Jewish migration in medieval England
I can explain the reasons for and impact of Jewish migrants on medieval England, as well as the experiences of Jewish settlers.
Jewish migration in medieval England
I can explain the reasons for and impact of Jewish migrants on medieval England, as well as the experiences of Jewish settlers.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Jewish people were invited to migrate to England by Norman rulers.
- Many Jewish people were encouraged to work as moneylenders, although many also worked in other professions.
- Due to increasing antisemitism, Jewish people faced greater discrimination from the late 1100s.
- Jewish people were expelled by Edward I in 1290, not to return for nearly 400 years.
Keywords
Antisemitism - hatred of or discrimination towards Jewish people
Usury - the action of lending money and charging interest, called a sin by the Pope
Common misconception
All Jewish people who migrated to England worked as moneylenders.
Not all Jewish migrants took up jobs as moneylenders; many took up other jobs and assimilated into English society.
To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: Jewish migration in medieval England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: Jewish migration in medieval England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Migration: how was Britain impacted by migration in the medieval period? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended