[The persecution of Jews during the time of the plague (1349-50) in southern Netherlands].

Research on the persecutions of the Jews at the time of the 'Black Death' in the Southern Low Countries has overemphasized the responsibility of the flagellant movement. In fact, the specific role of the flagellants was confined to spreading the rumor that the Jews were conspiring to kill all Christians by well-poisoning. A closer look at three examples--the persecutions in Hainaut, Brussels and Leuven--reveals that the driving forces behind the pogroms and executions were local and municipal authorities, while the countess of Hainaut and the duke of Brabant were too weak politically to defend the lives of their Jewish subjects.