July 18: Expulsion Edict

King Edward I of England issued an edict expelling all Jews from the kingdom on this date in 1290. It was the first national expulsion of Jews and would not be formally rescinded for 350 years. Under the feudal system instituted by William the Conqueror in 1066, Jews were direct subjects of the king. Their rights were not protected by the Magna Carta, and their residence was granted by royal charter. Jewish money-lenders (a profession banned for Christians) provided a steady income for the king through taxes and expropriations, without the intervention of Parliament, and at the time of the edict, the monarchy was heavily indebted. The expulsion was essentially a “concession” the king made while implementing a steep increase in taxation; the excuse was that the Jews were failing to comply with the Statute of Jewry, 1275, which outlawed usury. The affected Jewish population numbered about 3,000.

“[E]ach Jew after he shall be seven years old shall wear a badge on his outer garment, that is to say in the form of two tables joined . . . of the length of six inches and of the breadth of three inches.” —Statute of Jewry