On March 31, 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella proclaimed that all Jews were to be expelled from Spain.

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In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued an edict expelling all Jews unwilling to convert to Christianity from Spanish soil.

CNN: Sunday,

Columbus' voyage was not, as is commonly believed, funded by the deep pockets of Queen Isabella, but rather by two Jewish Conversos and another prominent Jew.

CNN: Was Columbus secretly a Jew?

Ceuta and Melilla are the remnants of a string of Spanish fortresses built in North Africa after King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella reconquered Andalusia from the Moors.

ECONOMIST: Spain in North Africa

For all of his proximity to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Abravanel had no idea that they were planning to expel the Jews and so was unable to either cancel the expulsion decree or to make preparations for the community to move to another land.

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