Clara Roiz o Maduro, born 1596, readopted Judaism and her Jewish name Rachel in Amsterdam. In 1619 she married Moseh Levy, also a Portuguese Converso, and the new combined surname of Levy Maduro was created. The double name was used by nine more generations but by the late 20th century most Levy Maduro descendants had shortened the name to Maduro.
29 November 2010
What is the origin of the Levy Maduro name?
Antonio Roiz o Maduro, son of Diogo Roiz o Maduro and Clara Lopes, was born in 1570 in Trancoso, Portugal. The Inquisition records describe his arrest in 1612 with his father, brother and brother-in-law. Those three were released but the tribunal sentenced Antonio to death. Following the "auto da fe" he was burned at the stake in Coimbra, Portugal on 28 August 1616. His wife Isabel fled with their children to St. Jean de Luz, France and eventually two of the children - Clara and Diogo - made their way to Amsterdam.
28 November 2010
What is the origin of the Maduro name?
Maduro - ripe or mature in Spanish and Portuguese - was first attached to the family name Roiz in 16th century Portugal. (Roiz was the shortened form of the Spanish Rodriguez and Portuguese Rodrigues.) Two brothers, Diogo and Luis Roiz, used the name Roiz o Maduro - "Roiz the Elder" - probably to distinguish themselves from Diogo's grandson Diogo and son Luis. Sometimes the "o" was dropped, resulting in the name Roiz Maduro.
The Roiz family were Jewish Conversos, sometimes called New Christians or Marranos, those who had converted to Catholicism either by force or by choice. Many of these families continued to observe their Jewish traditions in secret but were often subjected to questioning and trial by the Inquisition. The 1612 Portuguese Inquisition archives record the arrest of Diogo Roiz o Maduro and two of his sons and a son-in-law. All except Diogo's son Antonio Roiz o Maduro were released. See the 29 Nov 2010 post for more about him.
The Roiz family were Jewish Conversos, sometimes called New Christians or Marranos, those who had converted to Catholicism either by force or by choice. Many of these families continued to observe their Jewish traditions in secret but were often subjected to questioning and trial by the Inquisition. The 1612 Portuguese Inquisition archives record the arrest of Diogo Roiz o Maduro and two of his sons and a son-in-law. All except Diogo's son Antonio Roiz o Maduro were released. See the 29 Nov 2010 post for more about him.
22 October 2010
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog about branches on the Maduro family tree.
Over the years I've collected genealogical information about the Levy Maduro family of Amsterdam, their Portuguese ancestors, and their Maduro descendants around the world. In this blog I'll describe the Maduro connection to some of those other families.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)