Shepherds' Crusade (1320)
The Shepherds' Crusade of 1320 was a
In the beginning, the movement was aimed against Islam and for ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Spain for the sake of purification of the society. Later however, when the would-be crusaders moved out of Normandy towards the south of France, their target became the Jews. The movement's actions were not only an expression of antisemitism, but also a protest against the economic policies of the royals and the monarchy.[4][5]
Causes
The causes of the movement are complex; however, at the time a series of famines had set in related to climatic changes (the "
Along with this, the hypocritical leadership and the situation created by the people belonging to the upper class and the nobles led to the disastrous event of 1320.[2] The Jews were representatives of the monarchy as well as tax collectors, which became one of the leading factors for the crusade.[4] The failure of the society to take action against the violent acts that were aimed to change the current circumstances despite legitimizing the Holy war contributed to the onset of the movement. Also, the difference in the opinion of the crusaders and the king, as well as with Aymery de Cros, Seneschal of Carcassone, were some of the reasons which infuriated the crusade to target Jews in the first place.[7]
Beginnings
The crusade started in June 1320 in
Progress
The crusade marched south to Aquitaine, attacking castles, royal officials, priests, and
As expected the shepherds did attack some Jews, especially at the fortress of Montclus, where over 300 Jews were killed. James's son Alfonso was sent out to bring them under control. Those responsible for the massacre at Montclus were arrested and executed. There were no further incidents and the crusade dispersed.
Success and downfall
The crusade was successful for a limited period under the rule of Philip V. The temporary success was a result of the support from town governments, Consuls, the upper class, and the public. The wealthy class although they were fearful of the movement, still provided funds to crusaders for the movement and consuls allowed them to possess the arms which were prohibited in the town. The consuls defended the crusaders when they attacked Jews, seized their money, goods and robbed churches. It was easy to get public empathy in the time of 1320, thus crusaders got the populace which along with other supporters helped them to succeed in targeting the Jews for a brief period in which they killed a large number of Jews.
However, soon the crusade came to an end and was destroyed. The movement dispersed and the Pastoureaux were captured. One major contributor to the downfall of the Pastoureaux was Alfonso, son of James II of Aragon. Pastoureaux lost their power at the hands of Alfonso. To stop the crusaders a professional military skill was directed against them which targeted the crusaders in small groups and they were reduced to nothing in a blink of an eye.[2]
The Jews
After the defeat of the crusade, the Jews were helped by the Aragonese kings to stabilize and to return to their previous positions that they occupied before the movement. Aymery de Cros, Senechal of Carcassonne advocated for the protection of Jews based on Jews being "Serfs of the king".[2] He warned the people of Carcassonne of strong action if they supported the crusade against the Jews. He did not want such a movement to prevail in the area under his control. Therefore, he supported and protected the Jews that were under his power.[7]
Aftermath
This "crusade" is seen as a revolt against the French monarchy, somewhat like the first Shepherds' Crusade. Jews were seen as a symbol of royal power, as they more than any other population relied on the personal protection of the king both in France and in Aragon, and were often a symbol of the royal economy as well, hated by poor and heavily taxed peasants. Only a few years previously, the Jews had been allowed to return to France, after being expelled in 1306. Any debts owed to the Jews were collected by the monarchy after their expulsion, which probably also contributed to the peasant connection of the Jews with the king.
In 1321, King Philip fined those communities in which Jews had been killed. This led to a second revolt, this time among the urban population, although later chroniclers invented the idea of a "cowherds' crusade", a second wave of the Shepherds' Crusade. Although this never occurred, there were, however, more attacks on Jews as a result of the fines.
See also
References
- JSTOR 4466910.
- ^ S2CID 162883110.
- ^ Weakland, John (1976). "Pastorelli, Pope, and Persecution: A Tragic Episode in 1320". Jewish Social Studies. 38: 1.
- ^ JSTOR 1466255– via JSTOR.
- JSTOR 43901855– via JSTOR.
- Barbara Tuchman. A Distant Mirror. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1978, p41f
- ^ JSTOR 1454402.
- ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
Sources
- David Nirenberg, Communities of Violence: Persecution of Minorities in the Middle Ages. Princeton, 1996.
- Journal of Ecclesiastical History32 (2), 143–66.