A hereditary noble family sustained gradualist conversion policy in Granada

Evidence

From the earliest days of the Christian regime in Granada, policy toward Muslims and converts had had two faces, those of the two archbishops, Talavera (of Granada itself, the gradualist) and Cisneros (of Toledo, the protagonist of energetic measures). The gradualist policy had, in practice, if not in theory, on the whole prevailed because of the continuity of the influence of the Mond´ejar/Tendilla family, hereditary captains-general of Granada. Over the period from 1492, four members of the family succeeded one another without interruption in the post of Alcaide de la Alhambra (the Alhambra being the residence of the captain-general) and were in overall command on the spot. However, the easygoing old ways 1. — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 990

Categorization

• XREF: Parallel to how aristocratic continuity can shield minority populations from central state pressure—echoes of patronage-based toleration regimes in other contexts.