Medieval Jewish History

Medieval Jewish-Christian Relations

Daily relations between Christians and Jews in the Middle Ages.

The Church and the Jews

A survey of Church issues relevant to Jews, including papal attitudes and actions and the enactments of ecclesiastical councils

How Spain and Portugal Expelled Their Jews

Pirates and plague loomed, and prized possessions sold for a pittance.

The Talmud on Trial

Medieval Jewish-Christian disputations.

The Almohads

The seizure of power in the Maghreb by a fanatical sect disrupted the relations between Muslims and Jews.

People of the Book

Muslim-Jewish relations in the Middle Ages.

Expulsion and Readmission

Medieval European Jewry repeatedly faced banishment for both economic and religious reasons.

Jews in North Africa and Egypt

New, more fanatical Muslim rulers caused the quality of Jewish life in North Africa and Egypt to deteriorate during the 12th and 13th centuries.

Jewish Language and Poetry

Arabic was the spoken and written tongue of the Jews in the medieval Muslim empire, a fact that encouraged cultural exchange and the development of new forms for Hebrew poetry.

Sephardic Jews in Amsterdam

Amsterdam became a haven for Jewish refugees from the Inquisition.