Torquemada and the Conversion of the Moors

After having expelled the Jews on 3rd August 1492, the Catholic sovereigns of Spain considered it was time to look after the Moorish population of Al-Andalus, the southern part of the peninsula from the old Muslims kingdoms of Valencia and, above all, Grenada. With the renewal of the Inquisition led by Tomás de Torquemada, Spain became a country of religious fanatics where agricultural work and crafts were considered labors unworthy of Christians. Forced conversions followed as well as enslavement, torture and executions where many were burned at the stake. In the wake of these persecutions, many thousands left Spain.