The Forgotten Jews -- Ottoman Court Doctors in Viaje de Turquía (1557)
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Abstract
Written anonymously in the 1550s, Viaje de Turquía did not enjoy a contemporary readership, as it was not published until the 20th century. As a result of its anonymous author, humanistic dialogue and content focusing on the capital of the Muslim Ottoman Empire, Viaje de Turquía has rightfully garnered critical attention over the last century as an early cautivo work in Spanish Golden Age literature. However, almost no attention has been given to the significant relationship that the main character Pedro de Urdemalas has with the Ottoman Jewish court doctors. While Viaje de Turquía is full of stereotypical characterizations of Jews found in 16th-century Spanish society, with particular vitriol directed at Jewish doctors, it also simultaneously and suprisingly accurately represents this minority in a favorable light. The fact that the Jewish laws of the Sabbath (and the Jews’ subsequent observance of those laws) are accurately described in the work is significant because open Jewish life had not existed on the Iberian Peninsula since 1497. Essentially, Viaje de Turquía was one of the first works during Phillip II’s reign to bring back, and unintentionally positively represent, openly-practicing Jews to Spain, meaning that it should be considered a representative template (despite its unpublished status) for later cautivo works of the 17th century set in Istanbul whose captive Catholic characters’ interactions with Ottoman Jews mirror the relationships present in this mid-16th century work.
