This is a timeline about Jewish history from it's beginning to 1501 A.D.
1312 BCE
The Exodus from Egypt (Moses)
c. 1150 BCE–c. 1025 BCE
Biblical Judges lead the people
c. 1025 BCE–c. 1007 BCE
King Saul
c. 1010 BCE–c. 970 BCE
King David
c. 1001 BCE–c. 931 BCE
King Solomon
c. 1000 BCE–c. 900 BCE
Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription
c. 960 BCE
Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem completed
c. 931 BCE
Split between Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and Kingdom of Judah
c. 931 BCE–c. 913 BCE
King Rehoboam of Judah
c. 931 BCE–c. 910 BCE
King Jeroboam of Israel
c. 900 BCE
J source of the Torah is written
840 BCE
Mesha inscription describes Moabite victory over a son of King Omri of Israel.
c. 800 BCE
According to the documentary hypothesis, E Source of the Torah is written
c. 740 BCE–c. 700 BCE
Prophesy of Isaiah
c. 740 BCE–c. 722 BCE
Kingdom of Israel falls to Neo-Assyrian Empire
c. 725 BCE–c. 650 BCE
Ketef Hinnom scrolls containing the text of the Priestly blessing
c. 715 BCE–c. 687 BCE
King Hezekiah of Judah
c. 690 BCE
P Source of the Torah is written
c. 649 BCE–c. 609 BCE
King Josiah of Judah institutes major reforms.
c. 626 BCЕ – c. 587 BCE
Prohecy of Jeremiah
c. 620 BCE
D Source of the Torah is written. Joshua, Judges, Samuel I and II, Kings I and II are also written.
597 BCE
First deportation to Babylon
586 BCE
Jerusalem falls to Nebuchadnezzar and Solomon's Temple is destroyed.
539 BCE
Jews allowed to return to Jerusalem, by permission of Cyrus.
520 BCE
Prophecy of Zechariah
516 BCE
Second Temple of Jerusalem consecrated.
c. 475 BCE
Often associated with Xerxes I of Persia, Queen Esther revealed her identity to the king and began to plead for her people, pointing to Haman as the evil schemer plotting to destroy them.
c. 460 BCE
Seeing anarchy breaking out in Judea, Xerxes' successor Persian King Artaxerxes sent Ezra to restore order.
332 BCE
Alexander the Great conquers Phoenicia and Gaza, probably passing by Judea without entering the Jewish dominated hill country on his way into Egypt.
200 BCE–100 CE
At some point during this era the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) is canonized. Jewish religious works that were written after the time of Ezra were not canonized, although many became popular among many groups of Jews. Those works that made it into the Greek translation of the Bible (the Septuagint) became known as the deuterocanonical books.
167–161 BCE
The Maccabees (Hasmoneans) revolt against the Hellenistic Empire of Seleucids, led by Judah Maccabee, resulting in victory and installation of the Hanukkah holiday.
157–129 BCE
Hasmonean dynasty establishes its royal dominance in Judea during renewed war with Seleucid Empire.
63 BCE
Pompey the Great lay siege to and entered the Temple, Judea became a client kingdom of Rome.
40 BCE–4 BCE
Herod the Great, appointed King of the Jews by the Roman Senate.
6 CE
Province of Roman Judaea created by merging Judea proper, Samaria and Idumea.
10 CE
Hillel the Elder, considered the greatest Torah sage, dies, leading to the dominance of Shammai till 30, see also Hillel and Shammai.
30 CE
Helena of Adiabene, a vassal Parthian kingdom in Mesopotamia, converts to Israelite religion. Significant numbers of Adiabene population follow her, later also providing limited support for Jews during Jewish-Roman wars. In the following centuries the community mostly converts to Christianity.
30–70 CE
Schism within Judaism during the Second Temple era. A sect within Hellenised Jewish society starts Jewish Christianity.
66–70 CE
The Great Jewish Revolt against Roman occupation ended with destruction of the Second Temple and the fall of Jerusalem. 1,100,000 people are killed by the Romans during the siege, and 97,000 captured and enslaved. The Sanhedrin was relocated to Yavne by Yochanan ben Zakai, see also Council of Jamnia. Fiscus Judaicus levied on all Jews of the Roman Empire whether they aided the revolt or not.
70–200
Period of the Tannaim, rabbis who organized and elucidated the Jewish oral law. The decisions of the Tannaim are contained in the Mishnah, Beraita, Tosefta, and various Midrash compilations.
73
Final events of the Great Jewish Revolt - the fall of Masada. Christianity starts off as a Jewish sect and then develops its own texts and ideology and branches off from Judaism to become a distinct religion.
115–117
Kitos War (Revolt against Trajan) - a second Jewish-Roman War initiated in large Jewish communities of Cyprus, Cyrene (modern Libya), Aegipta (modern Egypt) and Mesopotamia (modern Syria and Iraq). It led to mutual killing of hundreds of thousands Jews, Greeks and Romans, ending with a total defeat of Jewish rebels and complete extermination of Jews in Cyprus and Cyrene by the newly installed Emperor Hadrian.
131–136
The Roman emperor Hadrian, among other provocations, renames Jerusalem "Aelia Capitolina" and prohibits circumcision. Bar Kokhba (Bar Kosiba) leads a large Jewish revolt against Rome in response to Hadrian's actions. In the aftermath, most Jewish population is annihilated (about 580,000 killed) and Hadrian renames the province of Judea to Syria Palaestina, and attempts to root out Judaism.
136
Rabbi Akiva is martyred.
138
With Emperor Hadrian's death, the persecution of Jews within the Roman Empire is eased and Jews are allowed to visit Jerusalem on Tisha B'av. In the following centuries the Jewish center moves to Galilee.
200
The Mishnah, the standardization of the Jewish oral law as it stands today, is redacted by Judah HaNasi in the land of Israel.
220–500
Period of the amoraim, the rabbis of the Talmud.
315–337
Roman Emperor Constantine I enacts new restrictive legislature. Conversion of Christians to Judaism is outlawed, congregations for religious services are curtailed, but Jews are also allowed to enter Jerusalem on the anniversary of the Temple's destruction.
351-352
Jewish revolt, directed against Constantius Gallus, is put down.
358
Because of the increasing danger of Roman persecution, Hillel II creates a mathematical calendar for calculating the Jewish month. After adopting the calendar, the Sanhedrin in Tiberias is dissolved.
361–363
The last pagan Roman Emperor, Julian, allows the Jews to return to "holy Jerusalem which you have for many years longed to see rebuilt" and to rebuild the Second Temple. Shortly after, the Emperor is assassinated, and the plan is dissolved.
363
Galilee earthquake of 363.
379
In India, the Hindu king Sira Primal, also known as Iru Brahman, issued what was engraved on a tablet of brass, his permission to Jews to live freely, build synagogue, own property without conditions attached and as long as the world and moon exist.
438
The Empress Eudocia removes the ban on Jews' praying at the Temple site and the heads of the Community in Galilee issue a call "to the great and mighty people of the Jews": "Know that the end of the exile of our people has come"!
450
Redaction of Talmud Yerushalmi (Talmud of Jerusalem)
500–523
Yosef Dhu Nuwas, King of Himyarite Kingdom (Modern Yemen) converting to Judaism, upgrading existing Yemenese Jewish center. His kingdom falls in a war against Axum and the Christians.
550
The main redaction of Talmud Bavli (Babylonian Talmud) is completed under Rabbis Ravina and Ashi. To a lesser degree, the text continues to be modified for the next 200 years.
550–700
Period of the savoraim, the sages in Persia who put the Talmud in its final form.
555-572
The Fourth Samaritan Revolt against Byzantium results in great reduction of the Samaritan community, their Israelite faith is outlawed. Neighbouring Jews, who mostly reside in Galilee, are also affected by the oppressive rule of the Byzantines.
610-628
Jews of Galilee led by Benjamin of Tiberias gain autonomy in Jerusalem after revolting against Heraclius as a joint military campaign with ally Sassanid Empire under Khosrau II and Jewish militias from Persia, but are subsequently massacred.
7th century
The rise and domination of Islam among largely pagan Arabs in the Arabian peninsula results in the almost complete removal and conversion of the ancient Jewish communities there, and sack of Levant from the hands of Byzantines.
700–1250
Period of the Gaonim (the Gaonic era). Jews in southern Europe and Asia Minor lived under the often intolerant rule of Christian Kings and clerics. Most Jews lived in the Muslim Arab realm (Andalusia, North Africa, Palestine, Iraq and Yemen). Despite sporadic periods of persecution, Jewish communal and cultural life flowered in this period. The universally recognized centers of Jewish life were in Jerusalem and Tiberias (Syria), Sura and Pumbeditha (Iraq). The heads of these law schools were the Gaonim, who were consulted on matters of law by Jews throughout the world. During this time, the Niqqud is invented in Tiberias.
711
Muslim armies invade and occupy most of Spain (At this time Jews made up about 8% of Spain's population). Under Christian rule, Jews had been subject to frequent and intense persecution, but this was alleviated under Muslim rule. Some mark this as the beginning of the Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain.
740
The Khazar (a Turkic semi-nomadic people from Central Asia) King and members of the upper class adopt Judaism. The Khazarate lasts until 10th century, being overrun by Russians, and finally conquered by Russian and Byzantian forces in 1016.
760
The Karaites reject the authority of the oral law, and split off from rabbinic Judaism.
846
In Sura, Iraq, Rav Amram Gaon compiles his siddur (Jewish prayer book.)
871
An incomplete marriage contract dated to October 6 of this year is the earliest dated document found in the papers of the Cairo Geniza.
900–1090
The Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain. Abd-ar-Rahman III becomes Caliph of Spain in 912, ushering in the height of tolerance. Muslims granted Jews and Christians exemptions from military service, the right to their own courts of law, and a guarantee of safety of their property. Jewish poets, scholars, scientists, statesmen and philosophers flourished in and were an integral part of the extensive Arab civilization. This ended with the invasion of Almoravides in 1090.
940
In Iraq, Saadia Gaon compiles his siddur (Jewish prayer book).
1013–1073
Rabbi Yitchaki Alfassi (from Morocco, later Spain) writes the Rif, an important work of Jewish law.
1040–1105
Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki (Rashi) writes important commentaries on almost the entire Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and Talmud.
1066
1066 Granada massacre
1095–1291
Christian Crusades begin, sparking warfare with Islam in Palestine. Crusaders temporarily capture Jerusalem in 1099. Tens of thousands of Jews are killed by European crusaders throughout Europe and in the Middle East.
1100–1275
Time of the tosafot, Talmudic commentators who carried on Rashi's work. They include some of his descendants.
1107
Moroccan Almoravid ruler Yoseph Ibn Tashfin expels Moroccan Jews who do not convert to Islam.
1135–1204
Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, aka Maimonides or the Rambam is the leading rabbi of Sephardic Jewry. Among his many accomplishments, he writes an influential code of law (The Mishneh Torah) as well as, in Arabic, the most influential philosophical work (Guide for the Perplexed) in Jewish history.
1141
Yehuda Halevi issues a call to the Jews to emigrate to Palestine and eventually dies in Jerusalem.
1187
Upon the capture of Jerusalem, Saladin summons the Jews and permits them to resettle in the city.[8] In particular, the residents of Ashkelon, a large Jewish settlement, respond to his request.
1250–1300
The life of Moses de Leon, of Spain. He publishes to the public the Zohar the 2nd century CE esoteric interpretations of the Torah by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his disciples. This begins the modern form of Kabbalah (esoteric Jewish mysticism).
1250–1550
Period of the Rishonim, the medieval rabbinic sages. Most Jews at this time lived in lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea or in Western Europe under feudal systems. With the decline of Muslim and Jewish centers of power in Iraq, there was no single place in the world which was a recognized authority for deciding matters of Jewish law and practice. Consequently, the rabbis recognized the need for writing commentaries on the Torah and Talmud and for writing law codes that would allow Jews anywhere in the world to be able to continue living in the Jewish tradition.
1267
Nahmanides (Ramban) settles in Jerusalem and builds the Ramban Synagogue.
1270–1343
Rabbi Jacob ben Asher of Spain writes the Arba'ah Turim (Four Rows of Jewish Law).
1290
Jews are expelled from England by Edward I after the banning of usury in the 1275 Statute of Jewry.
1300
Rabbi Levi ben Gershom, aka Gersonides. A 14th-century French Jewish philosopher best known for his Sefer Milhamot Adonai ("The Book of the Wars of the Lord") as well as for his philosophical commentaries.
1306–1394
Jews are repeatedly expelled from France and readmitted, for a price.
1343
Jews persecuted in Western Europe are invited to Poland by Casimir the Great.
1478
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain institute the Spanish Inquisition.
1486
First Jewish prayer book published in Italy.
1488–1575
Rabbi Yosef Karo spends 20 years compiling the Beit Yosef, an enormous guide to Jewish law. He then writes a more concise guide, the Shulkhan Arukh, that becomes the standard law guide for the next 400 years. Born in Spain, Yosef Karo lives and dies in Safed.
1488
Obadiah ben Abraham, commentator on the Mishnah, arrives in Jerusalem and marks a new epoch for the Jewish community.
1492
The Alhambra Decree: Approximately 200,000 Jews are expelled from Spain, The expelled Jews relocate to the Netherlands, Turkey, Arab lands, and Judea; some eventually go to South and Central America. However, most emigrate to Poland. In later centuries, more than 50% of Jewish world population lived in Poland. Many Jews remain in Spain after publicly converting to Christianity, becoming Crypto-Jews.
1492
Bayezid II of the Ottoman Empire issued a formal invitation to the Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal and sent out ships to safely bring Jews to his empire.
1493
Jews expelled from Sicily. As many as 137,000 exiled.
1496
Jews expelled from Portugal and from many German cities.
1501
King Alexander of Poland readmits Jews to Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
1312 BCE
The Exodus from Egypt (Moses)
c. 1150 BCE–c. 1025 BCE
Biblical Judges lead the people
c. 1025 BCE–c. 1007 BCE
King Saul
c. 1010 BCE–c. 970 BCE
King David
c. 1001 BCE–c. 931 BCE
King Solomon
c. 1000 BCE–c. 900 BCE
Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription
c. 960 BCE
Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem completed
c. 931 BCE
Split between Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and Kingdom of Judah
c. 931 BCE–c. 913 BCE
King Rehoboam of Judah
c. 931 BCE–c. 910 BCE
King Jeroboam of Israel
c. 900 BCE
J source of the Torah is written
840 BCE
Mesha inscription describes Moabite victory over a son of King Omri of Israel.
c. 800 BCE
According to the documentary hypothesis, E Source of the Torah is written
c. 740 BCE–c. 700 BCE
Prophesy of Isaiah
c. 740 BCE–c. 722 BCE
Kingdom of Israel falls to Neo-Assyrian Empire
c. 725 BCE–c. 650 BCE
Ketef Hinnom scrolls containing the text of the Priestly blessing
c. 715 BCE–c. 687 BCE
King Hezekiah of Judah
c. 690 BCE
P Source of the Torah is written
c. 649 BCE–c. 609 BCE
King Josiah of Judah institutes major reforms.
c. 626 BCЕ – c. 587 BCE
Prohecy of Jeremiah
c. 620 BCE
D Source of the Torah is written. Joshua, Judges, Samuel I and II, Kings I and II are also written.
597 BCE
First deportation to Babylon
586 BCE
Jerusalem falls to Nebuchadnezzar and Solomon's Temple is destroyed.
539 BCE
Jews allowed to return to Jerusalem, by permission of Cyrus.
520 BCE
Prophecy of Zechariah
516 BCE
Second Temple of Jerusalem consecrated.
c. 475 BCE
Often associated with Xerxes I of Persia, Queen Esther revealed her identity to the king and began to plead for her people, pointing to Haman as the evil schemer plotting to destroy them.
c. 460 BCE
Seeing anarchy breaking out in Judea, Xerxes' successor Persian King Artaxerxes sent Ezra to restore order.
332 BCE
Alexander the Great conquers Phoenicia and Gaza, probably passing by Judea without entering the Jewish dominated hill country on his way into Egypt.
200 BCE–100 CE
At some point during this era the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) is canonized. Jewish religious works that were written after the time of Ezra were not canonized, although many became popular among many groups of Jews. Those works that made it into the Greek translation of the Bible (the Septuagint) became known as the deuterocanonical books.
167–161 BCE
The Maccabees (Hasmoneans) revolt against the Hellenistic Empire of Seleucids, led by Judah Maccabee, resulting in victory and installation of the Hanukkah holiday.
157–129 BCE
Hasmonean dynasty establishes its royal dominance in Judea during renewed war with Seleucid Empire.
63 BCE
Pompey the Great lay siege to and entered the Temple, Judea became a client kingdom of Rome.
40 BCE–4 BCE
Herod the Great, appointed King of the Jews by the Roman Senate.
6 CE
Province of Roman Judaea created by merging Judea proper, Samaria and Idumea.
10 CE
Hillel the Elder, considered the greatest Torah sage, dies, leading to the dominance of Shammai till 30, see also Hillel and Shammai.
30 CE
Helena of Adiabene, a vassal Parthian kingdom in Mesopotamia, converts to Israelite religion. Significant numbers of Adiabene population follow her, later also providing limited support for Jews during Jewish-Roman wars. In the following centuries the community mostly converts to Christianity.
30–70 CE
Schism within Judaism during the Second Temple era. A sect within Hellenised Jewish society starts Jewish Christianity.
66–70 CE
The Great Jewish Revolt against Roman occupation ended with destruction of the Second Temple and the fall of Jerusalem. 1,100,000 people are killed by the Romans during the siege, and 97,000 captured and enslaved. The Sanhedrin was relocated to Yavne by Yochanan ben Zakai, see also Council of Jamnia. Fiscus Judaicus levied on all Jews of the Roman Empire whether they aided the revolt or not.
70–200
Period of the Tannaim, rabbis who organized and elucidated the Jewish oral law. The decisions of the Tannaim are contained in the Mishnah, Beraita, Tosefta, and various Midrash compilations.
73
Final events of the Great Jewish Revolt - the fall of Masada. Christianity starts off as a Jewish sect and then develops its own texts and ideology and branches off from Judaism to become a distinct religion.
115–117
Kitos War (Revolt against Trajan) - a second Jewish-Roman War initiated in large Jewish communities of Cyprus, Cyrene (modern Libya), Aegipta (modern Egypt) and Mesopotamia (modern Syria and Iraq). It led to mutual killing of hundreds of thousands Jews, Greeks and Romans, ending with a total defeat of Jewish rebels and complete extermination of Jews in Cyprus and Cyrene by the newly installed Emperor Hadrian.
131–136
The Roman emperor Hadrian, among other provocations, renames Jerusalem "Aelia Capitolina" and prohibits circumcision. Bar Kokhba (Bar Kosiba) leads a large Jewish revolt against Rome in response to Hadrian's actions. In the aftermath, most Jewish population is annihilated (about 580,000 killed) and Hadrian renames the province of Judea to Syria Palaestina, and attempts to root out Judaism.
136
Rabbi Akiva is martyred.
138
With Emperor Hadrian's death, the persecution of Jews within the Roman Empire is eased and Jews are allowed to visit Jerusalem on Tisha B'av. In the following centuries the Jewish center moves to Galilee.
200
The Mishnah, the standardization of the Jewish oral law as it stands today, is redacted by Judah HaNasi in the land of Israel.
220–500
Period of the amoraim, the rabbis of the Talmud.
315–337
Roman Emperor Constantine I enacts new restrictive legislature. Conversion of Christians to Judaism is outlawed, congregations for religious services are curtailed, but Jews are also allowed to enter Jerusalem on the anniversary of the Temple's destruction.
351-352
Jewish revolt, directed against Constantius Gallus, is put down.
358
Because of the increasing danger of Roman persecution, Hillel II creates a mathematical calendar for calculating the Jewish month. After adopting the calendar, the Sanhedrin in Tiberias is dissolved.
361–363
The last pagan Roman Emperor, Julian, allows the Jews to return to "holy Jerusalem which you have for many years longed to see rebuilt" and to rebuild the Second Temple. Shortly after, the Emperor is assassinated, and the plan is dissolved.
363
Galilee earthquake of 363.
379
In India, the Hindu king Sira Primal, also known as Iru Brahman, issued what was engraved on a tablet of brass, his permission to Jews to live freely, build synagogue, own property without conditions attached and as long as the world and moon exist.
438
The Empress Eudocia removes the ban on Jews' praying at the Temple site and the heads of the Community in Galilee issue a call "to the great and mighty people of the Jews": "Know that the end of the exile of our people has come"!
450
Redaction of Talmud Yerushalmi (Talmud of Jerusalem)
500–523
Yosef Dhu Nuwas, King of Himyarite Kingdom (Modern Yemen) converting to Judaism, upgrading existing Yemenese Jewish center. His kingdom falls in a war against Axum and the Christians.
550
The main redaction of Talmud Bavli (Babylonian Talmud) is completed under Rabbis Ravina and Ashi. To a lesser degree, the text continues to be modified for the next 200 years.
550–700
Period of the savoraim, the sages in Persia who put the Talmud in its final form.
555-572
The Fourth Samaritan Revolt against Byzantium results in great reduction of the Samaritan community, their Israelite faith is outlawed. Neighbouring Jews, who mostly reside in Galilee, are also affected by the oppressive rule of the Byzantines.
610-628
Jews of Galilee led by Benjamin of Tiberias gain autonomy in Jerusalem after revolting against Heraclius as a joint military campaign with ally Sassanid Empire under Khosrau II and Jewish militias from Persia, but are subsequently massacred.
7th century
The rise and domination of Islam among largely pagan Arabs in the Arabian peninsula results in the almost complete removal and conversion of the ancient Jewish communities there, and sack of Levant from the hands of Byzantines.
700–1250
Period of the Gaonim (the Gaonic era). Jews in southern Europe and Asia Minor lived under the often intolerant rule of Christian Kings and clerics. Most Jews lived in the Muslim Arab realm (Andalusia, North Africa, Palestine, Iraq and Yemen). Despite sporadic periods of persecution, Jewish communal and cultural life flowered in this period. The universally recognized centers of Jewish life were in Jerusalem and Tiberias (Syria), Sura and Pumbeditha (Iraq). The heads of these law schools were the Gaonim, who were consulted on matters of law by Jews throughout the world. During this time, the Niqqud is invented in Tiberias.
711
Muslim armies invade and occupy most of Spain (At this time Jews made up about 8% of Spain's population). Under Christian rule, Jews had been subject to frequent and intense persecution, but this was alleviated under Muslim rule. Some mark this as the beginning of the Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain.
740
The Khazar (a Turkic semi-nomadic people from Central Asia) King and members of the upper class adopt Judaism. The Khazarate lasts until 10th century, being overrun by Russians, and finally conquered by Russian and Byzantian forces in 1016.
760
The Karaites reject the authority of the oral law, and split off from rabbinic Judaism.
846
In Sura, Iraq, Rav Amram Gaon compiles his siddur (Jewish prayer book.)
871
An incomplete marriage contract dated to October 6 of this year is the earliest dated document found in the papers of the Cairo Geniza.
900–1090
The Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain. Abd-ar-Rahman III becomes Caliph of Spain in 912, ushering in the height of tolerance. Muslims granted Jews and Christians exemptions from military service, the right to their own courts of law, and a guarantee of safety of their property. Jewish poets, scholars, scientists, statesmen and philosophers flourished in and were an integral part of the extensive Arab civilization. This ended with the invasion of Almoravides in 1090.
940
In Iraq, Saadia Gaon compiles his siddur (Jewish prayer book).
1013–1073
Rabbi Yitchaki Alfassi (from Morocco, later Spain) writes the Rif, an important work of Jewish law.
1040–1105
Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki (Rashi) writes important commentaries on almost the entire Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and Talmud.
1066
1066 Granada massacre
1095–1291
Christian Crusades begin, sparking warfare with Islam in Palestine. Crusaders temporarily capture Jerusalem in 1099. Tens of thousands of Jews are killed by European crusaders throughout Europe and in the Middle East.
1100–1275
Time of the tosafot, Talmudic commentators who carried on Rashi's work. They include some of his descendants.
1107
Moroccan Almoravid ruler Yoseph Ibn Tashfin expels Moroccan Jews who do not convert to Islam.
1135–1204
Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, aka Maimonides or the Rambam is the leading rabbi of Sephardic Jewry. Among his many accomplishments, he writes an influential code of law (The Mishneh Torah) as well as, in Arabic, the most influential philosophical work (Guide for the Perplexed) in Jewish history.
1141
Yehuda Halevi issues a call to the Jews to emigrate to Palestine and eventually dies in Jerusalem.
1187
Upon the capture of Jerusalem, Saladin summons the Jews and permits them to resettle in the city.[8] In particular, the residents of Ashkelon, a large Jewish settlement, respond to his request.
1250–1300
The life of Moses de Leon, of Spain. He publishes to the public the Zohar the 2nd century CE esoteric interpretations of the Torah by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his disciples. This begins the modern form of Kabbalah (esoteric Jewish mysticism).
1250–1550
Period of the Rishonim, the medieval rabbinic sages. Most Jews at this time lived in lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea or in Western Europe under feudal systems. With the decline of Muslim and Jewish centers of power in Iraq, there was no single place in the world which was a recognized authority for deciding matters of Jewish law and practice. Consequently, the rabbis recognized the need for writing commentaries on the Torah and Talmud and for writing law codes that would allow Jews anywhere in the world to be able to continue living in the Jewish tradition.
1267
Nahmanides (Ramban) settles in Jerusalem and builds the Ramban Synagogue.
1270–1343
Rabbi Jacob ben Asher of Spain writes the Arba'ah Turim (Four Rows of Jewish Law).
1290
Jews are expelled from England by Edward I after the banning of usury in the 1275 Statute of Jewry.
1300
Rabbi Levi ben Gershom, aka Gersonides. A 14th-century French Jewish philosopher best known for his Sefer Milhamot Adonai ("The Book of the Wars of the Lord") as well as for his philosophical commentaries.
1306–1394
Jews are repeatedly expelled from France and readmitted, for a price.
1343
Jews persecuted in Western Europe are invited to Poland by Casimir the Great.
1478
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain institute the Spanish Inquisition.
1486
First Jewish prayer book published in Italy.
1488–1575
Rabbi Yosef Karo spends 20 years compiling the Beit Yosef, an enormous guide to Jewish law. He then writes a more concise guide, the Shulkhan Arukh, that becomes the standard law guide for the next 400 years. Born in Spain, Yosef Karo lives and dies in Safed.
1488
Obadiah ben Abraham, commentator on the Mishnah, arrives in Jerusalem and marks a new epoch for the Jewish community.
1492
The Alhambra Decree: Approximately 200,000 Jews are expelled from Spain, The expelled Jews relocate to the Netherlands, Turkey, Arab lands, and Judea; some eventually go to South and Central America. However, most emigrate to Poland. In later centuries, more than 50% of Jewish world population lived in Poland. Many Jews remain in Spain after publicly converting to Christianity, becoming Crypto-Jews.
1492
Bayezid II of the Ottoman Empire issued a formal invitation to the Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal and sent out ships to safely bring Jews to his empire.
1493
Jews expelled from Sicily. As many as 137,000 exiled.
1496
Jews expelled from Portugal and from many German cities.
1501
King Alexander of Poland readmits Jews to Grand Duchy of Lithuania.