John and Anti-semitism

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At Christmas time 1209-10 John turned his attention to the jews - many were persecuted. Though horrific events were carried out against the jews in Henry and Richard's reign, John's measures were particularly harsh e.g knocking out a man's teeth every day until he paid ten thousand marks of silver

Charged the Jews 4000 marks for the charter confirmed their rights and privileges.

Richard and John managed to partially rebuild the barricade which sheltered the Jews from violent persecution

However, John was also responsible for royal protection gradually developing into royal oppression

One of the most important terms of John's charter of April 1201 protecting the Jews: the right to reside in their kingdom was confirmed,hold property, and retain all the liberties and customs they enjoyed under Henry II. Jewish heirs could succeed to their fathers' money and debts, property held as security could be legally sold after a year and a day - obtained at a cost of £2,666 - most accepted this as a necessary price for continuing royal protection

Very fine line between graceless royal protection of this kind and royal exploitation: the Jews vulnerability in the hands of a desperate king soon came apparant

With the loss of the Angevin Empire (including Normandy) under John, the Jews will have lose cross-Channel trade, and general conduct of business would have been more difficult

John was determined to win back his French lands, thus needed money on an unprecedented scale. From 1207 the King increased the pressures, and the Jews were not excluded.

In this year he levied a tallage on them, as well as demanding 10% of the value of their bonds from Jewish lenders

1210 - 'Bristol tallage' imposed - precise figures unknown but estimated in the region of £44 000. John, being paranoid, was suspicious that he had not been paid everything in 1207. Jews were arrested and their records confiscated as John was convinces they were guilty of tax evasion. John checked their records in an attempt to check the sufficiency of what had been paid three years before

One Bristol Jew is said to have been held in captivity and had one tooth knocked out everyday until he paid what he owed. Others were imprisoned, and hanged

Even the poorest Jews were forced to pay amounts or had to leave the country. Many must have taken the latter option, leading to a substantial reduction in the size of English Jewry

1210 marks a turning point in history of the English Jewry - black year

In the early 1200s, many outstanding debts of deceased money lenders which had gone to the crown hadn't been collected by Henry or Richard. These debts still remained, but now with the sons and heirs of original debtors. In 1207 John ordered the repayments of outstanding debts, e.g those to Aaron of Lincoln - casual attitude of his predecessors towards debita Judeorum was abandoned

A radical extension of the debts going to the King after the death of a money lender - under John was ordering the debts of all living Jews to be taken into his John's hands and be collected - somewhat relaxed this system in 1212

Jews were seen as the agents of the king's hated financial policies, this resentment was bound to increase towards the Jews, as John's unpopularity deepened

Once the rebels of 1215 captured London they were quick to attack the London Jewry

Magna Carta gives some indication of the grievances created by royal manipulation of the system of Jewish moneylending: if the debts of an heir fell into the king's hands, no interest should be charged . Chapter 11 requires that widows and children of those indebted to the Jews should be provided for from the husband's estates before repayments are made

Can see from these clauses that in John's hands, the system had been subject to abuse and manipulation

Even after the death of John the future of English Jewry was uncertain and far from secure

The loss of Normandy 1204 had a significant impact on English Jews. John attempted to build up a huge war chest and taxed the Jews heavily

John tallaged Jews heavily, and also exacted huge sums from his nobility, became unpopular for his debita Judeorum. Dissatisfaction seen in 1215 attack on London Jewry, and clauses 10 and 11 of magna carta concerning outstanding debts

With

With the ever increasing number of scutages demanded by John in particular, barons sank further into debt, making the Jews even more unpopular

Baronial hostility increased throughout the Angevin period, culminating in John's reign. The barons could not openly criticise the King, but they could hurt him indirectly through attacking his financiers, the Jews

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