How Did The Crusades Contribute To The Rise Of Anti-Semitism In Western Europe

The rise of anti-Semitisim in Europe during the eleventh and twelfth centuries was/was not a direct result of the Crusades.

Then the enemies of the lord said to each other. ‘Look!, They have opened up the gate for us. Now let us avenge the blood of ‘the hanged one’ [Jesus].

Depicting a widespread belief among medieval Christians, the above quote is attributed to Emico, a German leader also known as Emico the Wicked. It encapsulates the notion that Christians should take it upon themselves to avenge the crucifixion of Jesus by eliminating his supposed murderers from the world. Unfortunately, this belief, coupled with pre-existing anti-Semitic attitudes, created a harsh society in Western Europe that subjected Jewish communities to many attacks.

During a long period of rising tensions, roughly 100-200 years before the first Crusade, this evidence is abundant in Western Europe. Prior to the Crusades, a changing theological mindset in Western Europe is one factor that leads to an increase in these attacks. “The other main adverse factor affecting the Jews was the rise of a highly emotional, and at times, militant, kind of Christianity. Now the traditionally hostile bishop received popular support when they rallied against the Jews and often exerted pressure or violence on Jews to obtain their conversion” This passage from Norman Cantor's "The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages", suggests that a new type of Christianity contributed to the heightened oppression felt by Jews. While the previous quote gives explanations for why the Jewish communities were subjected to increasing anti-Semetisim, the following quote from Paul Johnson in “A History of the Jews” is the type of anti-Semitic beliefs that were present during this time period. “The tragedy of this Christian line of argument was that it lead directly to a new kind of anti-Semetism. . . . Hence the notion that the Jews were quite different from ordinary people . . .There were stories the Jews had concealed tails, suffered

It is also clear that the Crusades played a pivotal role in intensifying this sentiment. However, due to contributing factors, we can conclude that the Crusades were not a direct cause for the increase of anti-Semetisim during the eleventh and twelfth