Which Spanish king decreed the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609?

Philip III decreed the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609.

The Moriscos were descendants of Muslims who had been compelled to convert to Christianity after the Christian reconquest of Muslim-ruled territories. Despite official conversion, many retained distinctive cultural, linguistic, and religious traditions, leading Spanish authorities to question their loyalty and sincerity.

Philip III signed the first expulsion decree on 9 April 1609. The policy was implemented region by region, beginning with Valencia, where Morisco communities were especially numerous. Expulsions continued through 1614 and removed roughly 275,000 to more than 300,000 people, depending on the historian and the method of counting.

The decision was influenced by religious suspicion, fears of Ottoman or North African connections, political concerns, and economic motives. Officials and nobles also anticipated gains from confiscated Morisco property. A frequent mistake is attributing the expulsion to Philip II, whose reign saw earlier attempts at forced assimilation and the Morisco Revolt, but the kingdom-wide expulsion belonged to Philip III’s reign.