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Christian Moneylending and the Paradox of Jewish Expulsion

Tue, December 18, 10:15 to 11:45am, Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center, Federal 1 Complex

Abstract

Anxieties and accusations concerning Jewish “usury” play a prominent role in narratives of Jewish expulsions in high and late medieval Europe. Yet most medieval Jews did not actively engage in moneylending, and for most of the Middle Ages, Catholic doctrine both permitted Jewish lending and forbade Jewish expulsion. Meanwhile, notwithstanding strenuous condemnations on the part of Christian religious authorities, Christian moneylending was widespread – yet it rarely inspired serious secular sanctions.

One group of Christian moneylenders, however, did in fact suffer repeated expulsion (or threats thereof) from jurisdictions throughout western Europe. In this talk, I will explore how the experiences of these so-called “Lombards” and “Cahorsins” – and in particular the discourses surrounding their expulsion – challenge traditional arguments concerning the role of moneylending in the history of Jewish life in medieval Europe.

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