Kalonymus Ben Meshullam
Encyclopedia
Kalonymus Ben Meshullam was a French
Jew
of the Kalonymos family
.
He was head of the Jewish community of Mainz
at the time of the German Crusade, 1096
. He is said to have sent a messenger to King Henry IV
in Italy, in consequence of which the king promulgated an order throughout his realm to the effect that the Jews were not to be molested. On May 27, 1096, however, he, together with fifty-three others, who had taken refuge in the bishop's palace from the Crusaders, put themselves to death rather than fall into the hands of the enemy.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Jew
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
of the Kalonymos family
Kalonymos family
Kalonymos or Kalonymus is a prominent Jewish family originally from Lucca, Italy, which, after the settlement at Mainz and Speyer of several of its members, took during many generations a leading part in the development of Jewish learning in Germany...
.
He was head of the Jewish community of Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
at the time of the German Crusade, 1096
German Crusade, 1096
The call for the First Crusade touched off new persecutions of Jews in which peasant crusaders from France and Germany attacked Jewish communities.-Background:The preaching of the First Crusade inspired an outbreak of anti-Jewish violence...
. He is said to have sent a messenger to King Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
in Italy, in consequence of which the king promulgated an order throughout his realm to the effect that the Jews were not to be molested. On May 27, 1096, however, he, together with fifty-three others, who had taken refuge in the bishop's palace from the Crusaders, put themselves to death rather than fall into the hands of the enemy.