Notes on the cohesion of the morisco community beyond the expulsion from Spain

Abstract

Despite the fact that the expulsion of 1609 meant for the Moriscos a sudden uprooting from their places of origin, some groups of Moriscos had prepared themselves for it. Through archival documents we know that Castilian and Granadan Moriscos managed to smuggle large amounts of money from Spain with the collaboration of converted Jews making use of certain networks that seem to have been previously established in France. Through these networks a number of Granadan Moriscos could act as guides for their community during the entire transfer from Spain up to its establishment in Tunis. Although the Spanish authorities had their spies among the Morisco communities, the allience between the Granadan and the Tunisian authorities would contribute to the succesful establishment of the Moriscos in Tunis.