Anti-Semitism in Medieval England
Outline the basic history of the event(s). You can use a timeline or write it out.
Jews arrived in England after the Norman conquest around 1066. For the first century, they lived peacefully and apparently without much oppression. They flourished financially even though they were forbidden to practice some occupations. One they could practice was money lending, which Christians could not practice. Jews also were involved in the coining of money and one of Oxford’s earliest colleges, the Merton College, was financed by a wealthy Jewish family. The king protected Jews, but also taxed them heavily—more heavily than Christians. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the taxes became even heavier and material goods were confiscated from Jews to help pay for the crusades in the Holy Land. When John became king, he taxed the Jews even more and imprisoned whole communities if they could not come up with the money to pay the taxes. By the middle of the twelfth century, physical attacks and other types of oppression and abuse came about because of the furor over the crusades and continuing stereotypes about Jewish people. The website, History Extra explains, “In 1190, a violent riot erupted against the Jews of York, and the entire Jewish community was forced to take refuge in the castle, where they eventually committed suicide en masse rather than fall into the hands of the murderous townsmen” (History Extra). Around the same time, the Pope decreed that Jews had to wear identifying badges. A persistent stereotype was that Jews murdered Christian children and used their blood for sacrifices and on the doorposts before Passover. By the thirteenth century, most English Jews were poverty stricken because the ban on money-lending by Christians had been lifted. Their goods had been confiscated and the wealthy people who owed them money worked hard to get the king to punish the Jews even more such as decreeing that they could not inherit from their parents. Jews were expelled from England in 1290,
Briefly describe the two opposing religions basic tenets.
Christians believe that there is one God, God the Father. Jesus is the son of God, and then there is the Holy Spirit. These three are also part of the one God. They believe that people who die with Jesus as their savior will go to hell. Because Jesus died and was resurrected, though, people can avoid hell by accepting his gift of eternal life. They believe Jesus will return to Earth to take Christians to heaven and that there will be a day of judgment for all people.
Christianity is partially based on Judaism. Judaism follows the laws of the Old Testament. They believe there is one god who wants people to be just and merciful to one another.
How did the different beliefs, values and attitudes of the cultures add to the oppression?
Christians believe that it was the Jews who were responsible for Jesus being crucified. They hold this against them. Because Jews were financially successful though, some came to believe that it was their fault that some Christians were not financially successful.
How did the outcome of the conflict influence modern American ideas, beliefs and values?
Some anti-Semitism is present in American culture. Neo-Nazis and other white supremacist hate groups exist but they are not the majority. Some American like to believe that the United States is a Christian nation; however, Christianity is derived from Judaism. Some Christians do not like that this is so and this may add to anti-Semitism.
Opinion – why do you think religion played such a major role in these conflicts?
Christianity was a sect of Judaism when it began. It rose to become a major world religion with many of its members believing that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus. Through persecution against the Jews for these beliefs throughout history, the number of Jews in the world has been diminished. This makes Christianity a more dominant religion. That is why Christians feel as if it is acceptable to persecute Jews. I do not think the Jews have instigated attacks on Christians unless it was in defense of their lives or their property.
Work Cited
History Extra. "The Jews of medieval England." 2019. History Extra. Web. 19 September 2019. https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/the-jews-of-medieval-england
