Economic success was the key to the well-being of the Jews in medieval western Christendom, as it is for all human communities. As in the preceding chapter, so too in this chapter we must begin by noting major differences between the older Jewries of southern Europe and the newer Jewish communities of the north. The largest Jewish communities of the south lived from the seventh century on under Muslim rule, until the vitalization that affected all of western Christendom beginning at the end of the tenth century. As a result of this vitalization, the largest of the Jewish communities of the south – on the Iberian and Italian peninsulas – joined the ever-expanding orbit of western Christendom. Even more striking was the impact of this vitalization in the north, where entirely new sets of Jewish communities emerged.

Economic factors impacted the emergence of medieval northern European Jewry in a number of ways. The first involved simply the normal importance of economic success to any society and was common to all the Jews of medieval western Christendom. Economic factors also played a special role for the new Jewish settlers of northern Europe. In effect, economic considerations fostered the creation of this new Jewry. Perceptions of potential economic opportunity moved some Jews to consider venturing forth beyond the prior perimeters of Jewish settlement and trying their luck in this backward but rapidly developing area. Jewish perceptions of economic opportunity paralleled the conviction of major northern European rulers that immigrant Jews, bringing their economic expertise from the more developed Mediterranean basin, might contribute to the process of growth and maturation already under way. The combination of Jewish economic interest and governmental support for anticipated Jewish economic contribution set the stage for the emergence and development of medieval northern European Jewry.