Description
Book SynopsisAt once a sweeping view of two continents, three faiths, and five nation-states and an intimate story of one man's remarkable life, A Man of Three Worlds is history at its most compelling.
Trade ReviewA fascinating account of the way in which a Jewish family survived and flourished while living at the heart of three warring cultures... The book illuminates a little-known side of the 17th-century world. Church Times Samuel Pallache has gone down in history as an honorable figure, a slightly less successful version of Disraeli's Jewish hero Sidonia... This fascinating little book, however, based on research in the Dutch, Belgian, Spanish, and Portuguese archives, reveals a very different sort of man-a ruthless adventurer, whose duplicity was only matched by his audacity. Times Literary Supplement Well referenced, with many vignettes that help to paint for the reader a vivid picture of the times. -- Robert Nussenblatt Lettre Sepharade A coherent and revealing picture of [Samuel Pallache's] complex career... Generally judicious in its conclusions and shrewd in its utilization of detail... Along the way, it explores a hitherto unobserved pattern of ties between North African Jews and moriscos active in Christian Europe... A significant contribution to the history of the political information web of early modern Europe and the men behind it. American Historical Review Fascinating... A valuable snapshot of the 'new world order' of global powers and grand alliances at the time, and the way in which the members of a relatively poor and socially marginalized family managed to play them to their advantage. Canadian Journal of History A significant study which opens a window on a culture that was necessarily often submerged. Journal of Jewish Studies Garcia-Arenal and Wiegers have brought to life not only one Jewish merchant in the age of mercantilism but his entire culture. Mediterranean Historical Review A fascinating study. Bibliotheque d'Humanisme et Renaissance
Table of ContentsContents: Foreword Preface Note on Terminology IntroductionChapter 1. From Fez to Madrid Chapter 2. Jews in Morocco Chapter 3. Between the Dutch Republic and Morocco Chapter 4. Privateering, Prison, and Death Chapter 5. After Samuel: The Pallache Family Conclusion Notes Glossary Bibliography Index