Trent 1475: Stories of a Ritual Murder Trial
Hsia, author of The Myth of Ritual Murder ( LJ 10/1/88), uses original sources to examine an infamous ritual murder case. In 1475 three Jewish families of Trent were charged with the murder of a Christian child. Judicial torture was used to force the accused to sign confessions fabricated by the prosecution. This victimization of the Jewish community did not go unchallenged. The account of the conflict between Trent's prince-bishop, who wanted the canonization of the alleged child martyr, and the papal commissioner sent to investigate irregularities in the judicial procedures highlights the fraudulent nature of the charges. Informed lay readers as well as scholars and specialists will welcome this addition to the literature on the history of anti-Semitism. For academic libraries and large public libraries with strong reader interest in this area.- Robert Andrews, Duluth P.L., Minn.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.