1000-1500(1.2 Jews in the Middle Ages) Flashcards
Why were the Jews invited by William?
Because they could read, write and do accounts at a time when not even kings were literate
>he needed them to help him contorl the land he seized
What were Jewries?
The small communities the Jews lived in
What was the Blood Libel and when was it?
> the false accusation from 1144 that Jews celebrated the death of Jesus by killing Christian children
Thomas of Monmouth wrote a book claiming that Jews were planning to ritually murder a Christian child every Good Friday to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus
Why were Jews encouraged to become money lenders?
Because kinds and bishops wanted to borrow money to build castles and cathedrals
What was used to encourage the Jews to become money lenders?
> laws were introduced that banned them from other occupations
eg Aaron in Lincoln and Licoricia in Oxford became very rich
What were the poorer Jews working as?
> fishmongers, doctors, goldsmiths, crossbow makers, artists etc
What was a charter of liberties?
> as long as they needed them, monarchs protected Jews by allowing them access to castles if they were in danger but they had to pay higher taxes in return
Christians started to felt they were on the side of the hated Norman rulers
What happened in 1095?
Instigated by the pope, Christians began to fight Crusades with the aim of expelling Jerusalem’s Muslim inhabitants
>Muslims and Jews were labelled as non-believers
How did the Blood Libel start?
> in Norwich on Good Friday in 1144 a boy’s dead body was found wearing only hsi jacket and shoes
a local priest and the family accused the city’s Jews of the murder
the townspeople turned on them and the sheriff offered the safe shelter in the castle
Why did Thomas of Monmouth write the book?
> likely to boost the reputation of his monastery
he was orignally from Wales and a fairly new arrival in Norwich so perhaps he was also promoting himself
Who spread the propaganda of the Blood Libel?
> the church and the rumours spread across England and all over Europe so Jews were accused of child killings and were murdered
What was a possible reason for the government and the Church for hating the Jews?
> they didn’t want to pay back with interest the money they’d borrowed
What happened in London with King Richard and the Jews and when?
> on 3rd September 1189 King Richard was to be crowned and they prepared to offer gifts
when Jewish leaders arrived at Westminster Hall for the coronation they were stripped, beaten, chased and killed
What happened in York in March 1190?
> barons who didn’t want to pay back debts to Jews stirred people up against them so their families feld to the castle
they were surrounded by a mob holding swords and torches calling them to come out and convert to Christianity or be burnt alive
those who surrendered were murdered the rest committed mass suicide cutting each other’s throats
Who and when and how many Jews were expelled?
In 1290, Edward I expelled the remaining 3000 Jews who were very poor
>they were forced to walk to the coast and take boats to Europe which is an early example of ethnic cleansing
