Toledo
Toledo
One of the foremost cities of Spain during the Renaissance, Toledo was a major commercial, cultural, and religious center. It served as the headquarters of the Spanish church and the site of various church councils. By 1571 Toledo had become the country's second largest city after Seville. However, after King Philip II (1527–1598) established Madrid as his capital, Toledo lost prestige and began a period of decline. Between 1571 and 1639, its population shrank from about 60,000 to 24,000.
Before this decline, Toledo was a dynamic and varied place. From 1519 to 1522 it emerged as the center of resistance to the new Habsburg rulers. Many of Toledo's residents worked in the manufacture of wool and silk cloth. Almost 20 percent were conversos—Jews who had converted to Christianity because of the Spanish Inquisition*—and they dominated the city's economy.
The University of Toledo, founded in the mid-1500s by a family of converso origin, was only one example of the city's cultural vitality. Toledo also had several important printing presses as well as prominent literary circles and groups of reformers. The most famous artist of Renaissance Toledo was the Greek-born painter Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known as El Greco. He painted scenes of the city and some of its prominent citizens.
- * Spanish Inquisition
court established by the Spanish monarchs that investigated Christians accused of straying from the official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly during the period 1480–1530