ContentsAcknowledgmentsIllustrationsAbbreviationsMaps Introduction 1 The 'Secret Jews' and Proto-Racialism of Early Modern Spain and Portugal 2 Conspiracy Theories and Conspiracism1 Conspiracism and Society in Early Modern Europe 1 Defining the Conspiracy Theory 2 Delusional Paranoia, Collective Emotions and the Emotional Dimension of the Conspiracy Theory 3 Explaining the Popularity of Conspiracy Theories 4 Moral Panics: The Social and Political Function of the Conspiracy Theory 5 'Modernity' and the Origins of Conspiracism 6 Conspiracism in Early Modern Europe: the Demonic Superconspiracy 7 Conclusion: the Conspiracy Theory in the Age of 'Confessionalization'2 Forged Documents and the Fear of Jewish Infiltration: The Jewish World Plot and the Early Modern Iberian World 1 The Early Notions of a Worldwide Jewish Conspiracy in Medieval Europe 2 The Forged Letter of the Jews of Toledo to Those of Jerusalem: a Fatal Precedent? 3 Warrant for Hatred: the Forged letters from Toledo and Constantinople 4 The Obscure Origins of the Forged Letters 5 The Reception of the Forged Letters 6 Francisco de Quevedo's La Isla de los Monopantos 7 The Legacy and Influence of the "Toledan Letters" in Modern Antisemitism 8 Conclusion3 "Seeking to Build a Synagogue within the Church of God": the Alleged Converso Plot to Infiltrate and Destroy the Catholic Church 1 The Insidious Converso Threat to the Church 2 Perceiving Judaism as a Militant and Missionary Faith 3 The Spectre of the Jewish Dogmatizadores 4 The Menace of Jewish Proselytism amongst Africans and Amerindians 5 Reckless Resistance or Narrative Assault?: the Desecration of Religious Objects and the 'Jewish Conspiracy' 6 Conclusion4 Medical Murder: the Myth of the Jewish Serial-Killer Doctors 1 Jews and Medicine in Medieval Iberia 2 Fear of the Homicidal Jewish Doctor and its Medieval Roots 3 The Archetypal Homicidal Doctor: Dr Meir Alguadex 4 Converso Doctors and the 'Jewish Plot' 5 Ethnic Discrimination and the Medical Professions 6 Medical Antisemitism in the Eighteenth Century 7 Other Medical Conspiracy Theories: a Comparative Study 8 Conclusion5 "Traitors Who Dwell amongst Us": the Conversos as Collaborators and Masterminds of the Muslim and Protestant Onslaught against Spain and Portugal 1 The Archetype of Jewish Treason: the Fall of Toledo in 711 CE 2 The 'Jewish Origins' of the Reformation: Linking Conversos and Protestants 3 The 'Jewish Plot' against the Portuguese Empire 4 A New Toledo in the Americas: Jewish Treason and the Fall of Bahia (1624) 5 Dutch Brazil and the Image of the Conversos 6 The Dutch, the Conversos and the "Grand Conspiracy" against the Spanish Empire (1610-1650) 7 Conclusion6 "Sponges That Suck Up the Wealth of Spain": the Jewish Plot, Economic Parasitism and the Fear of Economic Decline 1 The Trope of Jewish Lust of Gold and Usury beyond 2 The Converso Merchant: a Parasite Growing at the Expenses of the Host 3 The Merchant in the Ancien Régime : a Figure of Suspicion and Fear 4 An Easy Hate Figure: the Converso Tax-Farmers and Asentistas 5 Conclusion Conclusion 1 The Elusive Converso Enemy: a Tool to Construct a Collective Identity 2 Epilogue: the Survival of the Conspiracist Narrative after Bibliography Index.