Dona Gracia of the House of Nasi - by Cecil Roth (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Here is the story of Dona Gracia, one of the most remarkable women in Jewish history. The pride of sixteenth century Jewry, she is acknowledged today for her courageous defense of her people and the promotion of their culture. This JPS classic presents the first full-length biography of Dona Gracia in English. It is an epic drama featuring extraordinary characters who risked their lives for freedom of conscience, playing for high stakes among the palaces and political courts of Renaissance Europe.

From the Back Cover

Dona Gracia, a Marrano or 'converso' (secret Jew), flees the Inquisition in Portugal. She wanders Europe, rises to financial power in Antwerp, finds sanctuary, finally, in Turkey, where she spends her last years as the uncrowned Queen of Jewry in the Ottoman Empire.