134 Popes and Jews, 1095–1291
scale were over, philip Iv of France had promised to crusade and had used the vow
as an excuse to raise an extra tithe. On his death his son philip v (1316–1322)
took the Cross in 1314 and went so far as to appoint Louis, Count of Clermont,
captain of the crusading forces in 1318. Inspired by the intended project, a teenage
shepherd from Normandy claimed to have been visited by the Holy Spirit, who
instructed him to fight Muslims in Spain and sparked a movement which marched
to paris to meet philip v but then went south, attacking castles, royal officials,
priests, lepers, and above all Jews, until at Avignon John XXII ordered them to
desist. James II of Aragon (1291–1327) also prohibited them from entering Spain
and instructed his nobles to ensure that Jewish communities were safeguarded.
Nevertheless, at the fortress of Montclus in Barcelona over three hundred Jews
were killed; James’ son Alfonso ordered those responsible to be put to death.
So, according to contemporary accounts the shepherds began rioting in paris
and moved rapidly southward, attracted by places with Jewish populations and
egged on by sympathetic locals.176 John XXII knew that not only was Jewish
property being attacked but that Jews were being killed. He condemned the
Shepherds in no uncertain terms and in 1320 issued a letter ‘Cum difficile procul’
to the archbishop of Narbonne confirming that reports had reached him that
Shepherds had gathered for the ostensible purpose of going on a crusade to the
Holy Land but had resorted to killing and looting. He instructed the archbishop
to force these shepherds and their followers to desist and wait for philip v of
France to redeem his promise to crusade himself.177 In another letter ‘per tuas
litteras’ to the archbishop of toulouse he acknowledged a letter from the arch-
bishop which had informed him of the excesses of the so-called Shepherds and of
their wanting to campaign against Jews.178 The same month he despatched
‘Significasti nobis’ to the seneschal of toulouse who had also informed him of the
excesses of the Shepherds and had asked for advice on how to proceed.179 John
replied that he had heard the news and had written letters to bishops urging both
spiritual means and secular force to ensure the rioters disbanded. The following
month he issued ‘decet sedis apostolice’ commanding all Christians in France to
protect Jews as witnesses to the truth of the Catholic faith.180 In later letters he
also insisted that the property and goods of those who converted as a result of the
Shepherds’ Crusade should be protected, in the hope of persuading those forcibly
baptized to remain Christian.181
when in 1321 the movement eventually dispersed, philip fined communities
where Jews had been killed—which led in paris to an urban riot!182 As we have
176 John XXII, ‘Cum difficile procul’ (19 June 1320), Grayzel, Vol. 2, 310–11; Simonsohn,
pp.313–15.
177 John XXII, ‘Cum difficile procul’, Grayzel, Vol. 2, pp.310–11; Simonsohn, pp.313–15.
178 John XXII, ‘per tuas litteras’ (June 1320), Grayzel, Vol. 2, pp.311–13; Simonsohn, pp.316–18.
179 John XXII, ‘Significasti nobis’ (June 1320), Grayzel, Vol. 2, p.313; Simonsohn, p.318.
180 John XXII, ‘decet sedis apostolice’ (9 July 1320), Grayzel, Vol. 2, p.314; Simonsohn, p.319.
181 John XXII, ‘dignum arbitrantes’ (22/31 July 1320), Grayzel, Vol. 1, p.315; Simonsohn, p.320;
‘dignum arbitrantes / arbitramur’ (31 July 1320), Grayzel, Vol. 2, p.316; Simonsohn, pp.320–1.
182 we have also seen how in 1320 John XXII gave precise instructions to his officers to protect
Jews against violence associated with the Crusade of the Shepherds, and if he did order expulsion of