When talking about Jews, most people will think of two things: one is that 6 million Jews were massacred by the Nazis, and the other is Charlotte, the loan shark in "The Merchant of Venice".

In "The Merchant of Venice", the Jewish Charlotte lent a sum of money to the Christian Antonio, which was a usurious loan, and made a contract. If Anthony failed to repay the money on time, he would cut a pound from his chest. Meat. When the deadline came, Charlotte insisted that Antonio fulfill the contract.

In reality, there should be no one as arrogant as the Jewish Charlotte in "The Merchant of Venice" who would dare to openly take the lives of Christians. On the contrary, "Charlottes" often face the miserable situation of having their property confiscated and deported. No matter how careful you are, you can't keep your family safe.

The attitude of Christians from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance towards the Jews was no better than Hitler's.

Are all Jews in reality loan sharks? Over a long period of history, yes. But it's not their choice.

As a smart and capable minority, it was always the Jews who opened up new areas, and then as the mainstream Christians came, the Jews were gradually expelled, and then the Jews went to develop new areas. This cycle repeats.

Industry and clothing of Jews in the Middle Ages

Early Jews moved into Europe, engaged in agriculture and handicrafts, reclaimed a large amount of wasteland, and brought agricultural production technology that was much more advanced than that of the Western European barbarians at that time. Western Europe; engages in handicrafts and is respected for its advanced craftsmanship. Of course, it has always performed well in the commercial field - it is normal trade, not usury.

During the Roman Empire, the Jews also had (at least in name) citizenship and judicial autonomy, although these two rights existed in name only in the later years of the Roman Empire.

In the Middle Ages, with the dominance of Christianity, the Jews were a cultural and economic minority and became permanent heretics, or "guest people." As a heretic/minority, the Jews lost their legal status, property rights and survival rights and were trampled on at will. The Jews were outside the increasingly stable and closed feudal hierarchy. With the establishment of the European feudal economic system, their living space was gradually compressed.

Jews were first prohibited from owning land - even land that their ancestors had cultivated for generations, so they could no longer engage in agriculture except as slaves.

The land was enfeoffed to European feudal nobles, and the Jews were expelled from the land cultivated by their ancestors. But it still performs well in handicraft industries, such as smelting, dyeing, brewing, leather making, etc. Later, mainstream Christian trade associations excluded Jews, so they could no longer continue to engage in handicrafts.

Early Christians despised business, so the Jewish business talents were brought into full play and a Jewish business network was established. In the early Middle Ages, Jewish business networks spread all over the world, shuttling between the East and the West, the Christian world and the Muslim world - and this was still normal trade. The Jews earned considerable profits and paid huge taxes to their lords in Western Europe. Although he is a wealthy minority heretic and is hated by the ignorant people, he is still used and protected by the nobles.

Until the Crusades. The war destroyed original trade routes, and massacres and robberies against Jews occurred repeatedly.

The Crusades in 1095, and in the hinterland of Europe, there were also "Crusades" launched by the poor. Their logic was: Since the Crusaders were ordered to go abroad to destroy the enemies of God, they could also redeem their souls by killing the pagan Jews around them (and rob the Jewish property by the way). As a result, many Jewish residential areas along the Rhine River at the junction of Germany and France were looted by the Crusaders, the residents were massacred, the property was divided, and the houses were burned. Almost every subsequent Crusade was accompanied by the looting and massacre of the Jews.

Around the 10th century, the feudal society in Western Europe became more stable, and mainstream society also began to get involved in the field of commerce and trade. As historian Eban said: "When Christian trade associations were generally established, all kinds of Jewish businesses were effectively prohibited.

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In the 10th century, many trading countries and countries emerged in Italy, and the Christian business alliance began to suppress Jewish merchants on a large scale. For example, Venice was already the commercial and trade center of the Mediterranean and refused to accept Jewish merchants. Jewish merchants banned their own ships from carrying Jewish goods, and also tried to adopt similar policies in all ports elsewhere. Later, the Hanseatic League also banned all ports in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea from trading with Jews, and all sales were limited to members of the Chamber of Commerce. , and there is no place for Jews in the Chamber of Commerce.

At this point, the Jews have been excluded from normal production and commercial activities. There is only one way for them to survive: lending.

Since there is business, there is certainly a need for financial turnover, but according to fundamental principles, Christians cannot engage in credit business. What Christians do not do, Jews do. They start credit business and establish a currency circulation system. The Jewish credit business is getting bigger and bigger. Borrowers began to include nobles, bishops, and even kings.

Why did the Jewish credit business become a real loan shark? Because this business was actually used by those in power to exploit the residents, the Jews, and their people. Credit business was treated as a white glove.

Jewish loan interest rates were approved by local lords. In the 13th century, the annual interest rate for Jews was 43.5, and the princes and nobles with political power charged Jews more and more. Excessive taxes. The squeezed borrowers only see the outrageous interest rates charged by "Jewish profiteers", but they don't know that the rulers get the big head and the Jews get the small head.

The anger of the residents is accumulating. They all point to the Jews. When the rulers need the Jews, they temporarily protect them from being swallowed up by the overwhelming public opinion. When they are no longer needed, they "comply with the public opinion" to deal with them, or when they want to win over the people, they declare that they will never go away. Jews don't have to pay interest when they borrow money. Whenever they are short of money, they will confiscate the Jewish property on any crime.

Jewish scribes and moneylenders

- ―In 1298, the Jews in Lorraine, France, were accused of stealing and defiling the holy wafer used for sacrificial offerings. Because of this unfounded crime, 140 Jewish settlements were looted, and the Jews were deported and massacred; in 1336, Similar but larger anti-Semitic incidents occurred; in 1348, the Black Death was prevalent in Europe, and Christians also blamed the Jews, using this as an excuse to loot and burn 350 Jewish settlements, and many Jews died in the fire.

-In 1391, under the instigation of the archdeacon, the Jews in Spain were plundered, and they were officially declared to have lost all economic rights, and they were ordered to convert to Catholicism, otherwise they would die. It was only in the 15th century that Jews after conversion were considered heretics. The Spanish Inquisition sentenced 30,000 Jews to death and 400,000 Jews to prison.

-In 1492, Spain expelled all the Jews in the country on the grounds of "establishing a true Catholic kingdom." .

There are countless examples of this.

Jewish businesses are big but have no legal status. Their economic space has been squeezed to this point, and they are forced to seek a way out in the gray area. They are rich but not noble. Today they are licking blood on the edge of the knife, and tomorrow they will be fish meat under the knife. Cecil Ross called the Jews "the serfs of the royal family." It was only because of their skills that they were not driven out to death.

In the mid-12th century, Britain stipulated that Jews must pay a tax of 10% for each loan, and 1/3 of Jewish inheritance must be handed over to the national treasury. This was the law, and outside the law, there was endless extortion against the Jews. Throughout Europe, Jews were frequently prosecuted for various reasons, fined heavily, had their property confiscated, and deported. In Sicily, Jews were even taxed on birth. A Jewish loan shark in Yorkshire, England, died penniless after years of extortion.

"The Merchant of Venice" itself is a highly biased literary work, and the setting of the Jewish Charlotte is a complete villain. But if you look at his statement in court, you will get a glimpse of the historical truth: “He (Antonio) called me a heretic.

He once humiliated me, took away my hundreds of thousands of dollars in business, ridiculed my losses, mocked my surplus, insulted my nation, destroyed my business, alienated my friends, and incited my enemies. What's his reason? Just because I'm a Jew. ”