Famine, Plague and the Rise of Anti-Jewish Sentiment in Castile
摘要
The fundamental social breakdown following the arrival of Black Death in 1348, combined with regular harvest failures and famine, provide a context not only for the violent outbreaks during 1348 and 1349 but also for the creation of unstable social and economic conditions during the second half of the fourteenth century. Key political developments in Castile after 1348 include regime change and consequent political developments which exacerbated underlying anti-Jewish sentiments. The attitudes of the Church also contributed to the increasing segregation and marginalisation of Castile’s Jews. Finally, the preaching of Ferran Martínez between 1378 and 1391 acted as the single most important catalyst for the outbreak of violence in 1391.