▁Jews ▁exp elled ▁from ▁France , ▁with ▁their ▁property ▁to ▁be ▁sold ▁at ▁public ▁au ction , ▁and ▁some ▁ 1 2 5 , 0 0 0 ▁Jews ▁were ▁forced ▁to ▁leave . ▁Similar ▁to ▁accus ations ▁made ▁during ▁the ▁Black ▁Pl ague , ▁Jews ▁were ▁accused ▁of ▁encourag ing ▁le pers ▁to ▁poison ▁Christian ▁well s ▁in ▁France . ▁An ▁estimated ▁five ▁thousand ▁Jews ▁were ▁killed ▁before ▁the ▁king , ▁Philip ▁the ▁T all , ▁admitted ▁the ▁Jews ▁were ▁innoc ent . ▁Then , ▁Charles ▁IV ▁exp elled ▁all ▁French ▁Jews ▁without ▁the ▁one - year ▁period ▁he ▁had ▁promised ▁them , ▁as ▁much ▁of ▁Europe ▁bl amed ▁the ▁Black ▁Pl ague ▁on ▁the ▁Jews ▁and ▁tort ured ▁them ▁so ▁they ▁would ▁conf ess ▁that ▁they ▁poison ed ▁the ▁well s . ▁Despite ▁the ▁ple as ▁of ▁innoc ence ▁of ▁Pope ▁Clement ▁VI , ▁the ▁accus ations ▁resulted ▁in ▁the ▁destruction ▁of ▁over ▁ 6 0 ▁large ▁and ▁ 1 5 0 ▁small ▁Jewish ▁communities . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 3 4 8 , ▁hundreds ▁of ▁Jews ▁were ▁burn ed ▁and ▁many ▁were ▁bapt ized ▁in ▁Bas el . ▁ ▁The ▁city ' s ▁Christian ▁residents ▁converted ▁the ▁syn agog ue ▁into ▁a ▁church ▁and ▁destroyed ▁the ▁Jewish ▁c emetery ▁there . ▁Pope ▁Clement ▁VI ▁issued ▁an ▁ed ict ▁rep udi ating ▁the ▁lib el ▁against ▁Jews , ▁saying ▁that ▁they ▁too ▁were ▁suffering ▁from ▁the ▁Pl ague . ▁In ▁ 1 3 8 5 , ▁German ▁Emperor ▁W ences laus ▁arrested