Spain feared Castilian Moriscos would flee voluntarily and dump property

Evidence

The King Whereas for just and necessary reasons I have been moved out of consideration to the service of God and the safety of these realms of Spain to command that the Morisco New Christians resident in Valencia should leave and go away from these said realms of Spain for the reasons set out in the proclamation which has been by order made there, now, seeing that those of the said nation who inhabit the kingdoms of Old and New Castile, Extremadura, and La Mancha have become disquieted and shown signs that they may wish to depart and live outside these realms, and have begun to dispose of their property, selling it for far below what it is worth, and whereas it is not my intention that any should against his or her will live here, I therefore allow and give permission in virtue of these presents to all those who may wish to depart from these my kingdoms and realms of Spain, to live outside them wherever they desire, to do so without incurring any penalty within the space of thirty days counting from this proclamation. — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1497

Categorization

• SHARE: The detail that the edict frames itself as responding to Moriscos already selling property at fire-sale prices and threatening to leave anyway — the crown turning a feared loss of labor into a royal concession — is a nice point for anyone into expulsion/statecraft history.