§5.1 - Social Classes

Summary

JEWISH society in the Crown of Aragon developed characteristics that distinguished it from the rest of Iberian Jewry. Despite the differences that existed between the various components of the Crown, the structure of Jewish society developed more or less along similar lines throughout the realm. It was profoundly influenced by extraneous factors, of which the Reconquista was undoubtedly the most important. Due to the political and social circumstances that prevailed in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries when the Reconquista reached its most significant phase, the gap between the rich and the poor in the juderías of the Crown of Aragon was far more sharply accentuated than was the case elsewhere in the Jewish world. The wars of the Reconquista deeply influenced the structure of Jewish society in the Hispanic kingdoms. The extensive need of the king-counts for Jews in the administration of the Crown added great impetus to the growth of the social, financial, and intellectual elite in Jewish society. Lacking a centralized form of government and constantly in desperate need of money, the king-counts found the Jews ideal candidates for certain bureaucratic and financial posts in their administration.

Most Jewish interpreters, translators, diplomats, purveyors, physicians, administrators, and agents in the royal service came from the aristocratic families. Their employment by the king-counts added to their power and prestige within Jewish society. Their access to the court was also appreciated by the aljama, as it enabled them to act on behalf of the Jewish community. The large number of courtiers in the thirteenth century contributed much to the growth of the upper class, while the privileges that the king granted to his Jewish courtiers widened the gap and increased the hostility between the rich and the poor. Some of the advantages given by the king were at the expense of other members of the community, whose anger and envy became very marked.

The greatest differences between the upper and the lower classes were in their lifestyle, daily behaviour, and forms of entertainment. Members of the upper class could afford to live in luxury and extravagance. Those who served at court emulated their Christian counterparts in many matters and the Jewish courtiers behaved in very much the same way as Christian courtiers. The poor, on the other hand, had serious difficulties in making ends meet.