A Study Of Blood Libel In Medieval England

In 135AD, Jews were expelled from Palestine, from then on, they have been in the state of Diaspora. They wandered in all continents, settled down in different countries. Most historians hold the idea that in 1066AD, accompanied by William Conquest, Jews began to come to and settle down in England. Their situation in England was not good, hostility from common people and church enshrouded them, triggered several violent accidents, blood libel was the most vicious gossip.Blood libel is an accusation that Jews murder Christians, especially boys to use the blood for ritual purposes, was firstly occurred in medieval England. In Norwich in 1144, a Christian boy named William was found dead in suburb, after few days, people accused Jews for killing him. They said that the Jews need blood for ritual purpose. This gossip soon spread to other regions of England and Western Europe’s other countries. Blood libel accusation is a form of anti-Semitism.Anti-Semitism has a long history, developed into a new height in middle ages, blood libel was an important part of it, and was the most typical and influential anti-Semitism phenomena. The first case happened in Norwich, then spread to France, the Holy Roman Empire, Spanish and other countries. In 17th century, blood libel began to happen in Eastern Europe, became a worldwide phenomenon, and eventually came to an end until 20th. But until today, we can find some residues of this libel, this paper intend to offer a clear understanding of blood libel.From the settlement of Jews in England to the expulsion, blood libel occurred in different regions, what followed the accusation were expulsions and massacres, which strongly affected Jewish community and the society. Blood libel not only reflected the Christian hatred of Jews, but also reflected the conflict between two different cultural traditions and the attitude of most people to minorities. Personally, it is necessary to analyze this kind of irrational violence, hoping to offer some experience in dealing with cultural and religious issues, preventing such violence happened on other minority groups. We need to deal with cultural conflicts and religious issues properly, construct a harmony society.This thesis consists of three sections, introduction, body and the conclusion. The introduction focuses on the significance of this article, the sources of material and the idea. The body consists of four chapters. Chapter Ⅰ describes blood libel’s emergence and development in England. Chapter Ⅱ analyzes different groups’ attitude toward this allegation. Chapter Ⅲ describes the influence and far-reaching impact of this libel. Chapter Ⅳ explores the reasons for those cases.The conclusion summarizes blood libel’s impact on Jewish people and society, as well as the enlightenment for us, focusing on how to deal with relationship between different cultures, how to get along with minority groups. It is not only the Anti-Semitism should be opposed, but also any form of cultural hegemony and persecution of minorities.