The Middle Ages

• 1066 - the Norman Conquest
• 1070 - first written account of Jews in Britain
• 1189 - First massacre of Jews in London
• 1265 - Italian bankers allowed to charge interest
• 1270 - Henry II ordered expulsion of all non-weavers
• 1290 - expulsion of Jews
• 1440-89 - "alien subsidies" tax on foreigners
• Impact of the Normans:

  • Land ownership - land was siezed from Anglo-Danish lords and given to Normans
  • Religion - William I took control of the church and replaced bishops with Normans
  • Names - Normans introduced surnames to show people's occupations or where they came from
  • Language - a dialect of Old French was introduced, though only the conquerors would have understood it
  • Law and order - introduced "murdrum"
• The Normans faced rebellion in 1069 in York that led to the Harrying of the North
• For most, life under the Normans did not change their daily life much - around 70% of the population were serfs with little land or rights
• Murdrum - a law imposed by the Normans that imposed a tax on an area where a murderer was thought to be until the murderer was caught
• Antisemitism - prejudice and discrimination against Jewish people
• Blood libel - The false accusation that originated in 1144 that Jews celebrated the death of Jesus by ritually murdering a Christian child
• Jews were invited by William I to settle in England as they were literate at a time when even kings weren't
• Jews were encouraged to become money lenders because they were allowed to in a society where Christians were not allowed to but the monarchy and Church still wanted money
• The Charter of Liberties - a document from the monarch that allowed Jews protection in return for paying higher taxes
• Why did attitudes towards Jewish people change?

  • Economics - Jews had to pay higher taxes to ensure protection, and therefore had to increase interest. This made them unpopular with people who thought that they were profiting off of money lending
  • Religion - The Crusades meant that there was opposition to all non-Christians, and Jews tended to be associated with the Muslims that England was fighting
• In 1144, Jews were accused of murdering a boy in Norwich in a book published by the monk Thomas of Monmouth
• The Church and government perpetuated the Blood Libel lie because it suited them to fuel hatred of Jews - it may have been because they did not want to pay back all the money that they had borrowed with interest
• 1210 - King John siezed Jewish property, killing or torturing those who resisted
• 1218 - Jews were made to wear a distinctive yellow cloth
• 1255 - The second Blood Libel - the Jewish population of Lincoln were blamed for the death of a boy found dead at the bottom of a well
• 1264 - 1000 Jews beaten to death in London
• 1275 - Edward I passed the Statute of Jewry, banning Jewish lenders from charging interest - most became incredibly poor
• 1290 - All Jews expelled from England
• Flemish weavers:

  • Came in the 1300s
  • Came for the better life in England and to escape war
  • Initially given royal protection
  • Many were murdered in the 1381 Great Rebellion
• Hanseatic League:

  • Came in the 1300s
  • Attracted by England's growing economy
  • Given tax and customs privileges in 1303
  • Often attacked in anti-foreigner riots
• Lombardy Bankers:

  • Came in the 1220s
• Lombardy Bankers:

  • Came in the 1220s
  • Came because they saw a chance to profit from England's growing wool industry
  • Given letters of protection to set up businesses in England
  • Generally disliked by the English, who demanded restrictions on them
• When were the Middle Ages?

  1000-1500
• How did the Normans affect land ownership?

  They siezed most of the land from Anglo-Danish lords
• How did the Normans impact religion?

  William I took control of the Church and replaced Anglo-Danish bishops with Normans
• How did the Normans impact names?

  They introduced surnames to show occupations or where they had migrated from
• How did the Normans influence language?

  A dialect of Old French was introduced, but only the conquerors would have understood it
• How did the Normans impact law and order?

  They introduced "murdrum"
• What was "murdrum"?


  A tax imposed on an area where a suspected murderer was, which was raised every day that the killer was not found
• How did the Normans deal with rebellion?

  After rebellion in York and Durham in 1609, the Normans retaliated with the Harrying of the North
• What was the Harrying of the North?

  The Normans laid waste to land by burning the fields, making the land useless, to assert authority over the English
• How was daily life impacted by the Normans?

  Not much - most of the population were serfs and that did not change with the arrival of the Normans
• Why were Jews invited to England in the Middle Ages?

  They could read, write, and do accounts at a time when even kings were illiterate