Dona Gracia of the House of Nasi

I read this after reading Naomi Ragen's fictionalized version of Dona Gracia's life, The Ghost of Hannah Mendes. The two books are complementary, as Ragen's romantic treatment of Dona Gracia's life adds depth (though not necessarily historicity) to the relatively few facts about her that we actually know and that Roth recounts. Roth writes in the style of an old-school historian, trying to weave a human tale from sometimes fragmentary records. The footnotes, in which he points out his disagreement with other historians of the Inquisition and of the converso Jews, and sometimes his own changes of mind about the sequence of events, are perhaps the most fascinating part of the book. He is also a master at historical detective work, getting the most he can from the documents available. At bottom, however, we don't know all that much about Dona Gracia, so Roth's extravagant claims that she was the most important Jewish woman in a millennium or more do not quite ring true. Were it not for that consideration, I would have given this fascinating monograph five stars.

This is the biography of Dona Gracia, a Jewish woman who lived in the 15th century and whose personality is characterized by intelligence, shrewdness, generosity, and religious devotion. Born in Spain, she went to Portugal in 1492, following the expulsion of the Jews. In Portugal she was forcibly converted to Christianity and became one amongst many "New Christians," "Marranos," or "Conversos." At the age of 18 she married Francisco Mendes, the richest merchant in Lisbon at that time. Seven years later she became a widow and successfully took over her husband's business. Determined to reach Turkey where under the protection of the Ottoman Empire she would be able to profess her faith freely, she embarked on a long journey, which took 17 years. This journey took her to London, Antwerp, Lyon, Venice, Ferrara, Ancona, Ragusa, Salonika and finally Constantinople. Throughout her perils she proved to be highly courageous and an excellent businesswoman. She used her wealth and contacts to help Jews escape the Inquisiton, became the self-appointed protector of the conversos, built houses of prayer and teaching, devoted herself to good works, and was know as "the heart of her people."There are two importnat factors in the history of Dona Gracia: first, she represents one of the rare examples of fight against repression to the Jews by the use of commercial tactics (the Ancona Boycott), and the first to establish a Jewish colony in Paletine (Tiberias), a self-sustaining settlement for Jews and conversos from an hostile Europe.The author Cecil Roth is a well-known historian. He clearly demonstrates his admiration for Dona Gracia, his praises are many, and openly admits to the fact that he has not been able to find any historical proof to the contrary. Despite this embellishment, Dona Gracia remains a distant character, she carries an aura of mystery which contributes to her "divinity." Had the Jewish faith room for "canonization" Dona Gracia would certainly be a downright candidate. Her name stands amongst famous Jewish women, and as her contemporary the author Samuel Usque says, "she is much a heroine as Miriam, Deborah, and Judith."

This novel was amazing in detail and mesmorizing in content. It was well researched! I would recommend this to anyone who loves romance, intrigue, deceit and history.