In 1492 Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue... But Paid for by the Jews?

The funding of Christopher Columbus’s historic voyage in August of 1492 is a dramatic tale involving political maneuvering, secret financing and the tragic intersection of exploration and antisemitism. While popular folklore once claimed that Spain’s Queen Isabella valiantly pawned her crown jewels to fund the trip, the truth is she agreed to a plan that was both unjust and antisemitic. It was the prominent, and not so prominent Jews of Spain who were forced to fund Columbus’ trip with absolutely no help from the morally and financially bankrupted crown.

By early 1492, Cristopher Columbus had spent seven long years trying to convince the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to financially back his expedition into the unknown west. It was thought that the ocean voyage would end with Columbus landing on the east coast of India. In fact, native Americans were called Indians because they were at first thought to be living in India. But the crown was forced to repeatedly turn down Columbus’ request due to the financial drain of a ten year long Granada War against invading Muslims. While this war was drawing to a close, the monarchy was also not sure that a voyage of many months into an unknown part of the world was worth the risk.

With the monarchs rejection in January of 1492, Columbus left Spain for France in the hopes they would back his expedition. It was now that the Jewish Royal Treasurer Luis ds Santangel decided to devised a plan of action. He met with the Queen and explained that in his opinion the financial risk was minimal compared to the wealth and influence Spain would gain if Columbus was successful reaching India.

To remove the financial burden off the royal treasury, Santangel offered to provide the funding for the exploration in the form of an interest free loan. He would meet with Spain’s Jewish Chief Treasurer, and Don Isaac Abravanel a famous and well respected Rabbi and statesman to work out the details. The crown agreed to this proposal, Columbus was stopped while still on the road to France and the voyage would begin in August of 1492. So, Columbus’ first voyage was made possible only through the entrepreneurial and financial genius of three prominent Spanish Jews. Unfortunately, his second voyage in 1493 would be financed by outright state sponsored antisemitism and theft.

On March 31^st 1492 just weeks before finalizing Columbus’ first expedition contract, the King and Queen signed the Alhambra Edict of Expulsion. It gave the Jews of Spain four months to decide to convert to Catholicism or be expelled. An expelled Jew would not be allowed to keep any property, homes or furnishings. All confiscated property and cash was directly funneled into the royal treasury. There it was explicitly earmarked to pay for Columbus’ second expedition of 1493 that consisted of 17 ships and 1,200 men. Thus, this edict cemented the tragic link between the colonization of the Americas squarely on the back of Spanish Jewry.

So why did the crown suddenly decide to be so cruel to its Jewish population? Well, first it turns out that the wealthy Christian nobles believed it was beneath the purity of a devout Christian to sully themselves by actually handling money and dealing with tax issues. Therefore, they appointed families of Jewish descent to conduct all the nation’s financial, legal and administrative systems. This is exactly what the Egyptians had done in the days of Joseph. Except in that case, Pharaoh declared all Jews slaves of the state. In this case, it had become clear to Spain that the Jews now controlled the administrative affairs of a devoutly Catholic nation.

Second, the now infamous Spanish Inquisition had begun in 1478. The Pope had authorized a tribunal to be established to enforce the religious conversion of 400,000 Jews and just as many Muslims to the Christian faith. They would also insure that no secret practices of former religions occurred. This was a state sponsored purge to create a pure nation composed of only Roman Catholic Christians. Those found practicing another religion were burned at the stake.

So, the Jews of Spain organizing and funding the first voyage of Columbus was actually a clever calculated political gamble. They were financially helping their county while at the same time effectively buying what they hoped would be a shield of protection from the inquisition.

This plan was shattered when the crown issued the Alhambra Expulsion Edict. The Jewish leaders immediately countered this action by offering the monarchs a bribe so large that they seriously considered resending the decree. However, in a dramatic turn of events, the Grand Inquisitor stormed into the throne room, threw a crucifix on the table and declared, “Will you sell out Christ like Judas?” The monarchs reluctantly turned down the bribe.

The deadline date of the Jewish expulsion was July 31^st 1492. Columbus would set sail three days later on the morning of August 3^rd. The ports of Spain were now choked with over 200,000 devout Jews desperately trying to flee the nation with literally only the shirts on their backs. Simultaneously, Columbus’ ships were being stocked with provisions paid for by these very refugees. Christian neighbors bought up Jewish property for pennies on the dollar. A house sold for a single donkey and a vineyard for a bolt of cloth. Christians who owed debts to the Jews were now to make those payments to the Royal Treasury.

On a final note, it is interesting to compare the trials and tribulations of Joseph to that of the Spanish Jews. Both were strangers in a foreign land. Both used their considerable God given intelligence and organizational skills to catch the eye and favor of the ruling monarch. Both rose to great power, acclaim and wealth. Both would come to be seen as the intelligentsia of the nation though not racially nor religiously one of them. Both would eventually be seen as having become too large in population and too powerful in positions. The Egyptian Pharaoh would declare them slaves of the state while the Spanish monarchs simply exiled them. Now, the Jews would once again literally continue their one thousand five hundred year long search for a promised land safe from a world ruled by capricious gentiles. But prophetically, their labors did not go unrewarded by God.

As the Jews exited Egypt, the people gave them gold and jewelry to help them during their travels to a promised land (Exodus 12:35-36). Similarly, as the Jews exited Spain, the material wealth they left behind would be used to pay for the discovery of America, a land of promise. In both events, the Jews left lands of captivity to find new lands free from dictatorial rulers. And it is fitting to note that on October 11^th at 2:00am it was the Jewish sailor Roderigo de Triana who first spotted land off the coast of North America. It would be in this new frontier that a small race of people would at last find a safe port.

The Jews are the chosen people of God. It was out of the Jewish race that Jesus the Saviour of mankind was born. It was out of the wealth of the Jews that Columbus was able to discover America. George Washington proclaimed that his campaign at Valley Forge was saved by the Jews of New York. Please see related: "George Washington's IOU to the Jews". America would come to be ruled by a Constitution founded on the philosophical principles of Christ.

Coincidence? The Jews believe coincidence is God winking while others say coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous. You decide.