6 June 1391 (Julian)
Anti-Jewish Riot Begins in Seville
Historical context
On 6 June 1391, a mob attacked Seville’s Jewish quarter after years of preaching by Ferrand Martínez. Later chroniclers give about 4,000 killed; modern historians treat that figure as inflated. Castile still used the Julian calendar.
Archive record
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- Date
- 6 June 1391 (Julian)
- Verified sources
- 1
- Archive threads
- 3
On this day, a mob attacked the Jewish quarter of Seville. Ferrand Martínez, archdeacon of Écija, had preached against the city’s Jews for years. An earlier disturbance in March 1391 had been contained. On 6 June the judería was stormed. Houses were plundered. Many Jews were killed. Survivors were forced to accept baptism.
Later Castilian chroniclers give about 4,000 dead in Seville. Modern historians treat that number as a likely exaggeration; the size of Seville’s Jewish population makes an exact death toll uncertain. The violence spread that summer to other towns in Castile and the Crown of Aragon. Spain still used the Julian calendar. The later Spanish Inquisition and the 1492 expulsion are separate stories.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- Seville · Jewish Encyclopedia · Jewish Encyclopedia View source
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