July 29 1099: Pope Urban II, the man behind the First Crusade, passed away. Considering the impact of the Crusades on the Jews of Europe, his impact on Jewish history is self-obvious. 1108: Philip I, King of France one of whose subjects R... »
July 27 1192: As Richard the Lionheart and Saladin continued their conflict during the Third Crusade, Saladin laid siege to Jaffa. 1214: French King Phillip II defeats the forces headed by Otto IV, the Holy Roman Emperor and King John of England at t... »
July 25 306: Constantine I was proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops. Under the rule of Constantine, Christianity would in effect become the official religion the Roman Empire. This was the beginning of a downward spiral in the life of European Jewry... »
August 7 117: The Roman Emperor Trajan passed away. Trajan came to think of himself as another Alexander the Great and moved east towards Babylonia with the intent of extending the boundaries of the Roman Empire. One of Trajan’s firs... »