*Ø* Blogmanac November 1, 1290 | The expulsion of English Jewry

1290 Edward I of England (June 17, 1239 - July 7, 1307), on his sick-bed, make a vow to God that if he recovered his health, he would undertake another crusade against the ‘infidels’. Some of the Jewish people of England had prospered as financiers when the country had squandered its wealth on the invasions of Palestine (the Crusades).

Edward's proclamation, on August 31, gave all Jews just two months to leave the country, under penalty of death. They were permitted to take with them a small portion of their movable possessions, and only sufficient money to pay their travelling expenses.

It was a time of great hardship for English Jews. Many people bashed and robbed them as the flight began. One ship master played a trick that had his complement of Jewish passengers drowned near London Bridge, and he was rewarded by the king for his cruelty. For centuries afterwards, it was believed by Jewish locals and visitors that God caused the turbulence always seen at that part of the Thames.

The king profited greatly by his racist deeds, as his state gained Jewish property. The number of banished men, women and children amounted to some 15,000. Jewish people were not seen again (apart from the occasional tolerated physician or foreign agent) in England until 1656, when Oliver Cromwell permitted their return after nearly four centuries, despite some opposition from merchants, politicians and others.