Knowra Forced conversion Forced conversion Forced conversion is the coercive imposition of a religion or religious identity on individuals or communities, through threats, violence, legal penalties, or other pressure.
Coercion : The use of threats, force, or pressure to constrain another person's choices. Forced conversion replaces voluntary religious choice with pressure or compulsion.
Forced conversion of Jews in Spain : The coercive conversion of Jews in Iberia, especially during the late medieval and early modern periods. Spanish laws and violence drove many Jews to accept Christianity while leaving their beliefs contested.
Religious conversion : A change in a person's religious affiliation, belief, or practice. Forced conversion is one form of religious conversion, distinguished by compulsion.
Crypto-Judaism : The secret practice of Judaism by people who publicly profess another religion. Some converts under pressure maintained Jewish observances privately.
Religious persecution : The mistreatment of people because of their religion or religious identity. Persecution can enforce conversion by making continued adherence dangerous.
Morisco : A Muslim or Muslim-descended person in Spain who converted or was compelled to convert to Christianity. Moriscos faced enforced Christian identity after the conversion decrees of the early sixteenth century.
Freedom of religion : The right to adopt, change, practice, or reject a religion without coercion. This right directly opposes imposing religious identity through force or pressure.
Marrano : A historical term for a baptized Jew in Spain or Portugal, often used pejoratively and associated with suspected secret Judaism. The term reflects suspicion directed at Jews converted under coercive conditions.
Inquisition : A church tribunal established to investigate and judge alleged heresy. Some inquisitorial systems used legal pressure to demand religious conformity.
Conversion of the Saxons : The Christianization of Saxon peoples under Frankish rule during the eighth and ninth centuries. Charlemagne's campaigns connected baptism and Christian conformity with conquest and punishment.
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