jews...

[Leet Eriksson]

any use of the jews in the game?other than being an icon in the religion of the province...if i could levy peasant jews and arm them with sticks,it would be a lot better than peasants.actually one story i heard they defeated crusader knights with sticks...

[DemonArchangel]

LOL
sticks.....
well anyway, jews are only good for inquisition fodder in medieval.

[Leet Eriksson]

cool,never burnt any,since mostly i play england http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif.

*goes to conquer the middle east and fills it with inquisitors*

[Heraclius]

You'd think that a population of Jews might make your economy better. After all, they were skilled merchants and wise kings put their money into the hands of their Jewish subjects. (In fact, my family did this in Spain, or so my grandmother said, before having to flee Greece to escape the inquisition).

[Kristaps]

Well, the wise kings had not much of a choice there: they HAD to put their money with Jews since banking (and earning interest on loans) was outlawed by the Christian religion. Of course, in such monopoly conditions, the Jewish bankers soon prospered which led to later persecutions by the jealous Christians...

[Longshanks]

Speaking of banking.....it also brought about the downfall of the Knights Templar, which believe it or not pretty much invented modern banking.

http://www.ordotempli.org/history_of_the_knights_templar.htm

[Hamburglar]

In my games it seems like all the Jews get wiped out very early. Never seen any past like 1160 or so.

[Hakonarson]

I don't think banking was outlawed for Christians, rather it was one of the few occupations allowed to Jews in many cases.

So they took to it in droves

Of course those were the successful rich ones and teh "middle classes" - there were also un-numbered poor destitute jews around Europe - no doubt they're the ones who suffered the most when the massacres happened.

[solypsist]

there is actually a mod for MTW that has a Jewish faction.