the. Feast of Pentecost in Prussia. isle of Majorca. In the first years of the reign of John II. a royalmandate, dated Valladolid, 1412, was issued, which contained themost oppressive measures that had ever been promulgated againstthe Jews since the time of the later Visigothic kings. Among otherenactments, they were ordered to wear a peculiar dress. In con-sequence of these severe enactments, many joined the church, whowere styled Conversos, or New Christians. The glorious period during which Isabella, the sister of HenryIV,, with her husband, Don Ferdinand of Aragon, governed Cas-tile, brought a complete change over the whole face of the coun- HISTORICAL SKETCH Ot THE JEWS. 341 try, and became to the Jews and also to the New Christians thetime of a most striking crisis. But before speaking of this period, let us glance at some ofthe most famous literary men of the Jews during their residence inthat country, before the close of the Middle Ages. We mentionMenahem ben Saruk
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