5 Sept 19 – York Part 1

 

Most of York’s layout is the result of Roman and Viking construction but right across from our hotel is one feature left from the Normans.  The original mound of Clifford’s Tower was constructed by William the Conqueror.  The original structure was wood and was burned down at least twice, but the current stone structure (pictured above) covers the same footprint.  The Tower is inexorably linked to the story of the Jews of this area, so while we sat at the foot of the tower, John gave us a summary of the Jewish community of York.  In the 1100s, the Jews were invited in to York, as bankers and entrepreneurs were needed to bolster the economy of the city.  The crown and the upper echelons became indebted to the Jews and resented them and their increasing wealth. In 1189 when Richard the Lionheart was crowned, a group of Jewish dignitaries went to the coronation bearing gifts for the new king, but they were set upon by an angry mob who felt they had no place there.  This turned into a full scale pogrom in London.  In York, the capital of the North, there was also animosity against the money lenders and when a Christian child went missing in 1190 what we now know as the blood libel was born. Fearing for their lives, the Jews of the community ran to Clifford’s Tower thinking they would be protected by the sheriff, but as it turns out, he was the one who had orchestrated the mob.  In the end, the entire community was either murdered or committed suicide rather than submit to the mob (historians differ on how the story is told).  In any event, the entire Jewish community was destroyed and the tower was burned to the ground with them still inside. To complete the story, the Jews were expelled from England in 1290 (and of course all debts to them were cancelled) and it was not until 1650 when Cromwell needed the bankers and merchants again that they were invited back. The tower itself is a beautiful structure that provides stunning panoramic views of the city.  It was the Normans who brought the concept of castles and keeps to England and this is a beautiful example.  I took a minute to face toward Jerusalem and say Kaddish for the bones that were buried beneath my feet, but I also could not ignore all the beauty that was around me.

After more walking through York and a visit to two medieval churches, we made our way to Towton Battlefield.  The Battle of Towton was fought in 1461 and is possibly the largest and bloodiest battle every fought on English soil.  The Lancastrian King Henry VI had transferred the right of succession to Richard, Duke of York and his heirs, but Henry’s wife Margaret of Anjou was unwilling to accept an arrangement that would deprive her son of his birthright.England was effectively a country with two kings which was a situation that could only be solved through war. Following the death of his father at the Battle of Wakefield, the 18 year-old Yorkist Edward marched his followers northwards to depose Henry through force.  

Some asides needed here…First, we will be visiting Wakefield on Saturday.  The geography and the weather make doing this in chronological order impractical.  And second…it is important to remember that the city of York was a Lancastrian stronghold and the city of Lancaster played no role in the Wars of the Roses.  I know that sounds nutty… but that’s how it is.`

Most battles during this era were over within an hour or so but this one lasted almost all day with the wind and the sleet making it even more horrible.  In the end, the Yorkists ruled the day and the fleeing Lancastrians were cut down from behind as they fled the battlefield with a death toll that is said to number 28,000.  This was a decisive victory for the Yorkists, but King Henry, his wife Margaret, and their son were able to escape to Scotland and would be back…although it would take them 25 years.  

The terrain has changed little in the past few hundred years and standing out there on a cool and windy day I thought it possible to understand what it might have been like, but then I realized it was almost impossible to imagine how this beautiful and peaceful landscape would have a been transformed by 50,000 men in full armor and all of the noise, bloodshed, and hatred that would have filled the air.