| 1300-1517 |
Italian
Renaissance. |
| 1306-1394 |
Expulsions of Jews from France. |
| 1328-1384 |
John Wycliffe (Christian dissident leader). |
| 14th century |
Rise of the Ottoman
Muslim dynasty in Turkey. |
| 1333 |
Casimir the Great takes power in Poland
and brings with him a sympathetic attitude toward
the Jews, who benfit as a result. |
| 1348 |
Black Death reaches Europe and Jews are accused
of poisoning Christian wells. |
| 1336-1405 |
Timurlane/Tamurlane, Turkic ruler in central Asia. |
| 1360 |
King Pedro of Portugal
arrests and tortures to death Samuel
Ben Meir Abulafia. No charges were ever given
and the King confiscated Abulafia's lands and great
wealth. |
| 1400 |
Damascus sacked by Timurlane. |
| 1424 |
Jewish physician, Y'en Ch'eng is given the surname
"Chao" as an honor by the Emperor. This
family, which probably originated in India and Babylon,
became on of the leading Chinese Jewish families. |
| 1437-1509 |
Philosopher, financier and scholar, Don Isaac
Abarbanel intercedes many times on behalf of his
fellow Jews, including trying to stop Ferdinand
from expelling them. This time he was foiled by
Torquemada and he followed them into exile. His
commentaries cover the major and minor Prophets.
Consistent with his belief that the Messiah
would come in his lifetime, he also wrote three
messianic texts called Migdal Yeshu'ot (Tower of
Salvation). |
| 1452-1454/55 |
Gutenberg prints Europe's first book with movable
type. |
| 1447 |
Following a fire in Posen where the original charter
(written by Casimir the Great) granted the Jews
"privileges," Casimir IV renews all their
rights and makes his charter one of the most liberal
in Europe. This charter lasted less than a decade
before it was revoked. |
| 1452-1515 |
Astronomer and historian, Abraham Zacuto creates
tables used by Columbus. After the explusion of
1492, Zacuto went to Portugal where he developed
the metal Astrolab used by Vasco Da Gama. In 1498
he was forced to flee or convert. He left and reached
Tunis where he wrote a history of the Jews from
creation until the sixteenth century. |
| 1453 |
Fall of Constantinople (Istanbul) to Ottoman Muslims. |
| 1454 |
Casimir IV of Poland revokes the Jewish charter,
at the insistence of Bishop Zbignev. The Bishop
had correctly predicted Casimir's defeat by the
Teutonic Knights backed by the Pope, and succeeded
in convincing the King that it was due to the Jews. |
| 1463 |
Pope Nicholas V authorized the establishment of
the Inquisition
to investigate heresy among the Marranos. |
| 1479-15 |
Isabella's severe anti-Jewish learnings influence
Ferdinand and lead to the final expulsion of the
Jews from Spain. |
| 1486 |
First prayer
book published in Soncino,
Italy. |
| 1488 |
The first complete edition of the Hebrew Bible
is printed in Soncino,
Italy. |
| 1492 |
Christian expulsion of Muslim Moors from Spain. |
| 1492 |
Columbus sets
sail. |
| 1492 |
Christian
expulsion of Jews from Spain, sending over 200,000
Jews fleeing: 137,000 Jews forced to leave Sicily. |
| 1494 |
Polish King Jan Olbracht's orders Jews to leave
to leave Crakow
for Kazimierz after they are blamed for a large
fire that destroyed part of the city. |
| 1496 |
Manuel of Portugal expels Jews from Portugal. |
| 1516 |
The closed Jewish Quarter in Venice,
Italy, is dubbed the Geto Nuovo (New Foundry). "Geto"
will later become the basis for the word "ghetto". |
| 1505-1584 |
Kabbalist
and author of "Lecha Dodi" (Come My Beloved),
Solomon
ben Moses Alkabetz. |
