The Good, the Not so Good and the Downright Ridiculous Snape

[houyhnhnm102]

No: HPFGUIDX 167826

Goddlefrood:

>>> Goddlefrood, with a little date for you once 
>>> more, this time  1492, the death year of Nearly 
>>> Headless Nick (and I wonder if  JKR, when putting 
>>> this date had taken account of the Julian  Calendar?). 
>>> It was the same year in which, not only was America  
>>>"discovered" by Christopher Columbus, but it was also 
>>> Year 7000  anticipated Apocalypse failed to happen :) 
 
 Bart:

>> Also, the year of the Spanish Inquisition. 
 
Nikkalmati:

> Bart,  the Spanish Inquisition went on for over 
> 400 years with various period of  activity and inactivity.  
> There was no "year of the Spanish  Inquisition."

houyhnhnm:

1492 may have been only the beginning of the Inquisition, 
but it was the year of the fall of Granada and with it the 
end of the /convivencia/ of Muslim Spain.  Moors and Jews 
were expelled or forcibly converted to Christianity.  
Gypsies, those consumate cross-cultural pollinators, 
were also included in the list of peoples to be assimilated 
or driven out.  This much is history.  Fancy takes over 
from here and in my imagination I can see Spanish Witches 
and Wizards enjoying the cultural crossroads that was 
Andalusia, mixing freely with Muggles, engaging in debates 
over philosophy, alchemy, and science versus magic.  It 
must have been a very Dumbledorian atmosphere.  They 
experienced their share of the intolerance that followed, 
I'm sure. I don't doubt that January 2, 1492 was a dark day 
for the European Wizarding World in general.