The conversion of the Muslims of Valencia (1521-1525) and the doctrine of the Church on forced baptism
La conversion des musulmans de Valence (1521-1525) et la doctrine de l'Eglise sur les baptêmes forcés
Résumé
Many Muslims were led to baptism in the summer of 1521 in the kingdom of Valencia, during the revolt of the Germanias. In 1525, Emperor Charles V, advised by an assembly of jurists and theologians, decreed that these baptisms were valid, and that the converts had to submit to the Catholic faith. That same year, Fernando de Loazes (1497–1568), a jurist and a prosecutor of the inquisition of Valencia, published the "Tractatus super nova paganorum conversione", a legal treatise intended to silence any objection to the validity of the baptisms. This paper analyzes the argumentation developed in this book. Proceeding according to the scholastic method, Loazes first showed that the baptisms were invalid: royal law, papal tolerance, and the lack of consent of the Muslims were his main arguments. However, in the second and third parts of the treatise, he showed on the contrary that the baptisms of 1521 were valid according to canon law, and that they corresponded to the designs of Providence. The argumentation was solidly based on the doctrine elaborated by the canonists and theologians about forced baptisms since the seventh century during the conversions of Jews. This analysis leads to a final question: should canon law dictate a highly political decision to Charles V?