The de Castro surname is used by a Sephardic Jewish family of Portuguese

History of the Jews in Portugal

The history of the Jews in Portugal reaches back over two thousand years and is directly related to Sephardi history, a Jewish ethnic division that represents communities who have originated in the Iberian Peninsula .-Before Portugal:...

 origin. Soon after the establishment of the Portuguese Inquisition

Portuguese Inquisition

The Portuguese Inquisition was formally established in Portugal in 1536 at the request of the King of Portugal, João III. Manuel I had asked for the installation of the Inquisition in 1515 to fulfill the commitment of marriage with Maria of Aragon, but it was only after his death that the Pope...

, members of the family emigrated to Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...

, Bayonne

Bayonne

Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...

, Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

, and various cities in the Netherlands. Their descendants were later to be found scattered throughout Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

, France, Germany, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Some branches of the family have continued to bear the simple name of de Castro, others are known by de Castro-Osório, de Castro Sarmento, de Castro-Castello-Osório, Pereira de Castro, de Castro Vieira de Pinto, Rodrigues de Castro, Orobio de Castro, de Castro de Paz, Henriques de Castro, etc. The name often appears as "de Crasto." Notice that Castro

Castro (surname)

Castro is a Romance surname coming from Latin castrum, a fortification...

 is not in origin Jewish but an Iberian

Iberian Peninsula

The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...

 Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 name, adopted by some Portuguese and Spanish

History of the Jews in Spain

Spanish Jews once constituted one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities under Muslim and Christian rule in Spain, before the majority, together with resident Muslims, were forced to convert to Catholicism, be expelled or be killed when Spain became united under the Catholic Monarchs...

 Jews after the forced conversions

Anusim

Anusim is a legal category of Jews in halakha who were forced or coerced to abandon Judaism against their will, typically while forcibly converted to another religion...

 of the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

Abraham de Castro

Master of the mint and farmer of the coinage for Sultan

Sultan

Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

 Sulaiman, in Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

 in the 16th century

Through his wealth and benevolence, he gave away 3,000 gold florins a year in alms. He acquired great influence among the Turkish officials and was highly esteemed by his coreligionists, in whose affairs he took an active interest. When in 1524 Amad-Pasha, who had been appointed pasha

Pasha

Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...

 of Egypt as a reward for his exploits at the capture of Rhodes

Rhodes

Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...

 in 1523, plotted to establish himself as an independent sovereign, and asked De Castro to mint the coins with his name in lieu of the sultan's, De Castro secretly left Egypt and hastened to Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 to inform the sultan of Amad's plot. The sultan received him with high honors and gave him costly presents.

Amad took revenge on the Jews. He imprisoned several of them, probably relatives of De Castro, and imposed exorbitant taxes on the community, with heavy penalties in case of non-payment. De Castro returned to Egypt after Amad's execution, but the anxiety of the Jews was allayed only by the granting in 1524 of a firman at the instance of De Castro. In commemoration of this deliverance, the Egyptian Jews for a long time celebrated the 28th of Adar

Adar

Adar is the sixth month of the civil year and the twelfth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a winter month of 29 days...

 as a memorial day, with special festivities (Egyptian or Cairo Purim

Purim

Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...

).

Adolphe Danziger de Castro

Jewish scholar, journalist, lawyer, author of poems, novels and short stories, first president of the La Comunidad Sefardi of Los Angeles; born near Dobrzyń nad Wisłą, Russian Poland, (6 November 1859, died at Los Angeles, California, 4 March 1959)

For fuller details, see the separate article entitled Adolphe Danziger De Castro

Adolphe Danziger De Castro

Adolphe Danziger De Castro, also known as Gustav Adolf Danziger, Adolph Danziger, Adolphe Danziger and Adolphe De Castro, was a Jewish scholar, journalist, lawyer and author of poems, novels and short stories.-Life:Adolphe Danziger De Castro was born Abram Dancygier, the son of Symcha Jakub...

.

Balthazar (Isaac) Orobio de Castro

Philosopher, physician, and apologist; born at Braganza

Braganza

Braganza may refer to:* House of Braganza, a Portuguese ducal and later royal House* Duke of Braganza, a Portuguese title that has been used for example by several heirs-apparent to the Portuguese throne...

, Portugal, about 1620, died at Amsterdam 7 November 1687

For fuller details, see the separate article entitled Balthazar (Isaac) Orobio de Castro

Balthazar (Isaac) Orobio de Castro

Balthazar Orobio de Castro , was a Jewish philosopher, physician and apologist, born at Bragança, Portugal.-Life:...

.

Benedict (Baruch) Nehamias de Castro

Physician in ordinary to Queen Christina

Christina of Sweden

Christina , later adopted the name Christina Alexandra, was Queen regnant of Swedes, Goths and Vandals, Grand Princess of Finland, and Duchess of Ingria, Estonia, Livonia and Karelia, from 1633 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustav II Adolph and his wife Maria Eleonora...

 of Sweden and writer on medicine, born at Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

 in 1597, died there 31 January 1684

He attended the gymnasium

Gymnasium (school)

A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...

 of that city in 1615, received preparatory instruction in medicine from his father, Rodrigo de Castro, and later prosecuted this study at several universities. After his graduation at Padua

Padua

Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...

 (or at Franeker

Franeker

Franeker is one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Franekeradeel. It is located about 20 km west of Leeuwarden on the Van Harinxma Canal. As of 1 January 2006, it had 12,996 inhabitants. The city is famous for the Eisinga Planetarium from around...

), he began to practise in Hamburg (1622), acquiring such fame that in 1645 he was appointed physician in ordinary to the queen of Sweden.

De Castro was for some time president of the Portuguese-Jewish congregation at Hamburg and was a zealous adherent of Sabbatai Zevi

Sabbatai Zevi

Sabbatai Zevi, , was a Sephardic Rabbi and kabbalist who claimed to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. He was the founder of the Jewish Sabbatean movement...

. He was twice married. In his old age he was reduced to such poverty that he was compelled to sell his library and furniture, to obtain the means of subsistence. This 'vir humanissimus', as Hugo Grotius

Hugo Grotius

Hugo Grotius , also known as Huig de Groot, Hugo Grocio or Hugo de Groot, was a jurist in the Dutch Republic. With Francisco de Vitoria and Alberico Gentili he laid the foundations for international law, based on natural law...

 calls him, was interred in the cemetery of the Portuguese congregation at Altona

Altona, Hamburg

Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...

. The tombstone erected by his relatives bears the inscription: "Do Benaventurado muy insigne Varão o Doutor Baruch Nahamyas de Castro faleczo em 15. Sebat año 5444. Sua alma gloria."

De Castro, under the pseudonym Philotheo Castello, was the author of the following works.

• "Flagellum Calumniantium, seu Apologia in qua Anonymi Cujusdem Calumniæ Refutantur, Ejusdem Mentiendi Libido Detegitur", Amsterdam, 1631, a polemical work, in which the author defends physicians of Portuguese origin against the malicious attacks of a certain Joachim Curtius. It is said to have been published at Antwerp in 1629, under the title "Tratado da Calumnia em o qual Brevemente se Mostram a Natureza, Causas e Effeitos deste Pernizioso Vicio."
• "Monomachia sive Certamen Medicum, quo Verus in Febre Synocho Putrida cum Cruris Inflammatione Medendi Usus per Venæ Sectionem in Brachio ...." Hamburg, 1647, a work dedicated to Queen Christina.

Daniel (Andreas) de Castro

Physician, born Hamburg 1599

Younger brother of Baruch Nahamias, with whom he attended the gymnasium and studied medicine. He was physician in ordinary to King Christian IV of Denmark, and lived at Glückstadt

Glückstadt

Glückstadt is a town in the Steinburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Lower Elbe at the confluence of the small Rhin river, about northwest of Altona...

.

David Henriques de Castro

Numismatist and author, born Amsterdam 1832, died there 10 October 1898

Son of Moses Henriques de Castro. He was a man of much learning, member of the board of directors of the Portuguese synagogue at Amsterdam, and president of the committee of the Portuguese Jews of The Netherlands.

He possessed a rare collection of old coins and art treasures, and a library rich in Spanish and Portuguese manuscripts and printed works dealing with the history of the Jews

Jews

The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

, an elaborate catalogue of which appeared shortly after his death, under the title "Catalogue ... de la Succession de Feu M. D. Henriques de Castro", Amsterdam, 1899 (with illustrations). The whole collection was sold at auction in April 1899.

De Castro was appointed knight of the Order of the Immaculate Conception by the king of Portugal. He was a member of the Royal Archeological Society at Amsterdam, the Netherlands Literary Society at Leyden, and the Zeeland

Zeeland

Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...

 Society of Arts and Science at Middelburg

Middelburg

Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...

.

De Castro took a keen interest in the history of the Spanish-Portuguese congregation of Amsterdam, in the renowned men identified with it - notably Spinoza - and in the inscriptions on the tombstones of the old cemetery at Oude Kerk. He laid bare an entire section of this old burial-ground and unearthed costly tombstones. He was also interested in the Jewish cemetery at Middelburg

Middelburg

Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...

 near Flushing

Flushing, Netherlands

Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...

, where he resided for some time.

The results of his investigations are embodied in the following works.

• "De synagoge der Portugeesch-Israelitische Gemeente te Amsterdam", 1675–1875, published on the occasion of its bicentenary
• "Keur van Grafsteenen op de Nederl.-Portug.-Israel. Begraafplaats te Oudekerk aan den Amstel", Leyden, 1883 (text in both Dutch and German).

De Castro was a contributor to several periodicals, such as the "Israelitisch Weekblad".

Ezekiel de Castro

Physician, born in Portugal in the early part of the 17th century

After completing his studies at Coimbra

Coimbra

Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...

, he began the practise of medicine at Verona

Verona

Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...

 in 1639. Barbosa

Barbosa

Barbosa is a Portuguese language and Galician surname.It may refer to:* Adoniran Barbosa, Brazilian singer* César Barbosa , Colombian botanist* Chris Barbosa, American producer* Daniel Barbosa, Colombian serial killer...

 ("Bibl. Lusit. i. 767") calls him "insigne medico e subtil filosofo."

De Castro possessed some knowledge of Jewish literature. He was the author of the following works on medicine.

• "De Colostro", about 1639
• "Ignis Lambens, Historia Medica, Prolusio Physica, Rarum Pulchrescentis Naturæ Specimen", Verona, 1642, in which he refers at times to Biblical and Talmudic matters (a work entitled "De Igni Lambente in Deserto" was published by Pedro de Castro in the same year at Verona)
• "Amphiteatrum Medicum in quo Morbi Omnes Quibus Imposita Sunt Nomina ab Animalibus Raro Spectaculo Dibellantur", Verona, 1646.

Felix de Castro

Spanish physician, lived at Agramunt

Agramunt

Agramunt is a municipality in the comarca of the Urgell in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the north of the comarca, near the border with the Noguera....

 in the first quarter of the 18th century

On 30 November 1725, he was condemned by the Inquisition to imprisonment for life for Judaizing.

Hananeel de Castro

English communal worker, son of Mosseh and Judith de Castro, born London, 16 October 1794, died 23 March 1849

During 1817 to 1818, he served with the English volunteers in Barbados

Barbados

Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...

, and soon after returned to London where in December [1828, he married his cousin, Deborah de Jacob Mendes da Costa.

In London, De Castro at once took an important part in the communal life of the Bevis Marks Synagogue

Bevis Marks Synagogue

----Bevis Marks Synagogue is located off Bevis Marks, in the City of London. The synagogue, affiliated to London's historic Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community, is the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom still in use...

. At the time of the blood accusation

Blood libel

Blood libel is a false accusation or claim that religious minorities, usually Jews, murder children to use their blood in certain aspects of their religious rituals and holidays...

 at Damascus

Damascus

Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...

 (1840) he was president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

Board of Deputies of British Jews

The Board of Deputies of British Jews is the main representative body of British Jews. Founded in 1760 as a joint committee of the Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jewish communities in London, it has since become a widely recognised forum for the views of the different sectors of the UK Jewish...

, and was among the first to urge Sir Moses Montefiore

Moses Montefiore

Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, Kt was one of the most famous British Jews of the 19th century. Montefiore was a financier, banker, philanthropist and Sheriff of London...

's journey to the East. About the same period (20 January 1845) he laid the foundation of Sussex Hall, consisting of a library and lecture hall, which was the first Jewish literary institution in London.

During the bitter controversies following the promulgation of the herem against the Reform synagogue in 1841, Hananeel de Castro strove unceasingly to bring about a reconciliation. Finally, on 9 March 1849, a few weeks before his death, he secured the repeal of the herem insofar as it applied to Ascama No. 1.

Isaac de Castro

Author, lived probably in Amsterdam about 1612

He wrote the extremely rare work "Sobre o Principio e Restauração do Mundo", A. de 14 de Adar, 5372.

Isaac de Castro

Talmudist, born in Egypt about 1630, son of Jacob de Castro

He was distinguished for his Talmudic learning, and accumulated considerable wealth.

Isaac de Castro

Turkish printer, progenitor of the De Castro family of Constantinople, born at Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

 in 1764, died at Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 in 1845

He founded an important printing establishment in the latter city. In 1815 he was commissioned by the government of the Sultan Mahmud II to organize the national Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 printing office. Of keen mind and exemplary probity, and being a great benefactor of his coreligionists, he was universally esteemed, and was decorated by the Sultan Mahmud with the Order Nishan-Iftikhar. He was an English subject. At his death he left one daughter, Dolceta, and six sons, Abram, Jacques, Moses, Nissim, Joseph, and Léon.

Jacob de Castro

First Jew born in Hamburg (1600), died there at the age of ninety-nine

He was a brother of Benedict and Daniel de Castro.

Jacob de Castro

Rabbinic authority, lived in Egypt, died there in 1610

He was a nephew (not a son, as had been believed) of the master of the mint, Abraham de Castro. On a pilgrimage to Safed

Safed

Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...

 he was the guest of Joseph Caro, by whom he was highly esteemed. De Castro corresponded among other of his contemporaries with Samuel de Medina

Samuel de Medina

Rabbi Samuel ben Moses de Medina , was a Talmudist and author; born 1505; died October 12, 1589, at Salonica. He was principal of the Talmudic college of that city, which produced a great number of prominent scholars during the 16th and 17th centuries...

, and was the author of the following works, which were published after his death.

• "'Erek Lehem" (An Order of Bread), novellÊ and notes to the four legal codes, Constantinople, 1718
• "Ohole Ya'akob" (Tents of Jacob), ritual decisions, Livorno
  Livorno
  Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
  
  , 1783
• "Kol Ya'akob" (Voice of Jacob), derashot on the Pentateuch (cited by Azulai as manuscripts), Constantinople
• "Nazir", and a number of similar writings on Talmudic subjects, published by Jacob Hagis in his "Halakot Ketanot", Venice, 1704.

Jacob de Castro

Comedian, born in London 14 January 1758, died after 1815

A son of a Hebrew teacher, he was intended in his youth for the Jewish ministry, and with this in view he attended the various scholastic institutions of the Portuguese synagogue. But he showed an early predilection for the stage, at the age of fifteen arranging plays and farces in commemoration of Purim

Purim

Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...

. He first appeared at the Theatre Royal

Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...

, Covent Garden

Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...

, in 1779 in a farce, then at the Royal Circus at the Haymarket Theatre

Haymarket Theatre

The Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use...

 in 1785. In 1786 he engaged with Philip Astley

Philip Astley

Philip Astley was an English equestrian, circus owner, and inventor, regarded as being the "father of the modern circus"...

 in the latter's "Amphitheater and Ambigu-Comique", remaining with him for a number of years and performing in a long list of burlesques, musical farces, and pantomimes. He was the chief of a small body of performers who were colloquially spoken of as 'Astley's Jews'.

In 1803 De Castro became manager of the Royalty Theatre

Royalty Theatre

The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho and opened on 25 May 1840 as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938. The architect was Samuel Beazley, a resident in Soho Square, who also designed St James's Theatre, among...

, but later returned to Astley, with whom he remained until his death, appearing frequently in his amphitheater in Dublin.

Jacques de Castro

Turkish physician, son of Isaac de Castro, born in 1802, died in 1876

After finishing his medical studies at Paris, Sultan 'Abd al-Majid appointed him head physician of the military hospital at Constantinople. Castro was made a senator by Sultan 'Abd al-Aziz and was appointed by Sultan Abd al-Hamid his consulting physician, receiving the Order of the Medjidie.

Jose Rodrigues de Castro

Christian rabbinic scholar, librarian, born in Spain in 1739, died about 1795

Appointed royal librarian to Charles III and Charles IV, he devoted himself to a revision of the bibliographical labours of Nicolas Antonio

Nicolás Antonio

Nicolás Antonio was a Spanish bibliographer born in Seville. After taking his degree in Salamanca , he returned to his native city, wrote his treatise De Exilio , and began his monumental register of Spanish writers...

, producing at Madrid

Madrid

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

 in 1781 the "Biblioteca Española". This contains in the first volume accounts of Spanish Jewish authors, taken mainly from Bartolocci, though there is evidence that the writer knew some Rabbinic Hebrew, as his work includes Spanish translations of two Hebrew poems on chess. He addressed to Charles III on his accession a number of Hebrew, Latin and Greek verses entitled "Congratulatio Regi", Madrid, 1759.

Leon Hayim de Castro

Ladino

Judaeo-Spanish

Judaeo-Spanish , in Israel commonly referred to as Ladino, and known locally as Judezmo, Djudeo-Espanyol, Djudezmo, Djudeo-Kasteyano, Spaniolit and other names, is a Romance language derived from Old Spanish...

 editor, lived in the 19th century

Editor of the Spanish (Ladino) periodical, published at Constantinople in 1853, under the title "Or Yisrael", "La Luz de Israel".

Moses de Castro

Rabbinic authority, lived in the 16th century

Presumably a pupil of Berab, he was distinguished by great learning and ascetic piety. At first the head of a Talmudic school in Cairo, he settled later (about 1530) in Jerusalem. When Jacob Berab, rabbi of Safed

Safed

Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...

, sought to invest the ordination of rabbinical judges with a higher authority, and to re-establish in Palestine a kind of Sanhedrin with himself as president, it was Moses de Castro and Levi b. $abib who successfully opposed the movement.

Moses Orobio de Castro

Son of Balthazar (Isaac) Orobio de Castro

Balthazar (Isaac) Orobio de Castro

Balthazar Orobio de Castro , was a Jewish philosopher, physician and apologist, born at Bragança, Portugal.-Life:...

 and a popular physician in Amsterdam

Nissim de Castro

Astronomer, lived in the 19th century

Author of a Ladino textbook on astronomy

Astronomy

Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...

, published at Constantinople 1850, entitled, "Una Mirada á los Cielos, ó la Puerta de la Astronomia".

Rodrigo de Castro (also David Namias)

Physician, born 1550 at Lisbon, died at Hamburg, date disputed but probably 1 February 1627

Castro studied medicine at Évora

Évora

Évora is a municipality in Portugal. It has total area of with a population of 55,619 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Évora District and capital of the Alentejo region. The municipality is composed of 19 civil parishes, and is located in Évora District....

 and Salamanca

Salamanca

Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...

 and, after receiving there the degrees of doctor of philosophy and of medicine, he practised at Lisbon. Philip II

Philip II of Spain

Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....

 requested him on the completion of his studies to make a journey to East India for the purpose of collecting medicinal herbs and studying them scientifically, but the request was refused.

In order to escape the persecutions of the Inquisition, Castro settled in Antwerp with his wife, Katharina Rodriguez and their two children. Here, by effecting some fortunate cures, he soon won high esteem, but when the Spanish re-established themselves in The Netherlands, considering himself insecure, he left Antwerp, probably living in northern Holland for several years until his countryman and colleague, possibly also relative, Henrico Rodriguez, induced him to make Hamburg his permanent home (1592).

When the plague broke out in that city in 1596, Castro distinguished himself by self-sacrificing devotion. He wrote a treatise on the plague and dedicated it to the Senate of Hamburg. Though he did not hold the office of "Medico del Senado" or city physician, as Daniel Levi de Barrios states in his "Relacion de los Poetas y Escritores Españoles", p. 55, he was a very popular and active physician and was frequently summoned by the magnates of neighboring countries, among whom were king Frederick II

Frederick II of Denmark

Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...

 of Denmark, the landgrave of Hesse

Hesse

Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...

, the duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1348, when Albert II of Mecklenburg and his younger brother John were raised to Dukes of Mecklenburg by King Charles IV...

, and John Adolf

John Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp

Johann Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp was a Duke of Holstein-Gottorp.He was a third son of Duke Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp and his wife Christine of Hesse-Kassel . He became the first Lutheran Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Lübeck and the Administrator of the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen...

, duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp

Holstein

Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....

 (1590–1616) and in personal union

Personal union

A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...

 administrator of the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen

Archbishopric of Bremen

The Archdiocese of Bremen was a historical Roman Catholic diocese and formed from 1180 to 1648 an ecclesiastical state , named Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen within the Holy Roman Empire...

 (1589–1596).

During Castro's first years in Hamburg he did not avow himself a Jew, but the first list of Portuguese Jews published in the city council makes mention of Dr. Rodrigo de Castro "together with his wife, two full-grown sons, and other small children." After the death of his wife (1603) who, since there was no Jewish cemetery in Hamburg-Altona, was buried either in the Christian cemetery or in the place obtained by Castro "within the pale of the Church", he married again. For almost fifty years, thirty-five of which were spent at Hamburg, he acted as the friend and helper of suffering humanity, being styled "master of his art", "famous physician", and "prince of medicine of his time." He was buried in the cemetery of the Jewish-Portuguese congregation at Altona

Altona, Hamburg

Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...

.

The following works of Rodrigo de Castro appeared in print.

In Latin

• "Tractatus Brevis de Natura et Causis Pestis Quæ Hoc Anno 1596 Hamburgensem Civitatem Afflixit", Hamburg, 1596
• "De Universa Mulierum Morborum Medicina", ib. 1603 (1604), 1628, 1664, Venice 1644, Hanover 1654, Cologne 1689, Frankfurt
  Frankfurt
  Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
  
   1668
• "Medicus Politicus, sive de Officiis Medico-Politicis Tractatus", a kind of medical encyclopedia and methodology, Hamburg, 1614, 1662

In Portuguese

• "Tratado de Herem, Em o Qual a Serca Desta Materia", etc., cited also under the title "Trattado da Halissa, En o Qual Sen a Desta Materia Dialogi xxv." 1614

Several members of his family were physicians of some repute, his uncle Emmanuel Vaëz having attended four kings of Portugal.

Members of the de Castro family sentenced by the Inquisition

The following were condemned by the Toledo

Toledo, Spain

Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...

 Inquisition

• Teresa de Castro (1485)
• Manuel de Castro of Madrid (1561)
• Francisco de Castro (1625)
• Jorge de Castro (1664)
• Ana de Castro, wife of Rodriguez Mercado (1676)
• Ines de Castro, wife of Luis Cardoso (Toledo, 1679)
• Catalina de Castro, wife of Balthazar de Castro of Guadalajara (1691)

Life sentences were imposed on the following, all of whom were physicians

• Alvarez de Castro of Pontevedra
  Pontevedra
  Pontevedra is a city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the comarca and province of Pontevedra, in Galicia . It is also the capital of its own municipality which is, in fact, often considered as an extension of the actual city...
  
  , aged twenty-five, sentenced 21 September 1722 at Santiago
  Santiago de Compostela
  Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
  
  
• Simon de Castro of Badajoz
  Badajoz
  Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
  
  , aged twenty-five, sentenced 30 November 1722 at Llerena
  Llerena
  Llerena may refer to:*Llerena, Badajoz in Badajoz province, Spain, postal code 06900*A Hispanic surname, including the poet José A. Llerena...
  
  
• Joseph de Castro of Madrid, aged forty-nine, sentenced 30 November 1722 at Llerena
• Felix de Castro, sentenced 30 November 1725