The Impact of the Crusades 127
an agreement with the Jews of toledo whereby they became liable to a poll tax
instead of tithes on Christian property which they already held, an agreement then
sanctioned by Ferdinand III of Castile (1217–1252).136 Finally in 1254 Alfonso X
decreed that all Jews and Muslims in Cordoba should pay tithes on Christian land
and houses they held both inside and outside the city and the following year that
the church of Seville should merit the same privilege for Christian houses owned
by Jews outside the Jewish quarter.
The third papal concern was with dress distinguishing Jews from Christians. As we
shall examine in Chapter Five, the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215 declared that:
A difference of dress distinguishes Jews or Saracens from Christians in some provinces,
but in others a certain confusion has developed so that they are indistinguishable.
whence it sometimes happens that by mistake Christians join with Jewish or Saracen
women, and Jews or Saracens with Christian women. In order that the offence of such
a damnable mixing may not spread further, under the excuse of a mistake of this kind,
we decree that such persons of either sex, in every Christian province and at all times,
are to be distinguished in public from other people by the character of their dress—
seeing moreover that this was enjoined on them by Moses himself, as we read.137Yet despite such legislation, in 1219 Honorius III conceded to the archbishop of
toledo, who was responding to a petition by the Jews of Castile, that there Jews
need not wear a distinguishing mark on their garments. This concession followed
complaints that such legislation would encourage Jews to leave Castile and even to
plot against the Crown:138
... we have been informed that the Jews who reside in the Kingdom of Castile are so
seriously wrought up over that which was decided with regard to them in the general
Council in the matter of wearing a sign, that some of them choose rather to flee to the
Moors than be burdened with such a sign. Others conspire because of this, and make
secret agreements.... wherefore we have been humbly petitioned both on behalf
of this King as well as yourself, that our permission be given you to set aside the
execution of this edict, since you cannot proceed to its enforcement without great
trouble.139
136 Abulafia, Christian-Jewish Relations 1000–1300, p.115.
137 Tanner, Vol. 1, p.266: ‘In nonnullis provinciis a christianis Iudaeos seu Saracenos habitus dis-
tinguit diversitas, sed in quibusdam sic quaedam inolevit confusio, ut nulla differentia discernantur.
Unde contingit interdum, quod per errorem christiani Iudaeorum seu Saracenorum et Iudaei seu
Saraceni christianorum mulieribus commisceantur. Ne igitur tam damnatae commixtionis excessus per
velamentum erroris huiusmodi excusationis ulterius possint habere diffugium, statuimus ut tales utri-
usque sexus in omni christianorum provincia et omni tempore, qualitate habitus publice ab aliis popu-
lis distinguantur, cum etiam per Moysen hoc ipsum legatur eis iniunctum.’
138 Honorius III, ‘Ex parte karissimi’ (20 March 1219), Grayzel, Vol. 1, p.150; Simonsohn,
pp.105–6.
139 Honorius III, ‘Ex parte karissimi’, Grayzel, Vol. 1, p.150; Simonsohn, p.105: ‘fuit propositam
coram nobis quod Judei existentes in regno Castelle, adeo graviter ferunt quod de signis ferendis ab
ipsis statutum fuit in concilio generali ut nonnulli eorum potius eligant ad Mauros confugere quam
signa hujusmodi bajulare, alias occasione hujusmodi conspirationes et conventicula facientes... Quare
nobis fuit tam ex dicti regis quam ex tua parte humiliter supplicatum ut executioni constitutionis
super hoc edite tibi supersedere de nostra permissione liceret, cum absque gravi scandalo procedere
non valeas in eadem.’