Ritual murder trial of Trent 1475, the Jewish community is tortured and executed after the death of the child Simon

In March 1475 the small child Simon disappeared in Trent, then a prince-bishopric, and was found dead. Under Prince-Bishop Johannes Hinderbach the Jews of the city were accused of ritual murder, arrested and tortured until they made the confessions dictated to them; several were burned or beheaded. A papal envoy considered the Jews innocent, but the bishop continued the executions. In 1478 Pope Sixtus IV declared the proceedings lawful.

Period

23 Mar 1475-20 Jun 1478 (3 years)

Country

Italy

Institutions

Prince-Bishopric of Trent
Prince-Bishop Johannes Hinderbach
Pope Sixtus IV

Category

Anti-Judaism, Torture, Persecution

Level of evidence

B two independent scholarly sources · what does this mean?

Persons

Johannes Hinderbach (Prince-Bishop of Trent, under whom the Jews were tortured and executed)
Bernardino of Feltre (Franciscan preacher, incited against the Jews in Trent)
Sixtus IV (Pope, declared the proceedings lawful in 1478)
Simon of Trent (child whose death was blamed on the Jews)
Moses (eighty-year-old defendant, brought to confess under torture)
Samuel (community member near whose house the body was found; arrested)
Giambattista dei Sindici (Bishop of Ventimiglia, papal commissioner, considered the Jews innocent)

Background

Course of events

1. A search of the Jewish quarter ordered by Bishop Hinderbach found nothing. On 26 March Jews themselves discovered a child's body in the river near the house of a community member named Samuel and wanted to inform the bishop, but were not admitted. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia the body lay in a ditch.
   Evidence: Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), Artikel Simon of Trent, Abschnitt The Disappearance of Simon

   „a careful search through the Jewish quarter, ordered by Bishop Hinderbach and executed by the podestà of Trent, Johann Sala, proved fruitless“

   Evidence: Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), Artikel Simon of Trent, Abschnitt The Disappearance of Simon

   „some Jews noticed the body of a child in the river, near the house of one of their number named Samuel“

   Evidence: Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), Artikel Simon of Trent, Abschnitt The Disappearance of Simon

   „hastened to notify the bishop, but were not admitted to his presence“

   Evidence: Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), Wikisource, Artikel Diocese of Trent

   „On the evening of Easter Sunday the body was found in a ditch.“

Why? Justification and motives (according to the sources)

1. Beforehand, the Franciscan Bernardino of Feltre had incited against the Jews in his Lenten sermons of 1475 and predicted that a ritual murder would take place at the next Jewish Passover.
   Evidence: Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), Artikel Simon of Trent, Abschnitt The Disappearance of Simon

   „In his Lenten sermons (1475) he endeavored to incite the people against them“

   Evidence: Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), Artikel Simon of Trent, Abschnitt The Disappearance of Simon

   „Then he predicted that at the next Jewish Passover a ritual murder would occur.“

Who received the assets, who profited?

1. The papal commissioner reported to Rome that the Jews were innocent, that Simon had been killed by Christians in order to ruin the Jews, and that Bishop Hinderbach had intended to enrich himself through the confiscation of the property of those executed.
   Evidence: Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), Artikel Simon of Trent, Abschnitt Investigation by the Papal Envoy

   „he found the Jews innocent, that Simon had been killed by Christians with the intention of ruining the Jews, and that Bishop Hinderbach had planned to enrich himself by confiscating the estates of those executed“

Response of the Church

1. On 3 August 1475 Pope Sixtus IV ordered Bishop Hinderbach to suspend the proceedings until the arrival of the papal commissioner, Bishop Giambattista dei Sindici of Ventimiglia. The commissioner denied the child's martyrdom and demanded the release of the Jews; the Bishop of Trent opposed him, the commissioner was attacked by a crowd and had to withdraw to Rovereto.
   Evidence: Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), Artikel Simon of Trent, Abschnitt Investigation by the Papal Envoy

   „commanded Bishop Hinderbach on Aug. 3 to again suspend proceedings, until the arrival of the papal commissary, Bishop Giambattista dei Sindici of Ventimiglia“

   Evidence: Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), Artikel Simon of Trent, Abschnitt Investigation by the Papal Envoy

   „he denied the martyrdom of the child Simon and disputed the occurrence of a miracle at his grave“

   Evidence: Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), Artikel Simon of Trent, Abschnitt Investigation by the Papal Envoy

   „when he demanded the immediate release of the Jews he was denounced by the bishop and assailed by the mob, being compelled to withdraw to Roveredo“

2. Sixtus IV appointed a commission of six cardinals. With the decree "Facit nos pietas" of 20 June 1478 he declared the proceedings against the Jews of Trent to have been conducted properly ("rite et recte factum").
   Evidence: Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), Artikel Simon of Trent, Abschnitt Investigation by the Papal Envoy

   „Sixtus IV. then appointed a commission of six cardinals to investigate the two proceedings.“

   Evidence: Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), Artikel Simon of Trent, Abschnitt Investigation by the Papal Envoy

   „in the decree of June 20, 1478, "Facit nos pietas," Sixtus IV. declared the proceedings against the Jews in Trent to be "rite et recte factum."“

3. Bishop Hinderbach circulated a letter to all clergy describing the martyrdom of Simon and called the papal commissioner's investigation a corrupt inquiry ("corruptam inquisitionem").
   Evidence: Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906), Artikel Simon of Trent, Abschnitt Investigation by the Papal Envoy

   „Bishop Hinderbach answered by a circular, directed to all churchmen describing the martyrdom of Simon, justifying his own share in the proceedings, and denouncing the work of the Bishop of Ventimiglia as "corruptam inquisitionem."“

Scholarly literature and reference works

1. Reference work
   Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906): Simon (Simedl, Simoncino) of Trent (Joseph Jacobs, Aaron Tänzer), 1 January 1905. Original (retrieved 15 Oct 2026)
2. Reference work
   Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), Wikisource: Diocese of Trent (Tridentum), 1 January 1913. Original (retrieved 15 Oct 2026)

Last changed on 22 October 2026. Is something missing or wrong? Suggest an addition or correction.