This volume in the series Documentary History of the Jews in Italy illustrates the history of the Jews in Sicily from 1478 to 1489. It is the sequel to the first six volumes and covers the events during the first years of the rule of King Ferdinand II. These include the prelude to the expulsion, which witnessed a further deterioration in the position of the Jews on the island, At the same time, the Jewish community on the island reached its greatest expansion in population as well as economic prosperity. Some 900 documents - many of them published here for the first time - record the fortunes of the Jews and their relationship with the authorities and their Christian neighbours. Much new information has come to light, and many facets of Jewish life in Sicily have been uncovered. The abundance of historical records in the archives of the Crown and of local authorities again compares favorably with the relative scarcity of surviving documentation in earlier centuries. Therefore, many documents are reported in summary form. The volume is provided with additional bibliography and indexes, while the introduction will appear at the end of the series on the history of the Jews of the island.

This volume in the series Documentary History of the Jews in Italy illustrates the history of the Jews in Sicily during the last decade of the fourteenth century and the first two of the fifteenth. It is the sequel to the first and second volumes on the history of the Jews in Sicily, and illustrates the events during the political upheavals which preceded the reunion of the island with Aragon. During that period the Jewish minority flourished, although affected by unsettled political conditions, along with the rest of the population. Over 500 documents, many of them published here for the first time, record the fortunes of the Jews and their relationships with the authorities, especially the two Martins, and their Christian neighbours. Much new information has come to light, and many facets of Jewish life in Sicily have been uncovered. The abundance of historical records in the archives of the Crown and of local authorities compares favourably with the relative scarcity of surviving documentation in earlier centuries. Therefore, again, many documents had to be reported in summary form. Much new information has come to light. The volume is again provided with additional bibliography and indexes, while the introduction has been relegated to the end of the series on the Jews of the island.

This volume of the Documentary History of the Jews in Sicily is the eighteenth volume of the two series and concludes them. It is a monograph describing the last centuries of the Jewish presence on the island, under the rule of Aragon and Spain and a sequel to the Introduction at the beginning of volume one. It is based on the documents contained in vols 2-17 and illustrates the political, legal, economic, social and religious history of the Jewish minority and its relations with the Christian majority. The records show that the Jews in Sicily were citizens and suffered from relatively few disabilities. This was true in particular in the economic sphere. No discriminatory legislation forced them into moneylending and trade in old clothes. They engaged in agriculture and industry, trade and commerce, including international trade and shipping, and in most professions, which in turn enhanced their social status. There was as an unusually large number of craftsmen and physicians among them. The majority, however, were labourers, on the land and in town. In the fifteenth century the Jewish population reached 25,000 or thereabouts. All this came to a sudden end with the expulsion order issued by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492. Some 80% of the Jews went into exile, while the remainder converted to Catholicism, only to be caught in the net of the Spanish inquisition. This volume is provided with addenda and corrigenda, additional bibliography and indexes.

A compilation of documents, found in various libraries and archives, pertaining to the history of the Jews in Sicily. Presents documents 3372-4340. Each entry gives a brief description of the contents of the document in English, the date and source of the document, and the original Latin text. The volume is accompanied by an index of persons, a geographical index, and a subject index. For antisemitism, see the subject index under badge; blasphemy and desecration of Christianity; inquisition; intercourse, sexual with Christians; persecution of Jews; segregation and discrimination; sermons, compulsory and conversionary; taxes and duties.

A comprehensive synthesis of medieval Jewish history between AD 1000 and 1500.

This last volume of the The Jews in Sicily records the history of the Jews in Sicily from 1490 to 1497 based mainly on governmental sources. They cover the last years leading up to the expulsion, the expulsion itself, and a few events in its aftermath.

This volume in the series Documentary History of the Jews in Italy illustrates the history of the Jews in Sicily from 1458 to 1477. It is the sequel to the first five volumes and covers the events during the rule of King John. Although John continued the policies of his father Alphonso towards the Jews of the island, there is a distinct deterioration in their position during his times. After years of incitement by the members of the Mendicant Orders, anti-Jewish riots broke out in various parts of the Sicily. The worst of them was the massacre in Modica in 1474. During that period the Jewish minority of Sicily continued to flourish economically and socially. Nearly a thousand documents, many of them published here for the first time, record the fortunes of the Jews and their relationships with the authorities and their Christian neighbours. Much new information has come to light, and many facets of Jewish life in Sicily have been uncovered. The abundance of historical records in the archives of the Crown and of local authorities compares favourably with the relative scarcity of surviving documentation in earlier centuries. Therefore, again, many documents had to be reported in summary form. The volume is provided with additional bibliography and indexes, while the introduction has been relegated to the end of the series on the Jews of the island.

A collection of essays, most of which were published previously. Partial contents:

Although Jews lacked a political locus standi for a communication system in the Middle Ages and Early Modern periods, their involvement in trade and the close relations among Jewish communities fostered the development of effective channels of communication. This process responded primarily to security and socio-economic considerations but it has important implications for the development of communication systems as well. Written by some of the most outstanding researchers in the field of Jewish history, this collection offers a rich and consistent picture of the main developments in communications in the Jewish world before the era of mass-media. This pioneering research reconsiders the principal means of communication among the Jewish communities in the Islamic world, Christian Europe, the Ottoman Empire, and the New World, from the seventh until the nineteenth centuries.