Christianity became the dominant religion in Europe, and various laws were introduced that discriminated against the Jews. These laws limited Jews’ freedom. They stretched into almost every area of Jewish life, from work to clothing.

Jews were not allowed to own land, and therefore could not become farmers. Jews were also banned from joining Christian guilds , and so as more and more craftsmen formed guilds, the choice of work for Jews was dramatically reduced.

Many Jews were traders. This was one of the few professions to handle money. As Europe became more prosperous in the twelfth century, money became an essential key to survival. Christians were banned from money lending and so Jews often were involved in the banking trade. This ‘choice’ of work added to the stigma and negative stereotypes surrounding Jews.

Jews were also sometimes identified by their clothing. In 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council ordered that Jews and Saracens should wear a badge to make them distinguishable . This built on the segregation already implemented by the Third Lateran Council in 1179, which decreed that Jews and Christians must live separately.

During the reigns of King Henry III (28 October 1216 – 16 November 1272) and King Edward I (20 November 1272 – 7 July 1307), many anti-Jewish laws were passed. One example of this was in 1218, when King Henry III issued a Royal Decree supporting the Fourth Council. All Jews were required to wear a badge on their outer garment at all times so they might be distinguished from Christians.

The policy of using a physical symbol to separate Jews was repeated in the twentieth century by the Nazis with their Jüde star badge

Many Christians believed that Jews were to be feared, and linked them to the Devil. This negative connection and image was reinforced through literature, plays, arts and more. However, perhaps the most effective way of spreading this message of fear in medieval times was through word of mouth.

A very damaging slander told about Jews was the blood libel . This accused Jews of murdering Christian children in order to use their blood in religious ceremonies.

The first known case of the Blood Libel was in 1144 when a 12-year-old boy, William, was found murdered in Norwich.  His death was unexplained, and there was no evidence linking Jews to this.  However, around four years later, the monk Thomas of Monmouth visited Norwich. He soon claimed that the Jews of the town had tortured and killed William. Soon accusations of ritual murders of children were spread across the country.

These accusations were almost always followed by intense persecution and the murder of Jews in the local community. Blood Libel accusations have continued throughout history. In 1928 in New York, Jews were falsely accused of kidnapping a four-year-old girl.

Another anti-Jewish story surrounded the origins of the Black Death in 1349. This bubonic plague devastated Europe in the fourteenth century, killing an estimated 25-50 million people.

As medical knowledge in the medieval period was extremely limited, people offered religious explanations for the catastrophe . The most popular explanations provided were of God punishing those who had sinned, or the Devil working to destroy Christianity.

One popular anti-Jewish story suggested Jews had been recruited by the Devil to carry out this work. According to this slander , Jews had enthusiastically agreed, poisoning water wells to infect Christians with the disease. Despite the fact that Jews were also dying from the plague, people widely believed the story.

Thousands of Jews were massacred as a result, and whole communities were wiped out across Europe.

The crusades were a series of religious wars in the medieval period. They were primarily between Christians and Muslims. Both sides fought for control over sacred, religious, lands in the Middle East.

In 1095 the newly elected Pope Urban II called on his followers to liberate Jerusalem, the holy land, from Muslim nonbelievers.

Whilst this call did not directly mention Jews, some Christians led their own crusades. Their aim was to destroy all enemies and non-believers of Christianity, not just those in Jerusalem.

The effects were devastating for the Jews. Thousands were targeted by Crusaders in the Rhineland in Germany in 1096. The crusaders aimed to entirely eliminate the Jewish population, either by converting them to Christianity, or, if they refused, by killing them.

This brutal attack was just one example of the antisemitism which was widespread throughout the Crusades.

The final result of the medieval antisemitism discussed above was the banishment of Jews from many countries throughout Europe from the late thirteenth century onwards.

In 1290, King Edward I expelled all Jews from England, and was swiftly followed by France in 1306, Switzerland in 1348 and Germany in 1394.

In England, Jews were not permitted to return until 1656. However, many of the other countries and towns temporarily allowed Jews to return, only to expel them again a few years later.

The most common reasons given for these banishments were the need for religious purity, protection of Christian citizens from Jewish money lending, or pressure from non-Jewish citizens who hoped to profit from Jews absence. Frequently, however, no reason was given at all.

The common attitude of officials was summed up by a declaration made by the Holy Roman Emperor Louis VI in 1343, ‘You belong to us, body and belongings, and we can dispose of them and do with you as we please’.