CARRION DE LOS CONDES:

By: Richard Gottheil, Meyer Kayserling

Ancient city of Castile inhabited by Jews at an early date. Although superior to the Christians both in numbers and in property, they submitted in 1126 to the victorious king Alphonso VI., who showed himself favorably disposed toward them. In 1160 many of them settled in the neighboring city of Palencia. The Jewish community of Carrion was so large in 1290 that it paid 92,000 maravedis in taxes, not much less than the amount paid by the community of Burgos. In Carrion, as elsewhere, the Jews were persecuted. Delegates from the city appeared before King Alphonso of Castile (probably Alphonso the Wise), informing him that the Christians of the city, because of a groundless suspicion, had risen against the Jews and killed two of them; that thereupon the Jews had sought refuge in the palace of the prince, who was absent at the time, and, when the Christians followed in pursuit, had escaped through a secret door leading into the court, and locked their pursuers in. The king ordered a strict investigation of the matter, hanged ten of the ring-leaders, and imprisoned all others who had taken part in the disturbance. At the time of the great persecution in 1391, most of the Jews of Carrion were baptized.

Carrion is the birthplace of the first Spanish-Jewish poet, Don Santob, commonly called Don Santob de Carrion.

G. M. K.