As in much of Europe, the prosperity of Alsace came to an end in the 14th century by a series of harsh winters, bad harvests, and the Black Death. These hardships were blamed on Jews, leading to the pogroms of 1336 and 1339. In 1349, Jews of Alsace were accused of poisoning the wells with plague, leading to the massacre of thousands of Jews during the Strasbourg pogrom. Jews were subsequently forbidden to settle in the town. An additional natural disaster was the Rhine rift earthquake of 1356, one of Europe's worst which made ruins of Basel. Prosperity returned to Alsace under Habsburg administration during the Renaissance. COUNT 5
QSN1 About when did Alsace lose its prosperity? ANS1 14th century QSN2 Why did Alsace decline has a prospering territory? ANS2 harsh winters, bad harvests, and the Black Death QSN3 Which group of people were wrongly blamed for all the disasters that struck the region? ANS3 blamed on Jews QSN4 What were the jewish people accused of in Alsace? ANS4 accused of poisoning the wells with plague QSN5 When did the Rhine Rift earthquake occur? ANS5 1356,