Distinctive Signs of Jewish Segregation in the Czech Lands in the Middle Ages and Modern Times

The article by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor O. B. Keller is devoted to the spectrum of “insignia” of the Jewish population that were relevant for Jews living in the Czech lands (Bohemia, Moravia) in the Middle Ages and Modern Times. The very idea of “differentiation” of people comes to the Christian world from the world of Islam. And what was the reason for the appearance of “insignia” for Jews? Their appearance was associated with the prescription of Pope Innocent III “to wear special clothes for Jews and Muslims that distinguish them from Christians.” The idea of Pope Innocent III was voiced on November 15, 1215 at one of the sessions of the Fourth Lateran Council in Rome and, without any doubt, can be attributed to the beginning of the “segregation” of the Jewish population as early as the 13th century.