Evaluate the impact of the persecution of Jews on intellectual and cultural life.

The question requires that candidates make an appraisal of the impact of the persecution of Jews on intellectual and cultural life. Candidates may refer to the consequences the persecution had in the life of many Christian courts, where some Jewish ambassadors, physicians, astronomers, writers and musicians were expelled. Candidates may also highlight that due to the persecution many Christian kingdoms lost Jewish accountants and tax collectors who worked for the crown, offering their knowledge in mathematics. The persecution of Jews also provoked the expulsion of multilingual people required to translate the ancient works and those from the Arabic world. Other factors may be addressed, for example the fact that the persecution especially targeted rabbis, philosophers and writers, leaving the Jewish communities without their intellectual guides. Candidates may argue that impact was limited, as the policies against Jewish communities were not always applied consistently. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates make an appraisal of the impact of the persecution of the Jews on intellectual and cultural life in medieval Europe.