What was the role of Jews in medieval England?

In the middle ages, Jews began to settle in towns around England. By 1189 there were about 5,000 Jews living in England’s towns. Jews were an important feature of economic life and they were protected by the king. Why was this?

"I make a lot of profit from the business activities of Jews. When a Jew dies, all the people who owe me money still have to pay it back. The money they owe and all the interest has to be paid into my treasury. This brings me in a lot of money every year. I can also raise money by taxing the Jews. I do not have to ask permission for this."

Royal exploitation

As you can see, medieval kings could make a lot of money from Jews. The main way that Jews were exploited was through taxation. At any time, the king had the right to force Jews to pay special taxes (known as tallages).

Legal status

All the possessions owned by Jews were the king’s property. However, Jews did benefit from certain privileges granted by the king. They had the right to travel freely and to buy and sell goods. They could move wherever they wanted and they could charge interest for lending money.

Role in moneylending

The Church banned Christians from lending money. If barons or knights needed money to buy or inherit land, they borrowed it from Jewish moneylenders. In return for lending money, people had to pay the moneylenders interest on the money they borrowed, which meant that they paid back a lot more than they borrowed. Interest rates could be as high as 40 per cent per year, which meant that if you borrowed £100 for a year you paid back £140. As a result, some Jews, like Aaron of Lincoln, became rich and powerful people within their local area. Some barons ran up large debts, borrowing money to buy the rights to land from the king and to buy important positions (offices) within the government.

Case study: York 1190

By the time that Richard I came to the throne the Jewish community in York was well established. York was the one city north of Lincoln where Jews settled in significant numbers.

The attacks on Jews living in York started in March. One stormy night, a band of armed men broke into the home of Benedict, a Jew who had recently died. The men killed all the Jews living in the house, including Benedict’s widow and children. They set the roof on fire and stole any valuables they found. The next day 150 Jews asked for protection from the royal constable of York castle.

The constable agreed to protect them. After his coronation as king in 1189, Richard I had ordered that no Jews should be attacked and that they were under his protection. The Jews that moved to the castle seemed safe. However, outside of the castle walls, Jews still living in the city found themselves under attack as rioting, arson and…