Gérard Nahon, Métropoles et périphéries séfarades d’Occident
Jonathan I. Israel, Diasporas within a Diaspora
Overview
Portuguese New Christian families settled around Bayonne, particularly in Saint-Esprit, where they initially occupied an ambiguous legal and religious position. Merchants and artisans maintained connections with Amsterdam, Bordeaux, Iberia, and Atlantic ports while gradually establishing open Jewish worship, charity, education, burial, and communal leadership. Local economic activity included international trade and specialized crafts, but the community cannot be reduced to a single commodity or occupation. Recognition developed unevenly through royal privileges and regional negotiation. Bayonne’s history illustrates the slow transformation of a New Christian population into a publicly organized Western Sephardic community.
