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How did economic resentment contribute to the expulsion of Jews from medieval European countries?

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Antisemitism demonstration in Paris — antisemitism Demonstrators protesting antisemitism during a silent march in Paris. The march commemorated Mireille Knoll, a Jewish woman who had survived the Holocaust and was murdered in her home on March 23, 2018, in what authorities called a hate crime.

Economic resentment played a significant role in the expulsion of Jewish populations from medieval European countries, often fueled by the intersection of religious prejudice and shifting economic structures.

During the Middle Ages, Jews were frequently excluded from guilds, professions, and land ownership due to religious restrictions. Consequently, many were pushed into roles as traders and moneylenders—occupations that were vital to commerce but also restricted by Christian prohibitions against usury. While these roles allowed some Jews to achieve economic success, this prosperity frequently aroused the envy and hostility of the growing class of Christian merchants.123

This resentment was exacerbated by the legal status of Jews as a source of capital for monarchs. Because Jews were often defined as the personal property of the king, they were exploited for revenue, which created deep animosity among those who borrowed from them. When the economic utility of Jewish populations declined, or when rulers sought to appease popular hostility, these economic tensions—combined with traditional religious prejudice—provided the justification for forced expulsions from regions including England (1290), France (1306), and various German territories.213