Rintfleisch-Pogrom
Encyclopedia
The Rintfleisch-Pogrom was a pogrom
against Jews in the year 1298.
It was set during the civil strife between King Adolf of Nassau
and his rival Albert of Austria
, when imperial authority, traditionally concerned with the protection of the Jews, had temporarily collapsed.
The Jews of the Franconia
n town of Röttingen
were accused of having obtained and desecrated a consecrated host
.
One "Lord Rintfleisch", whom the sources refer to either as an impoverished knight or a butcher (the name "Rintfleisch" means "beef" in German
), believed to have received a mandate from heaven
to avenge the sacrilege and exterminate the Jews.
He gathered a mob around him and burned
the Jews of Röttingen on April 20. After this, he and his mob went from town to town and killed all Jews that fell under their control, destroying the Jewish communities at Rothenburg ob der Tauber
, Würzburg
, Nördlingen
and Bamberg
.
In Nuremberg
, the Jews sought refuge in the fortress and were assisted by the Christian citizens, but Rintfleisch overcame the defenders and butchered the Jews on 1 August. The Nürnberger Memorbuch contains the names of numerous murdered Jews, among them Mordecai ben Hillel
, a pupil of Jehiel ben Asher
, with his wife and children. The communities at Regensburg
and Augsburg
alone escaped the mass killing, as they were protected by the cities' magistrates.
Spreading from Franconia to Bavaria
and Austria
, the persecutors destroyed 146 communities, about 5,000 Jews were killed.
King Albert I, having overcome Adolf and assumed the crown, finally had Rintfleisch arrested and hanged. The cities in which Jews had been killed were required to pay fines to the king.
"Rintfleisch-Pogrom" was not the term used at the time itself, "Pogrom
" being a Russian
word which at this time is unlikely to have existed at all in its present meaning, and certainly was not known in Germany.
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
against Jews in the year 1298.
It was set during the civil strife between King Adolf of Nassau
Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg
Adolf was the King of Germany from 1292 until 1298. Though his title in his lifetime was Rex Romanorum , he is usually known as Adolf of Nassau...
and his rival Albert of Austria
Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Habsburg was King of the Romans and Duke of Austria, the eldest son of German King Rudolph I of Habsburg and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenburg.-Life:...
, when imperial authority, traditionally concerned with the protection of the Jews, had temporarily collapsed.
The Jews of the Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
n town of Röttingen
Röttingen
Röttingen is a town in the district of Würzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 30 km south of Würzburg, and 15 km east of Bad Mergentheim.-Climate:...
were accused of having obtained and desecrated a consecrated host
Host desecration
Host desecration is a form of sacrilege in Christianity involving the mistreatment or malicious use of a consecrated host— the sacred bread used in the Eucharistic service or Mass...
.
One "Lord Rintfleisch", whom the sources refer to either as an impoverished knight or a butcher (the name "Rintfleisch" means "beef" in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
), believed to have received a mandate from heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
to avenge the sacrilege and exterminate the Jews.
He gathered a mob around him and burned
Burned at the Stake
Burned at the Stake is a 1981 film directed by Bert I. Gordon. It stars Susan Swift and Albert Salmi.-Cast:*Susan Swift as Loreen Graham / Ann Putnam*Albert Salmi as Captaiin Billingham*Guy Stockwell as Dr. Grossinger*Tisha Sterling as Karen Graham...
the Jews of Röttingen on April 20. After this, he and his mob went from town to town and killed all Jews that fell under their control, destroying the Jewish communities at Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken , the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City...
, Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
, Nördlingen
Nördlingen
Nördlingen is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany, with a population of 20,000. It is located in the middle of a complex meteorite crater, called the Nördlinger Ries. The town was also the place of two battles during the Thirty Years' War...
and Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
.
In Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, the Jews sought refuge in the fortress and were assisted by the Christian citizens, but Rintfleisch overcame the defenders and butchered the Jews on 1 August. The Nürnberger Memorbuch contains the names of numerous murdered Jews, among them Mordecai ben Hillel
Mordecai ben Hillel
Mordechai ben Hillel HaKohen , also known as The Mordechai, was a 13th century German rabbi and posek. His chief legal commentary on the Talmud, referred to as the Mordechai, is one of the sources of the Shulchan Aruch. He died a martyr's death at Nuremberg.-Biography:Little is known of the...
, a pupil of Jehiel ben Asher
Jehiel ben Asher
Jehiel ben Asher was a Jewish liturgical poet; flourished in Andalusia in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. He was the author of four liturgical poems, mentioned by Zunz , and of a dirge of twenty-five strophes on the persecution of the Jews in Spain in 1391...
, with his wife and children. The communities at Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
and Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
alone escaped the mass killing, as they were protected by the cities' magistrates.
Spreading from Franconia to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, the persecutors destroyed 146 communities, about 5,000 Jews were killed.
King Albert I, having overcome Adolf and assumed the crown, finally had Rintfleisch arrested and hanged. The cities in which Jews had been killed were required to pay fines to the king.
"Rintfleisch-Pogrom" was not the term used at the time itself, "Pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
" being a Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
word which at this time is unlikely to have existed at all in its present meaning, and certainly was not known in Germany.