Lionheart A Novel - By Sharon Kay Penman Page 0,47

this did not happen elsewhere, and I sent writs throughout the realm, commanding my subjects to leave the Jews in peace. And indeed they did . . . as long as I remained in England. But after I crossed over to Normandy in December, trouble was not long in breaking out again.”

“Was that when the York Jews were attacked?”

“No, it began in East Anglia, at Lynn and Norwich, and then spread like the pox to Stamford, St Edmundsbury, and Lincoln. Men who’d taken the cross were eager to fight infidels, and the Jews were closer at hand than the Saracens. Drunken mobs were soon pillaging the Jewish quarters in those towns, forcing the Jews to take refuge in the royal castles.”

The echoes of anger in Richard’s voice did not surprise his audience, for the rioters had dared to disobey his royal writ and to threaten the King’s Peace. No king could tolerate such lawless defiance, especially one about to depart on crusade. “Eventually, the madness reached York.” By now Richard was on his feet, heedlessly trampling daisies underfoot as he paced. “But there it was different. At York, the mob was urged on by men of rank, men who owed money to the Jews. First they set a fire to distract the Watch, then broke into Benedict’s house, killed his family, and stripped it bare. Most of the city’s Jews fled to the royal castle for safety, but the mob continued to roam the streets. They attacked the house of the other moneylender, Josce, beat any Jews they found, and forced them to accept baptism. York had become a place without law, a city in my realm!” Richard’s voice cracked like a whip, sending several nesting birds fluttering from trees up into the sky.

By now Jaufre was squirming, unable to think of a way to spare his wife a ghastly story sure to trouble her soft heart, for he knew most women hated to hear of the deaths of children, even if they were infidels. Unaware of his husband’s discomfort, Richenza was regarding Richard with a puzzled expression. “But if the York Jews took shelter in the castle, why were they not safe from the mob?”

“Because the castellan left the castle and whilst he was gone, the fools panicked and decided they could not trust him. So when he returned, they overpowered the garrison and refused to let him back in.”

Jaufre was trying to catch the other man’s eye in hopes of sending a mute message, but Richard never noticed. “That was the first mistake. The second was made by the idiot castellan, who then panicked in his turn and summoned the sheriff of the shire. He was the one who made the third, fatal mistake, deciding to assault the castle and drive the Jews out.” Richard paused, using an extremely vivid obscenity to describe the sheriff, but since he habitually swore in lenga romana, only Eleanor understood. “The drunken louts happily joined in, of course, and by the time the sheriff realized how grievously he’d erred and tried to call the attack off, it was too late. By then the mob was utterly in control, spurred on by a demented hermit who’d convinced them they were doing God’s Work. The Jews managed to defend themselves for two days, but when siege engines were brought out, they realized they were doomed.”

Richard paused again, reliving the rage he’d felt upon hearing of the massacre in York. “Rather than be butchered by the mob, the Jews chose to die by their own hands. Husbands slit the throats of their wives and children, Josce being the first to slay his family. The men were then slain by Josce and their rabbi, what they call their priests. I’ve been told nigh on a hundred and fifty Jews took refuge in the castle, and most of them chose to die. By morning—the eve of Palm Sunday, it was, too—there were only a score or so still alive.”

Richenza was staring at him in horror. “God in Heaven,” she whispered, as Jaufre got hastily to his feet and crossed to her side. She ignored his attempt at consolation, keeping her eyes upon her uncle, almost as if she sensed the worst was still to come. “What happened to those Jews?”

“The survivors appealed for mercy, offering to accept Christian baptism, and they were promised that their lives would be spared. But when they emerged from the castle with their families, the mob seized them and murdered them all.”

Richenza