Published today in the USA by the University of Pennsylvania Press, John Tolan’s new book England’s Jews: Finance, Violence, and the Crown in the Thirteenth Century explores the history of medieval Anglo-Jewry.
All posts by Dean A. Irwin
Podcast: ‘Jewish Medieval History at the Tower of London’
Professor Miri Rubin and Dr Rory MacLellan talk about the Jewish history of the Tower of London.
Blog post: ‘Who killed Licoricia of Winchester? A Medieval Murder Mystery’
For the one year anniversary of the unveiling of the Licoricia of Winchester statue in Winchester, Sara M. Butler has produced a discussion of Licoricia’s death in 1277.
Conference: ‘Trust in the Premodern World: An Interdisciplinary Conference’, Oxford (13-14 January)
The programme for this hybrid conference on ‘Trust in the Premodern World’ includes two talks on the Jews. Aviya Doron will speak on ‘Quick to borrow, slow to pay: default as a function of trust across social groups in Jewish-Christian exchange’, while Dean Irwin will speak to the question of ‘Trust and medieval Anglo-Jewish moneylending activities’.
MSJN! is going to Leeds!
The theme of the Leeds International Medieval Congress (July 2023) will be Entanglements. Board members, Andreas Lehnertz, Teddy Schacter, Birgit Wiedl, and Dean Irwin, thought that this was the perfect strand for a series of panels of the Jews. Organised around the concept of ‘Jewish/Non-Jewish Entanglements and Networks’, there will be three panels and a round table on Monday 3 July. Sponsored by MedievalJewishStudiesNow! these panels will cover a broad geographical and chronological span. The full details will be published in the programme in early 2023!
Online Talk: E. M. Rose, ‘Little Hugh of Lincoln, Ritual Murder, Henry III and the Crown of Sicily’
Rose will be speaking as part of the President’s lecture series for the Jewish Historical Society on the 1255 ritual murder case of Little Hugh of Lincoln. This will take place on 15 December via Zoom.
Job: Assistant Professor in Medieval/Early Modern Jewish History, University of North Carolina
Closing date 9 December 2022.
Online Course: “The Jews of Medieval England: Murder, Money, and Expulsion”
In an effort to expand knowledge of the Jews of medieval England beyond the academy, Professor Miri Rubin and Dr Dean Irwin will be running a short course (in conjunction with the Historical Association). It will target life long learners generally, and in particular teachers. Dates to be finalised but registration is now open and is free to all.
Sessions:
- Session 1: Introduction – Medieval England and the Jews
- Session 2: Money
- Session 3: Murder
- Session 4: Expulsion
- Session 5: Conclusion: Jewish Daily Life in the Middle Ages
New Podcast: ‘What can one woman reveal about Jewish life in medieval England?’, BBC History Extra
In February 2022, a statue of Licoricia of Winchester was unveiled. To mark the event, Professor Miri Rubin, Dr Toni Griffiths and Dr Dean Irwin recorded an episode of the BBC History Extra podcast earlier in summer. This provided an opportunity to discuss Licoricia and to situate her in her historical context. After providing an overview of Licoricia’s life, the speakers go on to consider how typical (or not) her experience was for that of Anglo-Jewry more generally. Inherently, this discussion touches on the good, the bad, and the ugly of Anglo-Jewish life, emphasising the importance of context. Dr Griffiths, who has done really important work on remembering the Jews of medieval England, brought a different dimension to the discussion by highlighting the importance of memory.
The podcast is available from the History Extra website, as well as the Apple Store and Spotify.
Workshop: “Jews in Medieval England: New Sources, Fresh Perspectives” (30 October – 1 November, Bar-Ilan University)
