ABSTRACT
The civil war began shortly after Pedro's accession in 1350 and lasted until his death in 1369 and had profound consequences for the whole population although it was the Jewish aljamas that suffered the most. The civil war in Castile spanned fifteen years and was an 'on-off' affair in which a series of victories by Enrique were interspersed with defeats and by his flight to Aragon and later to France. The suffering of the Jews throughout the fifteen years of the civil war should not be perceived as part of a deliberate campaign nor of a systemic hatred of the Jews as it has often been portrayed. In Castile's civil war, Jewish participation in the fighting was reported in several different sources. To fifteen years of civil war, of attacks on the Jewish communities, and the surrendering or pillaging of their treasure were added the years of the archdeacon’s vitriolic campaign against them.
