Persecution of Jews in Hungary

Roman emperors
Under Christian emperors, Jews were persecuted in the Roman Empire, which included forbidding Jews from marrying Christians, restricting Jewish ownership of slaves, and punishing those that converted from Christianity to Judaism.

Christian church councils
The ecclesiastical councils in the Kingdom of Hungary issued laws restricting Jews from having Christian wives and slaves (Council of Szabolcs in 1092) and decreed that Jews are to wear a Jewish badge (Council of Buda in 1279).

Hungarian monarchs
St. Ladislaus I, King of Hungary, presided over the Council of Szabolcs in 1092 and decreed that Jews are not to have Christian wives and slaves. His successor King Coloman renewed the Szabolcs decree and restricted Jews to cities with episcopal sees.

Jews were forbidden from owning land or holding public office by King Andrew II in 1222. In 1233, he required Jews to wear a badge. His successor Béla IV had Jews expelled. King Ladislaus IV confirmed the decree of Council of Buda in 1279 and made it the law that Jews are to wear a Jewish badge.

After failing to convert Jews to Christianity, King Louis I had them expelled in 1360.

Queen Elizabeth of Hungary in 1440 gave the houses of Jews in Sopron to city burghers and ordered Jews to confine themselves to four houses. In 1526, Jews were expelled from Sopron by Regent Maria, the widow of King Louis II.

King Leopold (who reigned from the mid-17th century to the early 18th century) wanted the Kingdom of Hungary to be a purely Catholic state. Jews had to abandon Judaism or face persecution. The king's adviser and Archbishop Kollonitsch's plan for the gradual eradication of Jews included them being expelled from royal cities, not allowed to own land, banned from guilds, and forbidden from engaging in agriculture or seeking any profession.

Queen Maria Theresa imposed a “toleration” or extra tax on Jews. In 1776, she ordered the expulsion of Jews from Buda and wrote of Jews in 1777: “I know of no greater plague than this race, which on account of its deceit, usury and avarice is driving my subjects into beggary. Therefore as far as possible, the Jews are to be kept away and avoided.”

Blood libel
Jews were accused in a blood libel or false accusation of ritual murder of a child that disappeared in Tiszaeszlár in 1882.