om Spain and Portugal. Many of these Jewish families had lived in either Spain or Portugal for hundreds of years, but still faced the total eviction from their homes and personal property. We began to see Jews relocating to Italy in about 1492.The cities of Ancona and Pesaro like many cities in Italy, served as a place of refuge for many of the expelled Jews. These two cities were different from most, because they each possessed harbors, and had relatively small populations. This was beneficial to the small Jewish communities because they had the opportunity to participate in the business realm. Initially, upon the arrival of the Marrano Jews they were accepted with little discretion. At the time, the Catholic Church had tolerant attitudes towards the Jewish community. Pope Paul III adhered to the opinion of his counselors, who considered forced baptism null and void, and he allowed the settlement of conversos in the territories of the State of the Church, particularly at Ancona, where the newcomers were expected to make a positive contribution to the development of the economy. We must understand that the Church was an elite power during the Renaissance. The Catholic Church dictated political policy, imposed taxes, raised armies, punished criminals, and held trials throughout the sixteenth- century. In essence, the Church's premise in allowing Jews to occupy various regions of Italy that were under Papal control was financially motivated.Many of the Jews who now found themselves living in Italy had a relatively easy time reestablishing the type of lives and positions that they held in their former homeland. A direct example was Marrano, Dr. Francisco Barboso, who had acquired riches and fameand treated the governor of the city, and prior of local Dominican convent. In addition, many Jews were involved in the money lending industry and pawnshops. Many Jews were also involved in trade with Levantine merchants. The Jewis...
