Luis de santangel biography of barack

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www.jewishencyclopedia.com. Luis de Santángel managed the funds of the ‘’Santa Hermandad’’ in Castile, alongside the Genoese Francisco Pinelo (Santángel's partner and a resident of Valencia as an agent for Genoese Bank of Saint George until 1478), which gave him extensive knowledge of the administration of the Crown of Castile. In Meyer Kayserling's 1894 Columbus and the Jews, he is likened to a Sephardic statesman enduring ancestral persecution, crediting his 1.4 million maravedís loan to the Crown as enabling Columbus's 1492 fleet despite Inquisitorial risks.[25] Later analyses, however, temper such hagiography by highlighting his administrative efficiency in Aragon's treasury, which aligned with the Catholic Monarchs' centralizing reforms rather than subversive intent.

2009. Los Reyes Católicos turned him down, but just as a major petrol company these days might have said to the first person who came up with the idea of an electric car, “Look, we don’t want to develop your car, but here’s a few thousand a year for you not to take it anyone else,” the King gave Columbus an annuity of 12,000 maravedis (about €650 at today’s rate) not to hawk his idea elsewhere.

After this conversion, the Santángel family began to prosper economically and in status; all three Santángels served the Royal crown and possessed a large sum of wealth.

Spanish Inquisition

While the Spanish Inquisition targeted and persecuted Jews, including conversos believed to be practicing Judaism privately, Santángel and his immediate family were protected from the persecution.

On September 13, 1481, he was appointed escribano de ración (similar to a public notary) by King Ferdinand. 159–163. 2014-05-30. Santángel played an instrumental role in Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1492, for he managed to convince the Catholic monarchs to fund Columbus's expedition and provided a large sum of the money himself.[2]

Professional activity

In his professional life, in 1453, King John II of Aragon allowed Santángel to dedicate himself to the importation of cereals to Valencia, a product that fetched high prices during times of scarcity.

Kritzler, Edward. 9781476615554.

luis de santangel biography of barack

A Jewish banker resident in Valencia, Spain, his family had converted from Judaism to Christianity a couple of generations earlier, more on the basis that as bankers to Spanish royalty a  Christian crown couldn’t be seen to be borrowing money from a Jew than any change of religious ethic.

de Santangel was a pal of Christopher Columbus, and in 1486 when the sailor wanted to put the idea of finding a new route to Asia to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Santangel acted as  intermediary.

9780385513982. 2002 . M. J.. Luis de Santangel and Columbus . The figure of a lady in a blue dress and crown is conversing with someone across the table, an elegantly dressed man in a maroon jacket, green trousers and leather gaiters, with a sheathed dagger hanging from his belt; Queen Isabella of Spain and Luis de Santangel.

Santángel worked as escribano de ración[1] to King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I of Spain which left him in charge of the Royal finance. Santángel himself, born into nominal Christianity, exhibited outward conformity through documented participation in Catholic rites and family intermarriages with Old Christians, adapting to the mandated religious framework without recorded lapses into judaizing practices.

This navigation of converso identity amid inquisitorial vigilance underscored the pragmatic assimilation required for survival and prominence in a polity enforcing uniformity via institutional oversight.[14][15]

Professional Career

Administrative Roles in Aragon

Luis de Santángel was appointed escribano de ración by Ferdinand II of Aragon, a key fiscal position responsible for overseeing the royal household's expenditures and revenues in the Kingdom of Aragon.[2][16] This role, often translated as comptroller of rations or high steward, involved meticulous accounting and control of the crown's daily financial operations, positioning Santángel as a trusted administrator in the royal bureaucracy.[17]Under Ferdinand II, Santángel's duties extended to managing allocations for military campaigns and court functions, demonstrating his competence in handling complex revenue streams from Aragonese territories such as Valencia, where he was based.[1] His oversight ensured fiscal discipline amid the kingdom's ongoing recovery from internal conflicts, including the remnants of the Catalan civil wars.[2]Following the 1469 marriage of Ferdinand to Isabella I of Castile, Santángel's influence expanded as escribano de ración under the joint Catholic Monarchs, where he served as comptroller-general with authority over unified aspects of royal finance despite the realms' separate treasuries.[1][16] In this capacity, he contributed to streamlining crown expenditures during the push toward territorial consolidation, including preparations for the Granada War, by auditing and disbursing funds for artillery and provisioning—tasks critical to the monarchy's centralizing efforts.[16] By 1492, his role facilitated rapid financial maneuvers, underscoring his ascent from regional administrator to pivotal figure in the Catholic Monarchs' fiscal apparatus.[1]

Financial Expertise and Royal Service

Luis de Santángel demonstrated financial acumen through his role as escribano de ración, a position equivalent to comptroller-general of the royal treasury for the Crown of Aragon, appointed by Ferdinand II in 1481.[15][5] This office involved meticulous oversight of fiscal receipts, expenditures, and lending operations, requiring precise accounting to sustain royal initiatives amid economic pressures.[1] His management of treasury functions underscored a capacity for handling large-scale transactions, as royal ledgers from the period record authorizations under his name for payments tied to state obligations.[16]Santángel's expertise proved vital during the Granada War (1482–1492), where he facilitated logistical financial support for the Catholic Monarchs' campaign against the Nasrid Kingdom.