Chapter LIV remember the second part of Don Quixote, after a hurried march Sancho governor of his island Barataria and back to the palace of the Dukes to reunite with Don Quixote. It is located on the way back with a group of foreign vagrants, among which, is an old neighbor of the people of Sancho, the Morisco Ricote, recently expelled from the Peninsula.
And in this chapter Cervantes confronts the issue of expulsion of the Moors - mostly Muslim communities, falsely professing the Christian faith - now, if Cervantes defended his expulsion or make a veiled criticism of this action is something which today are still debating many Cervantes. Anyway here 'links to the opinions of Pedro Ojeda and Manuel de la Rosa "Tuccitano" about it. Ricote
and Sancho
A confession as a reader
Don Quixote and the Moorish
But now let the matter I want to discuss here, and once again what happened earlier with the famous Rus vote! Cervantes not write things just because, almost always there is an intention and their names or references are very clear sense, and is therefore the reason for this new entry. Turns out this Moorish character in the novel: Ricote, was so called precisely because they were the Moors of Ricote Valley (Murcia) the last to be expelled from the Peninsula and, furthermore, were the Moors ricoteños the last out precisely by claiming his true Christian faith, for it prevented the expulsion decree of 1609, until in 1614 it enacted a new decree was directed against them directly.
It is therefore not surprising that Cervantes put in the mouth of Ricote real complaints and lamentations of those claiming to be Moors and Christians over Muslims. The writer would know very well the case, may even have dealt with the kingdom officials who tried this case.
... Sancho, I know true that my daughter and Francisca Ricotta Ricotta my wife are Catholic Christians, and although I am not therefore I have even more Christian than a Moor, and always pray to God I open your eyes and give me understanding to know how I have to serve him
In short, we find in this chapter LIV the result of policy, issue, today criticized perhaps too lightly, and that is not treated in historical-political context, the action of that time is highly distorted in the eyes today. It should be recalled that in the Europe of 1600 was a very serious problem: the Turk, who was put under siege to Vienna itself twice: 1529 and 1686, and whose Barbary pirates ravaged the coasts of Andalusia and the Levant.
According to a server and I guess that Cervantes pointed in that direction with its chapter, the critical the failure of the expulsion orders came not take much for a rebellious group - the Alpujarras 1568/71 - but not knowing how to distinguish the truly assimilated Moriscos of unassimilated, which, it could act as a fifth column hypothetical attack against the Turkish army from North Africa.
Map of Europe around 1600, shows that the threat of the Ottoman Empire was serious.
... it was divine inspiration that moved his Majesty to give effect to such a gallant resolution, not because we were all guilty, some Christians were strong and true, but they were so few that they could not oppose those who were not, and it was good to raise the serpent in the breast, taking the enemies inside.
In conclusion I wish to leave as a gift a link to a virtual exhibition that comes to hair treated with the chapter is called "1610 the Moors in Castilla-la Mancha" here you can view documents that reflect the lives of Moors in the years before the expulsion, and relating to their final departure.
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