September 17 - King Charles VI of France Expels the Jews

This Day in History: 17 September 2020

 

17 September 1394

 

626 years ago, today, King Charles VI of France ordered all the Jews to be expelled from the kingdom. This order outlived the monarchy and still remains as one of the major contributing factors to the miniscule Jewish population in France. The country had been home to Jews since ancient times, but they had still faced frequent discrimination and persecution. In France, their religious texts were burnt, prejudiced taxes were imposed upon them, and they were scapegoated for the Black Plague. Throughout the past decades, various French cities independently expelled the Jews, but it was not until 1306 and 1394 that the country formally called for them to leave.

 

France did not experience a major Jewish population until the 1700s, when Jews arrived in Alsace and Lorraine while fleeing violence and discrimination. By the eve of the French Revolution, the Jewish population in France was near 40,000. The newly 'enlightened' governments that were in place during the turbulent years after 1789 attempted to gradually restore the Jews' rights to live in France. However, they continued to face discrimination and their numbers around the world and in France were decimated due to the Nazi occupation of France and other nations. Today, roughly one percent of France is Jewish.

 

Want to find out more about the French expulsion of Jews in the 14^th century? Click here for more information, or here for more about the Nazi occupation of France.