From as early as the Norman conquest, rulers of England looked to grow the economy using European workers.
Wider events, such as the Black Death, led to a demand for more merchants and craftspeople.
The actions of rulers throughout the medieval period directly impacted the experiences of merchants and craftspeople.
Although sometimes welcomed by the authorities, many migrants faced increasing hostility from local merchants.
Merchants and craftspeople had a significant impact on the economy, especially the wool trade.

Common misconception

All migrants workers settled in England to work in the wool trade.

Not all migrant workers settled in England to work in the wool trade. Italian bankers are an example of a migrant group who were invited to work as moneylenders, and had very little to do with the English wool trade.

Keywords

Low Countries - coastal region of north west Europe, made up of modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg
Angevin Empire - territories in England, Wales, Ireland and France held by Henry II and his descendants in the 12th and 13th centuries

Not all migrant groups need to be shown as having an impact in several different areas of life - sometimes one group works as a strong, detailed example of an impact in one area!

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Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

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Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.

Which keyword describes hatred of or discrimination towards Jewish people?

Correct Answer: antisemitism, Antisemitism

Q2.

Why were Jewish migrants invited to England by Norman rulers?

Correct answer: The Normans needed vast amounts of money for their ambitious building programme.

The Normans needed vast amounts of money for their ambitious war plans.

Correct answer: Usury was considered a sin for Christians whereas Jews could be moneylenders.

Usury was considered a sin for Jews whereas Christians could be moneylenders.

Q3.

Which of the following were examples of discrimination Jewish migrants faced in medieval England?

Correct answer: forced to wear a badge, known as the Tabula, to distinguish them

forced to report to the king every day to prove their whereabouts

Correct answer: forced to leave their hometowns in certain cities

forced to only have the job of a moneylender

Q4.

Complete the sentence with the correct year: By , the Jewish community had lost all protection that had been offered by the crown.

1070

Correct answer: 1275

1287

1290

Q5.

Complete the sentence with the correct year: Jewish people were expelled by Edward I in , not to return for nearly 400 years.

Correct Answer: 1290

Q6.

Which of the following are examples of the impact Jewish migrants had on medieval England?

They fought against the Anglo-Saxon rebels with their elite fighting skills.

Correct answer: They supported the growing English economy through various job roles.

Correct answer: They supported local business owners and shopkeepers through moneylending.

Correct answer: They provided loans which built castles and cathedrals.

They converted the Normans to Judaism from Christianity.

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6 Questions

Q1.

Complete the sentence: The Low Countries are a coastal region of north west , made up of modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Correct Answer: Europe, europe

Q2.

What was the name of the territories in England, Wales, Ireland and France held by Henry II and his descendants in the 12th and 13th centuries?

Henrician Empire

Correct answer: Angevin Empire

British Empire

Irish Empire

Q3.

Why did the Normans prefer to encourage merchants and craftspeople to migrate to England from the Low Countries instead of using Anglo-Saxon workers?

They could pay the Low Countries migrants less as they did not produce as much.

Correct answer: The Anglo-Saxon workers were suspected of plotting against Norman rule.

They could speak the same language as all the Low Countries migrants.

The Anglo-Saxon workers were less skilled than the Low Countries migrants.

Q4.

Which group was encouraged to migrate to England by Henry III in 1270 so that the cost of shipping the wool to them could be removed?

Jewish moneylenders

Italian bankers

Correct answer: Flemish weavers

French shepherds

Q5.

Put the following events relating to the way migrant craftspeople and merchants were treated in medieval England in chronological order.

1 - Flemish weavers invited to England

2 - Flemish weavers expelled from England

3 - Charter of Merchants signed

4 - ‘Letters of denization’ offered to migrants

5 - The 1300s saw more positive experiences for migrant merchants and craftspeople.

Q6.

What was the name of a new type of cloth created by weavers in Colchester, Essex?

the Essex Yarn

the Colchester Fibre

the Essex Wool

Correct answer: the Colchester Russet

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