The Long Journey of Gracia Mendes

Gracia Mendes was a Jewish heroine who lived in Portugal and Constantinople from 1510 to 1569. She married a spice trader and became a widow at 27, but raised her children and ran the family business on her own. Her travels took her through Antwerp, Venice, Ferrara, Ragusa, and Constantinople, where the Ottoman Empire offered shelter for Conversos. Birnbaum's biography is the first to pay tribute to a woman during this period and to equal attention to the lives of Conversos in Christian West Europe and the Muslim East.

Format: Hardback
Length: 169 pages
Publication date: 17 January 2025
Publisher: Central European University Press

Gracia Mendes, a true Jewish heroine in her day, was born in 1510 in Portugal and lived until her death in 1569 in Constantinople (today's Istanbul). Her life exemplified the perseverance of the Jewish culture to survive and triumph even in the worst of conditions. As a young girl, Gracia secretly married successful Jewish spice trader Francisco Mendes, but at age 27, she became a widow. Despite this, she went on to raise her children and run the family business all on her own. Her travels led her through Antwerp, Venice, Ferrara, Ragusa, and finally to Constantinople, where the Ottoman Empire dominated former Byzantium territories and offered shelter for battered Conversos (converted Jews). The text recounting the last fifteen years of Gracia's life at the center of the Empire is particularly revealing. Birnbaum's biography has the unique distinction of being the first among many studies to pay tribute to a woman during this period. It is also one of the first titles to pay equal attention to the lives of the Conversos in Christian West Europe and in the Muslim East.

Weight: 376g
Dimension: 166 x 232 x 11 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789639241671