The Long Journey of Gracia Mendes - Softcover

Birnbaum, Marianna D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9639241784 ISBN 13: 9789639241787

Publisher: Central European University Press, 2003

Synopsis

The historical biography of a true Jewish heroine in her day, Gracia Mendes. Born in 1510 in Portugal, the book details this woman's extraordinary personality until her death in 1569 in Constantinople (today's Istanbul). Her life exemplified a perseverance by the Jewish culture to survive and triumph even in the worst of conditions. As a young girl, Gracia secretly married successful Jewish spice trader, Francisco Mendes. But at age 27 she became a widow, yet she went on to raise her children and run the family business all on her own. Her travels led her through Antwerp, Venice, Ferrara, Ragusa, and finally to Constantinople, from where the Ottoman Empire dominated former Byzantium territories and offered shelter for battered Conversos (converted Jews). The text recounting the last fifteen years of Gracia's life at the center of the Empire is particularly revealing. Birnbaum's biography has the unique distinction of being the first among many studies to pay tribute to a woman during this period. It is also one of the first titles to pay equal attention to the lives of the Conversos in Christian West Europe and in the Muslim East.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Gracia Mendes was a sixteenth-century entrepreneur and one of the wealthiest women in Europe, who, while a practicing Christian, remained for much of her life a secret Jew. The biography examines her rise to power in the face of immense obstacles—political, religious, economic, and social.

Gracia was born in 1510 in Portugal. At the age of eighteen, she married Francisco Mendes, a successful Jewish spice trader. After her husband’s death in 1536 and in response to the religious persecutions of the day, she moved her family from Portugal. Her travels led her through Antwerp, Venice, Ferrara, Ragusa, and finally to Constantinople, from where the Ottoman Empire dominated the territories of former Byzantium and offered shelter for the battered Conversos (converted Jews). After her arrival in 1553, she became the most prominent businesswoman of the community and a patron of Jewish causes. Her life exemplifies the perseverance of the Jewish culture to survive and triumph even in extremely adverse conditions.

About the Author

Marianna D. Birnbaum is Professor emeritus of the University of California, Los Angeles where she taught Hungarian and Central European literature and culture. She is a recurring visiting professor in the Medieval Department of the Central European University.

Edition details

• Publisher: Central European University Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 9639241784
• ISBN 13: 9789639241787
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 169