Starry Messenger (picture book) Vatican Church, he was forced to retract his earlier statements that contradicted with the ideologies of the Vatican Church regarding the placement of the Earth, or risk death. Galileo chose to retract his statements and was confined to house arrest for eight years before his death in 1642. The book ends on a positive note when Sis writes about the Pardon that was issued to Galileo more than three hundred years later in October 1992. Peter Sis’s documentation of the acclaimed scientist, Galileo Galileo’s life received positive reviews from: "Kirkus Reviews", "Booklist", "School Library Journal" and more. "The New York
Forced conversions of Muslims in Spain that some converts chose to die as martyrs when demanded to recant by the Muslim rebels in Granada. A convert named Pedro de Mercado from the village of Ronda refused to join the rebellion in Granada; in response, the rebels burned his house and kidnapped members of his family, including his wife and a daughter. The crown later paid him compensation for his losses. In 1502, the whole Muslim community of Teruel (part of Aragon bordered with Castile) converted "en masse" to Christianity, even though the 1502 edict of conversion for Castilian Muslims did not apply to them. Harvey suggested