Robert Chazan, THE JEWS OF MEDIEVAL WESTERN CHRISTENDOM (Students' excerpt project)
INTRODUCTION
(A download option in PDF can be found below for this chapter.)
Our reconstruction of Jewish history in Western Europe from 1000-1500 depends on the available sources, which are limited compared to later periods. However, it differs between periods and locations. During this period, the available sources increase over time, but it strongly depends on the region as well. To study our history well, we need to look both at Christian and Jewish sources. For Christian sources, it depends a lot on how far the administration in a certain place and time had evolved. First and foremost, we have the records from the office of the Pope which are extensive. Among them, there are thousands of documents that deal with the Jews.