Who Was (Not) Samuel of Falaise? Between France and Germany in Medieval Rabbinic History

Abstract Samuel ben Solomon of Falaise (Sir Morel) was an important Tosafist in thirteenth-century Normandy. His given name and that of his father were both very common among medieval European Jews, and therefore it can be quite difficult to determine whether a particular source refers to him or to another person with the same name. This article attempts to resolve this problem by evaluating six occurrences of the name in medieval texts from thirteenth-century France and Germany. Clarifying whether or not these texts refer to Samuel of Falaise lays the foundation for an accurate historical account of his life and works. It also contributes to larger questions concerning rabbinic mobility and the changing relationship between the rabbinic centers of France and Germany during the Middle Ages.