Page 102 - The Track Of The Jew Through The Ages - Alfred Rosenberg

The Track of the Jew through the Ages

were the most in need of it. In the Paris archives there is, among
other things, a 12-foot long manuscript with the inscriptions of
persons who brought forward complaints against the illegalities of
Jewish money men. Certainly a very important document! Laws for
the protection of the plundered population under Louis VIII and IX
were without any result; the country dwellers, unable to pay their
debts, sold their possessions and were often thrown into prison by
the Jews. Finally the Jews were expelled from the country by
Philippe the Fair (1306).
But the Jewish question was not finished thereby. The
immobile property of the Jews was indeed confiscated, but to the
debtors a time-limit of20 years was set for payment. Since the Jews,
even though no longer living in France, were however constantly
kept informed of the course of events, they offered their help when
they discovered that a determination of the entire amount of debt
due to them was to be prepared. This was accepted; they used their
stay to immediately bribe the French officials - and to begin new
usurious businesses. The old debtor lists which they presented
showed so many names of widows, orphans and other poor people
that they were declared to be false and dishonest, and the Jews were
once again expelled.
This however did not prevent them from setting all levers
in motion to be able to move back once again, which was then also
granted to them. All debts were declared as being just, the
impossibility of penalising all earlier dealings ensured, all privileges
were to be established and they were to be accepted as citizens.
But there was repeated once again precisely the same thing
as earlier. The Jews conducted usury and were expelled; however,
Jean II allowed them to continue to live in France (1360). The severe
feuds that had transpired under Jean the Good, the bloody civil wars,
166
the unfortunate Treaty ofBretigny, all this had further undermined
the financial powers; now it seemed a good opportunity to fill the
166 [The Treaty of Bretigny was signed in 1 360 between King Edward III ofEngland
and King Jean II (the Good) of France four years after Jean II was taken prisoner at
the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. Through this treaty France lost much territory to
England, though it also provided the two countries with a respite of nine years
during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453).]
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