Hello, and welcome to this lesson on Jewish migrants in the early modern period.

This lesson is part of a broader inquiry looking at how England was impacted by early modern migration.

In this inquiry, we'll cover lots of different things, but for today, we're just going to be focusing on Jewish migrants in the early modern period.

And in order to do that, you're going to need a piece of paper and a pen.

If you don't have one, absolutely not to worry.

Just pause the video now, go and get everything you need, and then come back and press play when you're ready to go.

So, now you've got everything you need, we can have a look at our lesson outcome.

And by the end of this lesson, I'm hoping that you can explain the reasons for Jewish migrants coming to England, as well as the experiences and impact of Jewish migrants.

And in order to do that, we're going to need some keywords.

And for today, we've got four.

Reformation, which was a movement in the 1500s that led to several European nations converting from Catholicism to Protestantism.

Puritan, and that is a strong Protestant who believed that further reform in the Protestant church was needed, as well as strict obedience to the Bible.

Tolerant, which is willingness to accept or allow beliefs and opinions and behaviour that you may not agree with or share.

And knighthood, which is the title given to someone who is awarded the honour of a knight.

So, now we've seen some definitions.

When we see them again in the context of the lesson, I'm sure they'll make much more sense.

And to start off with, we're going to be looking at reasons for Jewish migration.

In 1290, all Jewish people had been expelled from England by Edward III, and by 1500, nothing had changed.

However, the Reformation would lead to huge changes in the attitude of the British monarchy and government.

After Henry VIII broke from Rome in 1533, he established the Church of England.

And under the following Tudor monarchs, England underwent further Protestant Reformation under Edward VI, and then a Catholic counter-Reformation under Mary I.

This was all before the establishment of a stable Protestant nation under Elizabeth I from 1558.

So, for that reason, religion in Tudor England is sometimes considered a rollercoaster because Henry VII breaks from Rome, starting the Church of England, converting England to Protestantism.

Further reform happens under his son Edward VI.

Then, his daughter Mary I begins a restoration of Catholicism, and then England only became a stable Protestant nation under his second daughter, Elizabeth I.

But then, Elizabeth's reign was followed by the Stuarts, and under the Stuarts, Puritanism became increasingly popular.

And remember, that's one of our key words.

Puritans are a strict form of Protestant who believe that further reform was needed, as well as strict obedience to biblical laws and principles.

And by 1642, the tension between the largely Puritan government and the monarch reached breaking point, and an English Civil War began.

And the war ended with the execution of King Charles I and the establishment of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Before we move on to explain what on Earth all this has to do with Jewish migrants in the early modern period, we're just going to pause very quickly.

There was lots of events just there, but to make sure we've got that chronology really secure in our minds, we're just going to start with having a go at sorting these events into the chronological order with 1 as the earliest.

You might want to give yourself a few minutes here to have a read through each of the events and sort them into order.

Remember, 1 is the earliest event.

Hopefully, you started off by saying that, first, Henry VIII broke with Rome.

Then, we know that Edward VI led further Protestant reform, followed by Mary I, who began a restoration of the Catholic church.

Then, we know that Elizabeth I established a stable Protestant nation, followed by the Stuarts, under whom Puritanism became popular.

And then, finally, the English Civil War ended with a Puritan government in control of England.

Really well done.

Hopefully, you got those four in order.

If not, you can pause the video or even go back and give yourself a chance to put them in order again.

Now, the reason that we had to go through that whole rollercoaster is for you to understand the context of England by the time England was under Puritan rule.

Because under Puritan rule, attitudes towards Jewish migrants changed quite drastically.

This meant that Jewish migrants would not be invited just for economic reasons, as they had been under the Normans.

The first reason they were invited back to England is rooted in the core beliefs of many Puritans.

Many Puritans believed that Jewish people needed to be converted to Christianity in order for Jesus to return, something very important to their beliefs.

Therefore, many Puritan leaders became increasingly supportive of Jewish people being permitted to return.

One of the most important was Oliver Cromwell, who we've already mentioned was given the title of Lord Protector.

Not king, apparently slightly different.

But in addition to the religious reasons, there were also economic reasons.

Jewish migrants had been persecuted by Spanish and French Catholic monarchs, escaping to the Netherlands.

And it was here that they made significant economic contributions.

Their expertise in several different industries was really important for the rapid economic development of several Dutch cities.

For Puritan leaders in the aftermath of the Civil War, the opportunity to help rebuild the English economy meant that many supported the plan to re-invite Jewish migrants.

Therefore, it was as a result of both religious and economic reasons.

In 1655, the Menasseh ben Israel's petition to allow Jewish migrants entering into England was granted by Oliver Cromwell, and he ruled the initial expulsion of Jewish people illegal.

We know that following this religious rollercoaster, England ended up under the rule of Puritans, and it was Puritans who re-invited Jewish people to England in 1655 for both religious and economic reasons, religious in terms of their belief that inviting them back to England to convert them to Christianity would bring Jesus back sooner, but also economic, because they'd seen the contributions that Jewish migrants had made in the Netherlands and believed that would be incredibly useful to the English economy.

Now, before we put what we've learned about the reasons for Jewish migration into practise, let's have a look at some of these statements, and I'd like you to decide which of the following explains the religious reasons for Jewish migration.

Is it A, that many Jewish people had migrated to the Netherlands where they made significant contributions to the economy? B, many Puritans believed that Jewish people needed to be converted to Christianity in order for Jesus to return? Or C, for Puritan leaders in the aftermath of the Civil War, the opportunity to help rebuild the English economy was a priority? Pause the video now, make a decision, and come back and press play when you've got an answer for me.

Brilliant, hopefully you said B, that many Puritans believed that Jewish people needed to be converted to Christianity in order for Jesus to return.

Now, I'd like you to tell me which one of the following explains the economic reasons for Jewish migration.

Is it A, under Puritan rule, attitudes towards Jewish migrants changed quite drastically? B, any Puritans believed that Jewish people needed to be converted to Christianity in order for Jesus to return? Or C, for Puritan leaders in the aftermath of a civil war, the opportunity to rebuild the English economy was a priority? Pause the video now, make a decision, and come back when you've got an answer for me.

Brilliant, hopefully you said C, that for Puritan leaders in the aftermath of the Civil War, the opportunity to rebuild the English economy was a priority.

For the first task, I'd like you to have a read through Izzy's explanation of the reasons for Jewish migration and identify the five errors.

Izzy says: Jewish migration to England began in 1655 for three main reasons.

The first was religious.

This was because, as England was under Puritan rule, many authorities did not believe that Jewish people needed to be converted to Christianity in order for Jesus to return.

Therefore, the return of Jewish people to England would help Puritans get closer to Jesus's return, something very important to their beliefs.

There were also political reasons, as Jewish migrants had settled in Germany where they made significant contributions to the economy.

For Puritan leaders in the aftermath of a total war, the opportunity to help rebuild the English economy was a priority, and so many supported the plan to invite Jewish migrants.

I'm sure as I was reading, you were already identifying some of the errors.

So, I'd like you to pause the video, give yourself five minutes to identify all five, and then come back when you're done.

Brilliant, so hopefully you identified these five errors.

That Jewish migration began for three main reasons, that many of the authorities did not believe that Jewish people needed to be converted, that there were also political reasons, that they'd settled in Germany, but also was in the aftermath of a total war.

Really well done if you were able to find all five.

Now, what I'd like you to do is to correct the five errors in Izzy's statement.

So, pause the video, have a go at rewriting this paragraph as a correct statement, and then come back when you're done.

Hopefully, you were able to correct these five errors.

That migration began for two main reasons, that many authorities did believe that Jewish people needed to be converted, there were also economic reasons, that they settled in the Netherlands, and it was in the aftermath of a civil war that the opportunity to help rebuild the English economy was a priority, and therefore, many supported the plan to invite Jewish migrants.

Really, really well done for this first part of the lesson.

In the second part of the lesson, we are going to be looking at the experiences of Jewish migrants.

Now, as a result of England becoming an increasingly stable Protestant nation in the 1500s, attracting several groups fleeing religious persecution, many began to view England as an increasingly tolerant nation.

Now, during this time of increasing tolerance, the newly-arrived Jewish communities in England began to thrive as they set up successful businesses.

And within a year of their arrival, they were permitted to worship freely in their own synagogues.

And we can see an example of that here on this slide.

It's an engraving of celebrations at Bevis Marks, which became a very famous synagogue.

One example of a Jewish migrant within this thriving community was a man called Solomon de Medina.

He arrived in England and began providing services and supplies to King William III.

He also had a successful military business.

The money from this business was used to contribute to the building of several synagogues across London.

In 1700, Solomon de Medina was awarded and accepted a knighthood.

He was the first Jewish person to receive this title in England.

However, this is not to say that Jewish people faced no opposition.

From the time of Menasseh ben Israel's petition, there was opposition amongst English merchants, who feared the competition that they believed Jewish migrants would bring.

After Jewish migrants were allowed to settle in England and Puritan rule came to an end in 1660, the new king, Charles II, received several petitions to overrule Cromwell's decisions.

However, Jewish migrants in this period continued to receive the protection of the monarch.

And Charles II not only upheld Cromwell's decision, but even extended it to provide greater protection for Jewish people in England.

So, largely speaking, the experiences of Jewish migrants in the early modern period were very positive.

It is not to say that they did not face hostility, as we know they did.

But because of their relationship with the authorities, they were largely protected.

The first question I'd like to have a go at answering before we move on to our practise task is this.

Why was England seen as an increasingly tolerant nation? Was it because, as a stable Catholic nation, they attracted migrants fleeing Protestant persecution? That they were equally welcoming towards Catholic and Protestant migrants? Or, as a stable Protestant nation, they were attracting migrants fleeing Catholic persecution? Pause the video now, make a decision, and then come back and press play.

Really well done.

Hopefully, you went with C, that England was a stable Protestant nation attracting migrants fleeing persecution, because remember, this presentation of England as a tolerant nation was increasingly seen as the case especially when compared or relative to the attitudes of French and Spanish monarchs.

Next, I'd like to have a discussion with the person next to you if you're doing this lesson with someone, or in a classroom, or have a go at articulating a response out loud if not.

Who was Solomon de Medina? Pause the video now, make a decision, and then come back and press play when you've got an answer for me.

Hopefully, in your discussion, you mentioned that he's an example of a Jewish migrant within the thriving Jewish community, that he provided supplies and services to King William III, that he had a successful military business, that money from his military business was used to contribute to the building of several synagogues, and that he was awarded a knighthood in 1700, the first Jewish person to receive this title in England.

And then, finally, I'd like you to have a look at Alex's statement.

He said, "Jewish migrants faced no opposition." We know that's not quite true, so what I'd like you to do is give me two examples to challenge this statement.

Pause the video now.

When you've got both, come back and press play.

Really well done.

Hopefully, you mentioned that there was opposition from English merchants who feared the competition that Jewish migrants would bring, and that in 1616, King Charles II received several petitions to overrule Cromwell's decision to invite Jewish migrants to England.

Really well done.

If you were only able to get one, don't worry.

Just make a note of the other very quickly.

Brilliant.

What I'd like you to do for our practise task here is to complete this table showing examples of the positive and negative experiences of Jewish migrants from 1500 to 1700.

And hopefully, your completed table looks a little something like this.

Solomon de Medina had a successful military business, and the money from this business was used to build several successful synagogues.

That Solomon de Medina received a knighthood in 1700, the first person to receive this title.

That King Charles II upheld Cromwell's decision to invite Jewish migrants, and even extended it to provide greater protection for Jewish people.

And then, considering the negative experiences of Jewish migrants, there was opposition amongst English merchants who feared the competition that they believed Jewish migrants would bring.

And in 1660, King Charles II received several petitions to overrule Cromwell's decision to invite Jewish migrants to England.

Now, hopefully, from this table, you are able to see that Jewish migrants did have largely positive experiences, but it would be inaccurate to say that they faced no hostility.

Now, the last thing we're going to look at in today's lesson is the impact of Jewish migrants.

Now, Jewish migrants had a significant impact on the built environment and culture in England.

After Jewish migrants began to settle in England, the number of synagogues rapidly increased.

This shows how the growing presence of Jewish migrants led to the practise of Judaism becoming legal in 1698, impacting culture as Judaism became an increasingly popular religion in England.

This also resulted in changes to the built environment, particularly with the building of Bevis Marks, which we can see here.

This is an engraving of celebrations at Bevis Marks Synagogue.

Solomon de Medina had used the money from his successful military business to contribute to the building of several synagogues, including Bevis Marks in London, which was completed in 1701.

And Bevis Marks remains the largest and longest-standing synagogue in Europe today.

It's a super significant impact, because not only are they impacting culture, as we can see that Judaism is becoming increasingly popular, but also, we can see that they're impacting the built environment.

Before we move on to our final practise task of today, I'd like you to tell me which one of the following statements explains how Jewish migrants had an impact on culture.

Is it A, that Jewish migrants actively protested to push for Judaism to be legalised in England? B, increasing numbers of migrants led to changes in language? C, the growing number of synagogues led to Judaism becoming an increasingly popular religion? Make a decision, come back and press play when you've got an answer for me.

Brilliant, you said C, the growing number of synagogues led to Judaism becoming an increasingly popular religion.

Our final discussion for today, why is Bevis Marks Synagogue significant? Pause the video now.

Give yourself enough time for both of you to contribute or for you to articulate out loud, and then come back and press play when you're done.

Hopefully, your discussions included that it shows the impact of Jewish migrants on the built environment and that it remains the largest and longest-standing synagogue in Europe today.

Really well done.

So, what I'd like you to do is to put all of that together to explain the impact of Jewish migrants on England from 1500 to 1700, making sure to include the following details in your response, synagogues, 1698, Solomon de Medina, and Bevis Marks.

Pause the video now, give yourself five to 10 minutes to complete this task, and come back when you're done.

Really well done.

Hopefully, your final answer looks a little something like this: Jewish migrants had a significant impact on England, their greatest impact being on culture and the built environment.

For example, their impact on culture is most clear in 1698 when the practise of Judaism was made legal.

This shows that the increasing number of Jewish migrants in England led to Judaism becoming an increasingly popular religion in England, and one that deserves legal protection.

The impact on culture was linked to their impact on the built environment, as part of the reason Judaism became increasingly popular was due to the increasing number of synagogues being built.

One of the most significant was Bevis Marks Synagogue, which was built with the money donated by the successful Solomon de Medina.

Bevis Marks remains the longest-standing and largest synagogue in Europe today.

Really well done.

Hopefully, you got all of those key details in there, but you were also able to explain the relationship between their impact on culture and on the built environment.

Really well done.

If there's anything you missed, not to worry at all.

Just pause the video, and you can add it to your response now.

The final thing we're going to do today is look at a summary of what we've learned.

We've covered so much.

You've done brilliantly.

First, we learned that under Puritan rule, Jewish migrants were invited to England for religious and economic reasons, unlike in the mediaeval period, where it was largely economic.

That Jewish migrants were welcomed in the early modern period, with increasing protection from authorities.

That some English merchants were hostile towards Jewish migrants, as they feared they would bring competition.

However, the experience of Jewish migrants were still largely positive.

And finally, we learned that Jewish migrants in this period had their greatest impact on the built environment and culture in England, which we already learned, and hopefully, you wrote about how those two areas of impact are also linked, that their influence on the practise of Judaism across England was spurred on by the building of synagogues.

Really, really well done today.

I'm so impressed with the work you've done, and you should be, too.