[SauronOfMordor]

Spain is primarily responsible for this mess. They force converted you to Catholic or you either had to leave to the New World or be killed. Most left to the New World. You’ve got to love the Catholic church’s nutball rulers.

They had just reconquered Spain from the Muslim occupiers.

Part of the issue was the feeling (with some justification) that the Jews would favor returning to Muslim rule and try to subvert the Christian rulers.

[SauronOfMordor]

Adding

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_age_of_Jewish_culture_in_Spain

[ConservativeMind]

That may be a legitimate reason for what was done, but we have two Free Republic Spanish Inquisition deniers saying it didn’t happen, when my own extended family is now being offered Spanish citizenship for being force expelled.

Of course, the family is much bigger now, after centuries in exile.