Officials of Christianity Spain
The favorable political background, combined with a tolerant social environment, gave many Spanish Jews the opportunity to enter politics. The number of Jewish politicians in Christian Spain is much smaller than in Muslim Spain.
This may be due to the fact that most Jews have not lived long in Christian Spain, or because the information of some Jewish officials in politics has not been preserved.
In Christian Spain, many Jews held high positions in government. During the reign of Alfonso VI of Castile (1065~1109), Christian Spanish Jews reached the peak of their prosperity.
The influence of the imperial physician Joseph ibn Ferrizue1 was so great that the Jewish community throughout the Kingdom of Castile recognized him as "Nasi," or pro.
He participated in decision-making on political issues and even signed state documents. Solomon ibn Ferrizuel, nephew of Joseph ibn Feijul, also served at court.
Unfortunately, he was assassinated on his way back from a mission to the court of Aragon. During the reign of Alfonso VII (1126~1157), the policy of reusing Jews was still generally implemented. Jews still held high positions at court.
Judah ibn Najib, a fugitive from Granada, whose family used to serve under the Moors. Judah ibn Najib was very much valued by the king.
When the fortress of Calatrava fell in 1147, he was sent to oversee the food supply and military supplies, and played an extremely important role. The number of Jews in high positions of office in Christian Spain is certainly not limited to the few listed here.
For two main reasons, the number of Jewish officials in Christian Spain during this period appears to be far lower than that of Muslim Spain.
First, before the middle of the 11th period, the number of Jews living in Christian Spain was limited, and second, a large number of historical materials have not been preserved as much as Muslim Spain.
Jewish officials in Muslim Spain
It is true that Abba Eban pointed out in his History of Judea that "Jews elsewhere have never become the highest magistrates as quickly as Andalusian politicians and financiers". At the beginning of the reign of Caliph Abd al-Rahman III, many Jews served as high-ranking officials, the most famous of which was Hasdai ibn Shaprut (915~970 AD).
It was thanks to Hasdy, that the Spanish Jews emerged from their long obscurity. Hasdeh entered politics for two reasons: first, his medical knowledge, which initially attracted him to the attention of the Abd al-Rah caliph, and second, his familiarity with Latin, the international language of the time.
For these two reasons, Hasdye rose from a mere physician to a confidant and adviser to the caliph. Although he did not have the title of minister, he became the de facto foreign minister of the caliphate at that time, and the most difficult negotiating tasks in Andalusia and inside and outside Andalusia were entrusted to him. In reward for his contribution, Hasday was appointed General Head of Customs in Córdoba.
In 956, when the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I (0tto I) sent envoys to Cordo, the caliph authorized Hasdeh to intervene with him. Hasdy's shrewdness and eloquence led to a satisfactory outcome for this diplomatic endeavor. The German envoy Gorz bluntly admitted that he had never faced such an intelligent opponent in his political career. '
A few years later, Hasdey was sent to the Christian kingdom of Leon to treat King Sancho IV there for obesity. Hasdy's political involvement did not affect his scientific research, and he invented a "panacea" (A1-Faruk) that could treat many diseases.
During his political career, an envoy from Byzantium brought the caliph an important Greek pharmacopoeia, and when a monk who knew Greek read out the contents of the pharmacopoeia in Latin, Hasdet beautifully improvised it into Arabic. After Hastay's fame, he did not forget his Jewish identity.
He used his contacts with the Mission to learn about the situation of Jews elsewhere. When he learned that there was a Jewish state of Khazars north of the Black Sea, he often believed that there were Tai Christians. He also used his influence to improve the situation of the Jews of southern Frankia and to speak generously at the Byzantine court, thus averting the Jews there from an impending persecution. After the death of Abd al-Rahman (961), his son Hakam II continued to serve as his father.
Samuel ibn Nagrela was not only a poet, the "most holy" in the eyes of the Spaniards of this period, but also a clean official revered by all Spaniards. Sal ibn Naghra lived in Córdoba, and when Córdoba was occupied by Almoravid forces, he fled first to Malaga and then to Granada.
Samuel ibn Nagra was able to write and was first secretary to the Prime Minister of Granada, and on his deathbed (1020), he became a minister of King Haas. Soon after Samuel ibn Nagrelah took office, he became almost the true ruler of the kingdom.
In the power struggle after Habs's death in 1027, he enthusiastically supported the cause of Habs's son Badis, who expressed his gratitude by further consolidating his position.
Thus, for a quarter of a century, he became an almost omnipotent figure who could oversee the affairs of the state if he could provide enough money for his master to squander. Sometimes, he even led the army into battle. Samuel ibn Nagrelah mourned when he died around 1056, and he is still remembered today as "Samuel Nagid."
After the death of Samuel ibn Nagrelah, his son Joseph succeeded him. As already mentioned, although Joseph seems to have all the qualities of his father, he is not as humble as his father. His home was known for its magnificence, and he did not know how to hide his power, so that the public hated him day by day.
Abu Shaq wrote in a famous poem: "When I entered Granada, I found that the Jews had established their rule there, that they had separated the capital from the provinces as they wished, and that the hateful Jews became the masters of the places, who not only collected taxes, but also ate their meals." Alas, Muslims, look at how gorgeous their clothes are, and how shabby you are!"
On a Sabbath day in the winter of 1066, Joseph's palace was attacked by Berber soldiers and tortured and killed. The Jewish community in Granada came under heavy attack. The Jews were ordered to leave Granada. After a short time, many Jews returned to Granada until it was captured by the Christians in 1492.
The fall of the Jews of Granada did not affect their position in their sister's households. In 1039, a Jew named Jkutiel bn Hassan in Zaragoza was assassinated, and he had the same status as Samuel ibn Nagrela in Granada.
At the end of the 11th century, Abu-Fadhel ibn Hasdai held the same position at this court, and some Jews held various lower positions. In addition, under the leadership of the Jew al-Mutamid, when Seville occupied the supremacy of Muslim Spain, Isaac ibn Albaia (1035~1094) was an astronomer at court and a confidant adviser to the monarch.
From the above examples, it is not difficult to see that in a favorable political context, the political talents of Spanish Jews were fully exploited in the executive branch of government. The emergence of a large number of Jewish officials was not only a manifestation of the relatively lax policy of the Spanish rulers at this time, but also a testament to the development of the Jews themselves.
Politics is subject to economics, and it may be noted here that a liberal and favorable political environment was also the basis for the other activities of Spanish Jews, and it was this favorable condition that allowed them to be active for a time in a variety of economic activities and cultural creation.