Spanish Inquisition left genetic legacy in Iberia

New Scientist ^ | 04 December 2008 | Ewen Callaway

[forkinsocket]

It's not often that cultural and religious persecution makes countries more diverse, but the Spanish Inquisition might have done just that.

One in five Spaniards and Portuguese has a Jewish ancestor, while a tenth of Iberians boast North African ancestors, finds new research.

This melting pot probably occurred after centuries of coexistence and tolerance among Muslims, Jews and Christians ended in 1492, when Catholic monarchs converted or expelled the Islamic population, called Moriscos. Sephardic Jews, whose Iberian roots extend to the first century AD, received much the same treatment.

"They were given a choice: convert, go, or die," says Mark Jobling, a geneticist at the University of Leicester, UK. Some of those that became Christian would have ended up contributing genes to the Iberian pool.

Historians know that some Sephardic Jews – Conversos or Cristãos Novos – integrated into Spanish and Portuguese society, while previous genetic studies have uncovered North African heritage in a small proportion of Iberians.

But to get a better gauge on intermarriage and integration, Jobling and colleagues in Spain, Portugal and Israel analysed the DNA of more than a thousand Spanish and Portuguese men who don't consider themselves Jewish or Islamic.

[forkinsocket]

.

[MrEdd]

[griswold3]

Not the Spanish Inquisition!
LOL

[Billthedrill]

Well, who expected that?

[decimon]

“When you’re handed lemons, make lemonade.” - Torquemada

[Alex Murphy]

This melting pot probably occurred after centuries of coexistence and tolerance among Muslims, Jews and Christians ended in 1492, when Catholic monarchs converted or expelled the Islamic population, called Moriscos. Sephardic Jews, whose Iberian roots extend to the first century AD, received much the same treatment.

Ping to read later

[Bertram3]

Focusing on the Y-chromosome, which passes from father to son, Jobling's team matched each Iberian's DNA to modern Basques, North Africans, or Sephardic Jews. They chose Basques as representative of Iberians who trace their ancestry to early Europeans because studies have shown they interbred sparingly with other groups.

By choosing Basques they introduced a huge confound.Basques are so xenophobic that they have scarcely interbred with any other groups from Spain or Europe, ever. Basque is the only European language with no connection to the Indo-European language family.

[rabscuttle385]

Ping!

[Little Bill]

Jews, 1492, Moriscos 1640, get your History right.

[Cacique]

Basque is the only European language with no connection to the Indo-European language family.

Not quite true, there are the altaic languages spoken by Finns, Estonian, Latvians Etc. also Magyar (Hungarian) is a non indo European language as is Turkish. Some studies by some European linguists have found some links between south slavic languages and basque as well as a relationship to celtic tongues. The jury is till out on the basques.

[Jacquerie]

This melting pot probably occurred after centuries of coexistence and tolerance among Muslims, Jews and Christians ended in 1492

Yes, all was sweetness and light before 1492.

[Romulus]

Gratuitous “Spanish Inquisition” alert.

[BigBobber]

Yeah, the whole world was living in peace and harmony until the Christians came along.

[PapaBear3625]

This melting pot probably occurred after centuries of coexistence and tolerance among Muslims, Jews and Christians ended in 1492, when Catholic monarchs converted or expelled the Islamic population, called Moriscos. Sephardic Jews, whose Iberian roots extend to the first century AD, received much the same treatment.

Unmentioned here is that the Christians were living as second-class citizens (Dhimmis) under Muslim rule. When the Christians finally reconquered Spain, they wisely decided that allowing the Muslim population to remain would subject them to endless trouble and insurrection, so they told the defeated Muslims to leave.

[j-damn]

*This melting pot probably occurred after centuries of coexistence and tolerance among Muslims, Jews and Christians ended in 1492
Yes, all was sweetness and light before 1492.
*

This jumped out at me, too. Consider that there was probably very little in the way of Moorish blood in the genetic makeup of the Iberian peninsula until much of it was CONQUERED. Also, that “coexistence” was the product of conquest and that the Jews & Christians were second-class [dhimmi] citizens forced to pay the jizya.

I guess it’s a small consolation to say the Jews were treated better here than in the rest of Europe—all dhimmi were subservient to Islam.

[denydenydeny]

One in five Spaniards and Portuguese has a Jewish ancestor, while a tenth of Iberians boast North African ancestors, finds new research.

The Afrocentric nonsense that "the Moors were black" takes another hit. The Spanish are not especially subsaharan-African-looking.

[Jacquerie]

Do you live in Spain?

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks rabscuttle385!

Genes of Sephardic Jews still strong in Spain
Reuters | Dec. 5, 2008 | Teresa Larraz
Posted on 12/05/2008 12:21:36 PM PST by decimon
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2143606/posts

[Jacob Kell]

Finnish and Estonian are Uralic languages, not Altaic. Latvian is a Baltic languange, thus Indo-European.

There may be similarities between Basque and South Slavic and/or Celtic, but for all we know, they may well be coincedence. Also, Celts have been living in much of the Iberian pennesuela, so any similarities between Celtic and Basque may well come from borrowing.

[VOA]

bump