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The Development of the Myth of Jewish Ritual Murder in England

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The Development of the Myth of Jewish Ritual Murder in England History 480: Research essay From Anti-Judaism to Anti-Semitism? The Development of the Myth of Jewish Ritual Murder in England. Author: Hannah Smith Supervisor: Dr Chris Jones 2014 ‘This dissertation is submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of BA Honours in History at the University of Canterbury. This dissertation is the result of my own work. Material from the published or unpublished work of other historians used in the dissertation is credited to the author in the footnote references. The dissertation is approximately 9,984 Words in length.’ 1 ABSTRACT Accusations of Jewish ritual murder have persisted into the modern era, but the medieval origins of the accusation reflect the society from which it emerged. Between 1066 and 1290 the perception and position of the Jewish population in England changed. This period also witnessed the origins of the ritual murder accusations. In 1144 the accusation was dismissed by a majority of the population; by 1255 it was accepted by the Christian community and the Jews were the first place they turned when the body of the child was found. By locating the changing position of the Jewish community, and then comparing the development of the ritual murder accusations between the case of William of Norwich and Hugh of Lincoln, it allows the Jewish community to be viewed from a different vantage point. This dissertation will also critique Gavin Langmuir’s conception of medieval anti-Semitism, by exploring the alleged ‘irrational’ nature of the ritual murder accusation. The argument will be made, that they are also based in rational financial and societal concerns, and thus not the ‘irrational’ manifestations that Langmuir outlined. By the murder of Hugh in 1255, these accusations had passed into folk legend and taken on a more malevolent form but still had a rational financial underpinning. The accusation became part of the general perception of the Jews, and lasted long after the Jews were expelled. The development of the rituals, is key to understanding the way that the position of the Jews was changing in English society. 2 Contents Introduction………………….……………………………………………………… p. 4 Chapter One: Financial Indebtedness, Theology, and the York Massacre………….. p. 11 Chapter Two: William of Norwich: Continuity or Invention? ................................... p. 18 Chapter Three: Hugh of Lincoln: The Creation and Influence of a Folk Legend....... p. 26 Conclusion………………………………………………………………..………….. p. 33 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………….…… p. 35 3 INTRODUCTION During Ariel Sharon’s election campaign in 2003, the Independent newspaper published a cartoon by Dave Brown which depicted the Israeli leader consuming the flesh of a Palestinian child.1 Despite condemnation from Jewish organisations in Europe, the cartoon was awarded the Political Cartoon of the Year award by the British Political Cartoon Society.2 The ritual murder of Christian children, supposedly committed by Jewish communities, which is alluded to in this cartoon, has persisted in the western European imagination. However, the origin of the rhetoric can be traced to the city of Norwich in 1144, and the death of a twelve-year-old tanner’s apprentice named William. Through understanding the society from which it evolved, and by tracing the development of the myth from the murder of William of Norwich in 1144, to the murder of the eight-year-old Hugh of Lincoln in 1255, it is possible to understand why the accusation emerged. This dissertation will first locate the myth of ritual murder within the context of medieval English society, and then explore how the attitude towards the Jewish population changed between their admission to England in 1066 and their expulsion in 1290. This approach will aim to balance the emotive and controversial nature of the myth. The change in the Jewish position was inextricably linked to the changing attitudes of English kings who were influenced by political, economic and religious motivations. The Jews had been encouraged to immigrate to England from the North of France, after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror, they were eventually expelled from England on the orders of King Edward I in 1290. Jews were admitted in order to stimulate the economy. Their financial expertise, which was so valued at the time of their admission, increasingly became a cause for growing hostility on the part of the Christian community. As the intolerance for the Jewish population increased, there were also more irrational and malevolent accusations against the Jewish population. Gavin Langmuir has argued that the 1 Dave Brown, “Political Cartoon,” Independent, 27 January, 2003. 2“'Independent' cartoonist wins award,” Independent, 27 November, 2003. 4 change from anti-Judaism to anti-Semitism came when the dislike of the Jews became irrational.3 Instead of disliking a privileged ‘other’ group in society, the Christian population accused Jews of malevolent actions that were inherently irrational.4 The ritual murder accusations are according to Langmuir an example of these irrational manifestation. By comparing the process and construction of the ritual murders, and how they developed, it is possible to gain insight into the way the Christian perception of the Jewish population was changing. Ritual murder was, according to Langmuir, defined where the murder is the central or the most important element of the Ritual. Current scholarship indicates that this definition is too ‘artificial,’ the body of a drowned child in France in 1171, was enough to inspire the accusation.5 In the context of medieval England and the cases of William and Hugh, took the ritual form of a symbolic crucifixion designed to mock the Passion of Christ. The development of this particular aspect of the myth is evident in the change that occurred between the two case studies. The myth of ritual murder has persisted in the western imagination, but in order to understand why it survived the early development and the society from which it originated need to be explored. Methodology: The changing position of the Jewish population will first be discussed, in a general survey of how and why their role changed in England, with a focus on the theological basis for their position in society. In order to understand this change in England two case studies will then be focused on. The murder of William of Norwich in 1144, was the first ritual murder accusation in England, and the first recorded case since antiquity. The second case study, Hugh of Lincoln, as well as being the most documented case in England, is also the most infamous, surviving in folk legends and ballads long after the Jews were expelled. The developments in the ritual, and the response to the accusations, illustrates the broader changes in the perception of the Jewish population that was occurring in England and Europe. This approach aims to compare the two cases, to analyse 3Gavin Langmuir, History, Religion, and Anti-Semitism (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1990), 275. 4 Ibid. 275. 5 Anna Sapir Abulafia, Christian-Jewish Relations, 1000-1300: Jews in the Service of Medieval Christendom (Harlow: Pearson, 2011), 179. 5 how the reaction to the murder of the boys developed between 1144 and 1255, and how this reflected the changing position and perception of the Jewish population in English society. This approach will be used as a way of managing the complex nature of the surviving sources on the Jewish population. The Jewish community in medieval England is extremely well documented in terms of their legal and economic dealings. However, they are culturally and socially more silent. This is, in part, due to the Jewish expulsion and dispersal throughout Europe after 1290, which dismantled communities. Cecil Roth, one of the founding fathers of Anglo- Jewish history, stated that “never in the field of medieval history is it possible to know as much about so few as it is about the Jews of Angevin and Plantagenet England.”6 The primary sources relevant to this time are wide ranging and diverse, but the majority are legal and financial records with limited social and cultural documentation. The majority of the records, most importantly the records of the Exchequer of the Jews, were created and kept by Christian scribes in government archives. A significant portion carry a heavy bias, which disrupts attempts to accurately understand the Jewish population during this period. The approach adopted here will allow an analysis of a core section of source material which will lead to an understanding of the broader changes in society. The vast number of documents that have survived from this period create a problem for anyone attempting to analyse concisely the situation in England up to the expulsion. Due to this, the issue as to what to include and what sources to exclude must be dealt with by each historian in their own particular area of research. By focusing on the flashpoints of ritual murder, and the changing position and perception of the Jews, the source base will be reduced to a manageable and analysable level. Many case studies could be used to illustrate changing perceptions of the Jewish population, but the focus on ritual murder provides two cases that are comparable. The case studies, highlight a development in the ritual itself between 1144 and 1255, which is a reflection of the broader changes that occurred in England during the Middle Ages. 6 Cecil Roth, Quoted in Robin R. Mundill, The King's Jews: Money, Massacre and Exodus in Medieval England (London: Continuum, 2010), xi. 6 Historiography: It is impossible to look at Jewish lives in England during the Middle Ages, without looking at the Jews’ position in the wider European community. Robert Chazan has taken a broad approach to understanding the Jewish communities in Europe.7 England was not unique in its treatment of the Jews or the role that Jews played in society.
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