Breslau 1453: Under the papal inquisitor John of Capistrano Jews were tortured, 41 burned in one day and their children forcibly baptised
Pope Nicholas V entrusted the Franciscan John of Capistrano with supervising the ecclesiastical laws on Jews. In 1453 Capistrano came to Breslau at the invitation of the bishop. After a rumour that a wealthy Jew had bought and desecrated a host, all the Jews of the city, men, women and children, were imprisoned in May and their property seized. Capistrano directed the inquiry as inquisitor and had them tortured. According to Graetz, 318 people from several places were brought to Breslau; on 2 June 1453 forty-one were burned in one day. The rest had all their children under seven taken from them and baptised before they were expelled. According to Graetz, the Bernardine church was built from their property.
Deaths
41(counted, Jews, burned at Breslau on 2 June 1453)Evidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891
„forty-one convicted Jews were burnt on one day (2d June, 1453)“
John of Capistrano (Franciscan and papal inquisitor, directed torture, trial and burnings at Breslau) Peter Nowak (Bishop of Breslau, invited Capistrano) Meyer (wealthy Jew of Breslau, accused of desecrating a host)
What happened to the people
Who was affected? Victims and numbers
In the summer of 1453 Capistrano came to the Silesian capital at the invitation of the Bishop of Breslau, Peter Nowak. A rumour spread that the wealthy Jew Meyer had bought a host from a peasant and desecrated it. Thereupon on 2 May 1453 all the Jews of Breslau, men, women and children, were thrown into prison and their property in the Judengasse seized, together with the bonds of their debtors worth about 25,000 Hungarian florins.
Evidence: Harper & Brothers; Project Gutenberg (eBook 39458), Bd. 2, S. 548
„In the summer of 1453 Capistrano came there“
Henry Charles Lea, A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, Bd. 2 (New York 1888), Bd. 2, S. 548.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 260
„Capistrano came to the Silesian capital on the invitation of the bishop of Breslau, Peter Novak“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 260.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 261
„A report was spread that a Jew named Meyer, one of the wealthiest of the Breslau Israelites“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 261.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 261
„had purchased a host from a peasant, had stabbed and blasphemed it“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 261.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 261
„Forthwith all the Jews of Breslau, men, women and childen, were thrown into prison, their entire property in the “Judengasse”’ seized“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 261.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 261
„the bonds of their debtors, worth about 25,000 Hungarian gold florins, confiscated (2d May, 1453)“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 261.
Original
How were they charged and sentenced?
Capistrano took over the direction of the inquiry as inquisitor. According to Graetz, he had some Jews stretched on the rack and personally instructed the torturers; the tortured confessed. According to Lea, he tortured the accused to confession. A baptised Jewess further claimed that the Breslau Jews had once before burned a host and killed a Christian boy. According to Graetz, altogether 318 persons were arrested in various places and brought to Breslau; Capistrano sat in judgment on them and hurried them to execution.
Evidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 261
„Capistrano assumed the direction of the inquiry into this important affair.“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 261.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 261
„He ordered a few Jews to be stretched on the rack, and personally instructed the torturers in their task“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 261.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 261
„The tortured Israelites confessed.“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 261.
OriginalEvidence: Harper & Brothers; Project Gutenberg (eBook 39458), Bd. 2, S. 549
„Capistrano seized those implicated, tortured them to confession, and burned them, while a woman who was implicated was torn with red-hot pincers.“
Henry Charles Lea, A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, Bd. 2 (New York 1888), Bd. 2, S. 549.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 261
„A wicked baptized Jewess declared that the Breslau Jews had once before burnt a host“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 261.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 262
„in all 318 persons, were arrested in different localities, and brought to Breslau. Capistrano sat in judgment upon them, and hurried them to execution.“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 262.
Original
What happened to those affected?
On 2 June 1453, at the Salzring where Capistrano lived, forty-one condemned Jews were burned in one day; Lea likewise gives forty-one burned, and in addition a woman torn with red-hot pincers. The rabbi hanged himself. Before the rest were expelled from Breslau, all their children under seven were taken from them by force, baptised and given to Christians to be brought up; according to Graetz this was Capistrano's wish, and he justified it in a treatise to King Ladislaus. In the other Silesian towns Jews were likewise burned or chased away almost naked. The town clerk Eschenloer wrote in his diary that whether this was godly he left to the judgment of the clergy.
Evidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 262
„forty-one convicted Jews were burnt on one day (2d June, 1453)“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 262.
OriginalEvidence: Harper & Brothers; Project Gutenberg (eBook 39458), Bd. 2, S. 549
„Capistrano made another onslaught on them, and this time burned no less than forty-one.“
Henry Charles Lea, A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, Bd. 2 (New York 1888), Bd. 2, S. 549.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 262
„The rabbi (Phineas?) hanged himself“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 262.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 262
„all their children under seven years of age having previously been taken from them by force, baptized, and given to Christians to be brought up“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 262.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 262
„This was Capistrano’s wish, and in a learned treatise he explained to King Ladislaus that it was in consonance with the Christian religion and orthodoxy.“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 262.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 262
„Some were burnt, and the rest chased away, stripped almost to the skin.“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 262.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 262
„Whether this is godly or not, I leave to the judgment of the min“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 262.
Original
Background
Why? Justification and motives (according to the sources)
In 1447 Pope Nicholas V renewed for Italy, by a bull, all restrictions against Jews and entrusted their enforcement to John of Capistrano. According to Graetz, Capistrano was authorised, for example, to confiscate the whole fortune of a Jewish physician who treated a sick Christian. Nicholas appointed him inquisitor of the Jews to supervise the canonical restrictions against them.
Evidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 253
„In a bull, dated June 23d, 1447, he repeated for Italy the restrictions which his predecessor had formulated for Castile“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 253.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 253
„execution was confided to the pitiless Jew-hater and heretic-hunter, John of Capistrano“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 253.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 253
„If, for example, a Jewish physician provided a suffering Christian with the means of regaining health, Capistrano was authorized to confiscate the whole of the offender’s fortune and property.“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 253.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 258
„This procured his appointment by Pope Nicholas to the post of inquisitor of the Jews, his duty being to superintend the enforcement of the canonical restrictions against them.“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 258.
Original
Who received the assets, who profited?
The property of the burned and expelled Jews was seized; according to Graetz, the Bernardine church was built with the proceeds. Graetz suspects that noble debtors and towns that owed the Jews money used the opportunity to rid themselves of their debts.
Evidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 262
„The goods of the burnt and banished Jews were, of course, seized, and with their proceeds the Bernardine church was built.“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 262.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 260
„Hence it is not unlikely that some debtors of rank secretly planned to evade their liabilities by ridding themselves. of the Jews.“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 260.
Original
Response of the Church
According to Graetz, Capistrano's admirers called him the "Scourge of the Jews". After Breslau, King Ladislaus, at the request of the town council, forbade Jews to settle there in future and approved the outrages. The Church later canonised Capistrano.
Evidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 260
„as his admirers called him“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 260.
OriginalEvidence: Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891, Bd. 4, S. 262
„no Jew would be allowed to settle in Breslau“
History of the Jews, Bd. 4, Bd. 4, S. 262.
OriginalEvidence: Harper & Brothers; Project Gutenberg (eBook 39580), Bd. 3, S. 176
„who richly earned their respective canonization and beatification“
Henry Charles Lea, A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, Bd. 3 (New York 1887/88), Bd. 3, S. 176.
Original
Scholarly literature
Heinrich Graetz, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1891: History of the Jews, Bd. 4, 1 January 1891.
Original(retrieved 23 Oct 2026)
Scholarly literature
Harper & Brothers; Project Gutenberg (eBook 39458): Henry Charles Lea, A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, Bd. 2 (New York 1888).
Original(retrieved 11 Oct 2026)
Scholarly literature
Harper & Brothers; Project Gutenberg (eBook 39580): Henry Charles Lea, A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, Bd. 3 (New York 1887/88).
Original(retrieved 30 Oct 2026)
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