The Greedy King Who Banished the Jews of France

Philip IV of France, known as Philip the Fair, was a king with a deep love for money. And while we all need money to live, Philip’s obsession went far beyond that. The problem was that he also happened to be king.

In 1276, after the murder of his older brother Louis, Philip took the throne of a country in financial ruin. The royal treasury was nearly empty, drained by lavish spending and pointless wars. From the moment he became king, Philip searched for ways to refill his coffers no matter the cost.

One of his most infamous acts was his brutal campaign against the Knights Templar, a powerful group of Christian warriors who had amassed great wealth. The Templars had made the mistake of lending money to Philip. Unwilling to repay them and eager to seize their riches, Philip accused them of heresy, using fabricated charges and false testimonies. Some of the so-called "crimes" were beyond belief like claims of human sacrifice and worshiping a giant demonic cat.

Though the Templars were not saints, they didn’t deserve what followed. Under Philip’s orders, many were tortured until they confessed to things they never did. Thirty-six Templars died from torture, and another 122 were forced to admit to crimes they never committed. After years of sham trials, they were publicly burned at the stake. Even as they were executed, many shouted out that their confessions were lies and cursed their persecutors. To this day, treasure hunters still search for the Templars’ hidden wealth, riches Philip never managed to find.

In 1306, Philip turned his attention to another target: the Jews of France. Many Jews served as moneylenders, and their financial support was critical to the French economy. But to Philip, they represented an opportunity to grab more wealth. And so, on Tisha B’Av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, Philip ordered all Jews to leave France immediately. They had to leave behind everything: their homes, their possessions, even the debts owed to them by non-Jews.

Philip announced that he would collect those debts himself, turning Jewish loans into royal income. The expulsion tore families from their homes and uprooted entire communities. Among those exiled were great Torah scholars, like Rabbi Aaron of Lunel and Rabbi Yedidya HaPenini, who were forced to resettle in Provence and Spain, struggling to rebuild their lives from nothing.

Even the non-Jewish merchants of France were upset. They quickly realized the economy had suffered without the Jewish community. But their complaints meant little to Philip. His eyes were fixed on gold, not justice.

In the end, however, Philip’s greed did not bring him peace. At just 46 years old, he died suddenly under mysterious circumstances. His son, King Louis, took the throne and, in response to growing public demand, eventually invited the Jews back to France.

The legacy of Philip IV is one of cruelty, false promises, and spiritual blindness. His actions on Tisha B’Av became yet another chapter in the long history of Jewish suffering on that day but also a reminder that injustice never lasts forever.