La justicia en las aljamas castellanas a fines del siglo XV: la frontera oriental del reino de Castilla

Abstract

This paper examines the way in which the principie of judicial autonomy· was maintained in the Jewish communities of the easternmost arcas of the Crown of Castile towards the end of the middle ages. In contrast to the 13th century, a gradual recession was seen in the Jewish Judges' capacity to act. This was for two reasons: firstly, the monarchic authority's determination to put an end to any expression of judicial autonomy, as a fundamental step towards the construction of the new State; and, secondly, the Jews' own mistrust of judges who were far too subject to pressure from the most powerful families in the Jewish community.