Paying the special Morisco tax was twisted into evidence of criminal intent
Evidence
In his case, even the fact that he had actually paid the situado was used against him! It was put forward as an admission that he was aware of his religious obligations. It followed that if he had, as was charged, told women “to be Muslims (moras) and to give up the Christian religion” (Tapia 1991, 266), he could not plead ignorance and hope for a lighter sentence. — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1129 (
#expands, via linked claim)
In 1573, twenty-two of the better-off of the Moriscos in ´Avila instituted legal proceedings aimed at having their names struck off the list of those contributing towards the situado (Tapia 1991, 261). They argued that they had never empowered anybody to make the agreement in the first place. Most had their pleas thrown out, but in 1577 one Isidro de Chaves el Mozo, a tinker by trade, managed to have his name removed, as did Hernando de Cu´ellar, a merchant, in 1584. He no doubt was to regret calling attention to himself in this way. From 1605 to 1607 (by which time he can no longer have been young) he was in an Inquisition prison for failure to pay and in danger of having all his property seized. — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1124 (
#complicates, via linked claim)
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Winning a tax exemption made a Morisco a target for later Inquisition prosecution; Richest Moriscos tried to escape communal taxation by disputing the mandate — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1124; Theft became permissible within mafia territory once licensed and taxed (+6 more)
Broader Connections
- Paying a religious tax could be reframed as evidence of heresy
#expands(0.95) — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1129 - Richest Moriscos tried to escape communal taxation by disputing the mandate
#complicates(0.72) — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1124 - Mafia tax collectors leveraged membership to avoid paying taxes
#complicates(0.70)