In early modern Spain, the monarchy’s universal policy to convert all of its subjects to Christianity did not end distinctions among ethnic religious groups but rather made relations between them more contentious. Old Christians, those whose families had always been Christian, defined themselves in opposition to forcibly baptized Muslims (moriscos) and Jews (conversos).
In Between Christians and Moriscos: Juan de Ribera and Religious Reform in Valencia 1568-1614, Benjamin Ehlers, assistant professor of history at UGA, studies the relations between the Christians and moriscos in Valencia by analyzing the ideas and policies of Archbishop Juan de Ribera.
A young reformer appointed to the diocese of Valencia in 1568, Ribera arrived at his new post to find a congregation deeply divided between Christians and moriscos. He gradually overcame the distrust of his Christian parishioners by intertwining Tridentine themes such as the Eucharist with local devotions and holy figures.
Ehler’s study of the pluralist diocese of Valencia is a valuable contribution to the study of Catholic reform, moriscos, Christian-Muslim relations in early modern Spain, and early modern Europe.
