The Mystery of the First European Settlement in the United States

Two years ago, I was doing some research on something completely unrelated to history and stumbled upon the name “San Miguel de Gualdape”. This peaked my curiosity and I did some reading and discovered that San Miguel de Gualdape was the very first European settlement in what would later become the United States of America. Founded in late 1526 by Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón, as granted by King Charles V, the settlers who inhabited the settlement endured disease, famine, and skirmishes with local indigenous peoples before bailing. There was even an uprising of the African slaves brought to the settlement against their owners, the first documented slave uprising. The settlement lasted about three months and had dwindled from about 500 settlers (including men, women, children, clergy, and African slaves) to barely 150. Even the founder had died at this point.

One of the most interesting aspects of San Miguel de Gualdape, is that it’s location is heavily disputed. For decades, archaeologists have combed the coast of South Carolina in search of any indication of the 16^th century Spanish settlement. The settlement was originally thought to be located off the Winyah Bay area of South Carolina near the Hobcaw Barony, but searches of the area only yielded artifacts of much later settlements. Some archaeologists have pegged the actual location much further south near Savannah. Recently, archaeologists from South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology or SCIAA have begun re-examining the searches of the Hobcaw Barony from the early 1990s to gain a more in-depth look at the location of the ill-fated settlement.

The clandestine story of San Miguel de Gualdape was of particular interest to me, not only as a student of European History living in the states, but I live just an hour or so away from Hobcaw Barony so this is all a local mystery for me. There are actually many other Spanish settlements within the United States, including another here in South Carolina called Santa Elena located near Beaufort. (You can read more about Santa Elena at https://santa-elena.org.) To find out more about San Miguel de Gualdape by checking out Between the Waters, a collaborative blog with SCETV on the history of South Carolina from an anthropological perspective. 

(Image from usg.edu, the University System of Georgia.)

A Very Brief History of the Sephardic Jews

Chances are you may not have ever heard of the Sephardic Jews, or even realize that the Iberian Peninsula once held a large population of Jewish peoples. Sephardi simply means “Spanish” or “Hispanic” and is a reference to Sephard, a Biblical location. (Obadiah 1:20). The Sephardi people were Jews that migrated from North Africa into the Iberian Peninsula during the Reconquista (the period of Islamic rule in the Iberian Peninsula beginning around 711 AD). They established dense communities throughout the Peninsula and had distinct traits and customs that differed from the Ashkenazi Jews from Central Europe. However, much like the Ashkenazi, the Sephardic Jews of the Iberian Peninsula faced many attempts on their lives and ideals.

In 1391, mobs on two separate occasions attacked the Jewish communities in the Iberian Peninsula, The attack on June 6, saw the deaths of at least 4,000 Jews and thousands more were forced to convert to Catholicism as a means of avoiding execution. These events directly led to the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, or more commonly known as, the Spanish Inquisition. Originally, Isabella I of Castile, and her husband, Ferdinand II of Aragon, requested a Papal bull (basically a kind of public decree supported by the Pope) to establish an inquisition into those conversos (Iberian Jews that had converted--against their will--to Catholicism). It was rumored that many of the conversos were still actively practicing Judaism and the Crown wanted to make Spain a Catholic state after centuries of Islamic rule. The Inquisition formally began in 1478 and intensified quickly.

The 1492 Alhambra Decree was an edict formally ordering the expulsion of all practicing Jews from the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Jews were paraded through the streets and tried for “the crime” of practicing Judaism. Those found guilty were either expelled from the Peninsula or, more commonly, executed. The more intense periods of persecution lasted until the early 19th century. Collectively, at least 150,000 Sephardic Jews were charged with a crime and at least 3,000 Jews were executed. The Spanish Inquisition did not officially end until 1834 and the Alhambra Decree was formally rescinded in 1968.

It wasn’t until the latter half of the 19th century, although much worship was kept private, especially during the Spanish civil war (1936-1939). In the years surrounding WWII, thousands of Jews fled Nazi persecution and sought asylum in Portugal and Spain.

In 2013, Sephardic Jews descended from those expelled during the Inquisition are entitled to reclaim citizenship in Portugal under the “Law on Nationality”. In 2014, a similar law was passed in Spain.

The history of the Sephardi peoples is rich and extensive. This entry simply highlights a few significant events in that history. For more information on Sephardic Jews, check out Faith and Fanaticism: Religious Fervour in Early Modern Spain by Lesley Twomey.

The Inquisition Tribunal by Francisco de Goya (ca. 1819) depicts a tribunal during the Spanish Inquisition also called auto da fe (which in a completely non-ironic twist, translates to "act of faith") in which the accused were forced to wear pointed, paper hats called a coroza. Those found to be guilty of continuing to practice Judaism, were paraded about, humiliated, forced to convert to Catholicism or were executed.

Welcome//Bienvenido

Whenever I tell people that I am a European History major, one of the most common responses I get is, “Oh! Have you watched The Tudors?” Yes. Yes, I have seen The Tudors. I am familiar with Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I, “Bloody Mary”, and, of course, Henry VIII. His colossal, full-length Hans Holbein portrait is forever engraved into my memory. The Tudor reign was significant to world history, religion, etc., but it is unfortunate that such a short-lived dynasty (only 118 years!) is the most focused upon part of European history. There are a great many other people and events that are equally important and as interesting as they. So, if you have happened upon this blog in hopes of scandalous tales of the goings on within the bedchambers of Hampton Court, this is probably not the blog for you.

But if you fancy stories from Spain, Portugal and surrounding areas, analyses of classic works of art, and accounts of fascinating occurrences beginning around the fall of the Western Roman Empire—well, then you are in luck. I have crafted Iberia and Beyond to chronicle this niche area of history, often neglected from most history books and documentaries. I hope you appreciate it as much as I.