Persecution of Jews in Italy

Roman and Eastern Roman emperors
Under Christian emperors, Jews were persecuted in the Roman and Eastern Roman Empires, which include forbidding Jews from marrying Christians and restricting Jewish ownership of slaves by Emperors Constantine I, Constantius II, and Theodosius I in the fourth century, prohibiting Jews from bearing witness against orthodox Christians in court by Emperor Justinian I in the sixth century, and forcing conversions of Jews to Christianity by Emperors Phocas, Heraclius, Leo III, Basil I, and Romanos I Lekapenos between the seventh and tenth centuries.

Ambrose of Milan
During the fourth century, Bishop Ambrose of Milan was hateful toward Jews. Ambrose defended a bishop involved in the destruction of a synagogue and expressed that he wanted to have burned down a synagogue with his own hands. He also blamed Jews for the death of Jesus Christ.

Philaster of Brescia
In 388, Bishop Philaster of Brescia encouraged the populace of Rome to set fire to a synagogue.

Ostrogothic Ravenna
After being incited by clergy, a Christian mob burned down synagogues in the Ostrogoth capital city, Ravenna, in 519.

Victor of Palermo
In 598, Bishop Victor of Palermo confiscated synagogues and converted them to churches.

Papacy
The popes of the papacy have made laws restricting Jewish people, which include Jews being prohibited from holding public office (1078, 1215, and 1442), prohibited from the construction of synagogues (1442 and 1555), prohibited from testifying against Christians (1442), forced to live in ghettos (1442, 1555, 1775, 1823, and 1850), forced to wear a Jewish badge and hat (1215, 1218, and 1555), and expelled from the Papal States (1569 and 1593). Pope Benedict VIII (1012-1024) ordered the execution of a number of Jews for alleged blasphemy against Jesus Christ.

The Inquisition established by Pope Gregory IX in the 13th century and lasted hundreds of years was used to suppress heresy. Officials of the Inquisition or inquisitors targeted suspected Jewish converts of Christianity that relapsed to Judaism. They were tortured and punished with death. Pope Paul IV (1555-1559) had ordered over 20 Marranos (Spanish Jews that converted to Christianity that were secretly practicing Judaism) to be burned at the stake in Ancona.

Frederick II
In 1221, Jews were required to wear a badge by King Frederick II of Sicily.

Blood libels
Jews were forcibly converted and killed in Trani in the 1290s after a blood libel, which falsely accuses Jews of having killed a Christian child for a ritual. In 1475, Jews were falsely accused of a blood libel for the death of Simon of Trent and over a dozen Jews were killed.

Frederick III
King Frederick III of Sicily in 1310 prohibited Jewish doctors from attending to Christian patients in Sicily and in 1312 ordered Jews to live outside the city wall of Palermo in a ghetto.

Jewish ghettos
Ghettos were established for Jews in many locations in Italy between the 14th and 18th centuries. They were established in Palermo in 1312, Venice in 1516, Rome in 1555, Bologna in 1556, Florence and Siena in 1571, Mirandola and Verona in 1602, Padua in 1603, Mantua in 1612, Rovigo in 1613, Ferrara in 1624, Urbino, Pesaro, and Senigallia in 1634, Modena in 1638, Lugo and Cento in 1639, Este in 1666, Reggio Emilia in 1670, Conegliano Veneto in 1675, Turin in 1679, Casale Monferrato in 1724, Vercelli in 1725, Acqui in 1731, Moncalvo in 1732, Finale in 1736, and Correggio in 1779.

Modica massacre
In 1474, hundreds of Jews were killed by a Christian mob in Modica.

Expulsions by monarchs
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V expelled Jews from Naples in 1541, his successor Ferdinand I expelled Jews from Gorizia, and Duke Philip I of Milan expelled Jews from the Duchy of Milan in the late 16th century.