Excluded from the land, the Jewish farmers migrated to the cities and developed new and inventive skills in which to make trade. But this too, would not last long, as the evolvement of workers guilds5 would become another form of exclusion. This was primarily because of the social and religious governing by these guilds that refused to allow Jews to join, while at the same time, did not allow Jews to work independently in one specific field. These were a few Jewish guilds, but were only formed because of little rivalry of Gentile guilds in certain areas of industry. Jews were excluded from these guilds mainly because of trade and legislative restrictions, with regard to various trades6. These restrictions proved successful, with virtually every branch of trade closed to the Jews. The few still open trades included porters and stevedores7, as well as commerce.

This serves as perfect representation, in regard to the explicit hate and contempt for Jews, by those of the Christian faith, which was fueled by the notion that the Gospels diminished the responsibility of the Romans and instead laid the culpability on the Jews. With the mindset that the Jews were the killers of Christ, nonbelievers of the Messiah, money lenders19 and other theologically deemed “flaws”, an intense ring of discrimination and persecution occurred. Hence, this deprived the Jewish people for chances to grow and prosper with those who surrounded them and to continue to establish themselves in a constantly unfriendly and repressive society.

[The Jews sacrifice their children to Satan....they are worse than wild beasts. The synagogue is a brothel, a den of scoundrels, the temple of demons devoted to idolatrous cults, a criminal assembly of Jews, a place of meeting for the assassins of Christ, a house of ill fame, a dwelling of iniquity, a gulf and abyss of perdition...they have fallen into a condition lower than the vilest animal. Debauchery and drunkenness have brought them to the level of the lusty goat and the pig. They know only one thing: to satisfy their stomachs, to get drunk, to kill, and beat each other up like stage villains and coachmen]18.

Now excluded from both the land and trade, what next for the Jew? While the extent of exclusion was rampant in northern Europe and lesser so in the south, a new opportunity became available. Though “money lending” was suppressed ( reaching its peak in the 12th century), by both government and the Church. Money lending was more or less the same concept as a loan, money lent to an individual, which gained interest at a daily rate. The prospect of tapping an otherwise “illegal” market seemed the only option for a Jew to dabble in. In the rapid evolution of medieval society that contained peasants, feudal lords and merchants, it seemed beneficial for these individuals( the latter two) that money be lent on some form of accord. While the Church condemned this, the state, looking for economic prosperity and diversity, encouraged it. Yet Jews often had recourse for loans to Christians, even to Christian houses of faith, at considerable interest (interest rates were quite high due to a high risk factor environment where total loss was probable). Overall, the Jews of the later Middle Ages because directly synonymous with money lending or loaning. The system at the same time, further increased anti-semitic attitudes toward the Jews, out of resentment for increased loan interest rates and jealously for the moderate successes they experienced. Despite this, several other trades in addition to loaning, peddling and dealing, would allow for the Jew to thrive to the best of his ability under the harsh regulations imposed on him.

[The amount of blood that they shed on that day is incredible....Some of our men cut off the heads of their enemies; others shot them with arrows, so that they fell from the towers; others tortured them longer by casting them into the flames. Piles of heads, hands and feet we

Some topics in this essay:
Middle Ages1, Middle Ages, Ultimately Jews, Christianity Crusaders, Talmudic Jews, Jews Christian, Romans Jewish, Messiah Church, Jews Jews, Christians Jews, jewish people, money lending, middle ages, excluded land, christian faith, medieval anti-semitism, passed restricted jews, jews christian, believed jews, attacks jews, 20th century, decrees passed restricted,