Jews in England 1100-1200

Reign of Henry

Jan 1, 1100

Henry I granted a charter to Jews which allowed freer settlement, seeing it as a way to increase revenues.

Reign of Stephen

Mar 25, 1135

During his reign the Jews suffered after the civil war when Stephen freed the Christians from their debt to the Jews.

Death of Pope Anacletus II

Mar 26, 1138

Known as the Jewish Pope because of his Jewish great-grandfather. The legend of Andreas, the baptized boy who remained true to the Jewish religion (which incidentally had no basis in fact) stemmed from stories about this pope.

Civil War between Matilde and Stephen

Mar 25, 1141

Jews of Oxford were forced to pay ransom to both sides or else their houses were burned.

First Ritual Murder Libel

Mar 22, 1144

Jews were accused of killing people for sacrifices after finding a dead boy the night before Easter. Scholars believe the boy was killed by a sexual predator or a cataleptic fit. These accusations led to the murders of the Jews who were charged.

Henry II

Mar 26, 1154

Henry was first of the Angevin (one of two medieval dynasties originating in France) kings. He both exploited and protected the Jews. During his reign Jews lent large sums of money to various church institutions and financed the building of cathedrals. This did not, however, increase their popularity in church circles.

Abraham IBN Ezra

Mar 26, 1158

Scholar and writer, Ibn Ezra visited England for a series of lectures. During his visit he also wrote his Letter of Shabbat and Yesod Mora, which he dedicated to Joseph ben Jacob of London.

Confiscating Revenue

Mar 26, 1164

London Jews loaned Thomas Beckett 10 marks for his flight to France. The King, furious at the loan, confiscated the revenue.

England

Mar 26, 1164

London Jews loaned Thomas Beckett 10 marks for his flight to France. The King, furious at the loan, confiscated the revenue.

Moving the Jews

Mar 25, 1168

Henry forced richer Jews to return to Germany and the rest to pay him a fine of 5000 marks in order to be able to remain in England.

England

Mar 26, 1168

Frederick Barbarossa complained to King Henry II about a number of Jews who had left his domain and were now residing in England. Henry forced the richer Jews to return to Germany and the rest to pay him a fine of 5000 marks in order to be able to remain in England.

Joyce

Mar 25, 1170

Joyce of Gloucester was fined by Henry II 100 shillings for lending money to Richard Care for his expedition to Ireland. Joyce didn't break a law but the king was nervous about the use of Jewish loans to finance any independent actions or policies.

Assize of Arms

Mar 25, 1181

The assize of arms and all the weapons in possesion of jews were confinscated because the king said they had no rreason for owning them and the weapons were turned over to the kings forces.

Abbey of St. Edmunds

Mar 27, 1181

There was a dispute between William the Sacristan and his associate Samson. The local townspeople and the Jews sided with William. Samson came in to power the next year, he demanded Jews be placed under his authority, they refused, so he expelled them.

Massacre at York

Mar 27, 1189

Riots broke out against Jew's that had been living in York for almost 20 years after their new king denied them protections. People burned their houses, and many of them were murdered.

York

Mar 16, 1190

On the Sabbath eve before Passover (Shabbat Hagadol), a group made up of clergymen, barons indebted to the Jews, and Crusaders waiting to follow Richard set Jewish houses on fire and stole all their valuables. Facing the choice of baptism or death, most chose death, committing suicide after destroying their belongings. According to tradition, Josce killed his wife and two children, and was in turn killed by the rabbi who was the last to die.

England

Mar 22, 1190

King Richard (the Lionhearted), angered by the riots and the loss of crown property (since the Jews were seen as serfs to the crown), renewed a general charter in favor of the Jews that was first issued by Henry II.

Palm Sunday, Bury St. Edmunds

Mar 26, 1190

Fifty-seven Jews were killed in a massacre. Shortly after, the local abbot, Samson, whose abbey was coincidentally in debt to Jewish money lenders, obtained permission to expel all the Jewish residents of the town

Jewish Population

Mar 27, 1190

The Jewish population in England numbered approximately 2,500 Jews. Until this time they enjoyed relative freedom of movement, education, and the right to own real estate as compared to the Jews on the continent.

Debts to Jews

Mar 27, 1194

King Richard, upon his return to England from the Third Crusade, said that "all debts of slain Jews are to be taken into the kings hands." In order to prevent the destruction of writs of debt by mobs (and the financial loss to the crown)