#88 – Christian Terrorism

When King Manuel of Portugal evicted the Jews in 1497, he didn’t actually want them to leave. He wanted them to convert to Christianity. When, instead, they chose to leave, he tried to stop them – by seizing their children and forcibly converting them. Rather than see their children raised as Christians, many Jews killed their own kids and then committed suicide. The Jews who did convert didn’t get it any easier, either. As in Spain, they were subjected to violence and then, finally, the Inquisition came to Portugal. It’s just your basic Christian terrorism.