On March 12, 1421, more than two hundred Jews were executed at the stake in Erdberg (today the 3rd district of Vienna). The mass execution was the sad climax of the Geserah in Vienna in 1420/21. As early as May 1420, all Jews in Vienna and Lower Austria had been arrested on the orders of Duke Albrecht V. In the months that followed, there was torture, forced baptisms, and expulsions, and in March 1421 they were finally executed.
The University of Vienna was an important authority in assessing heresies and arguing against “enemies of faith”. What reports and mentions can be found in the university sources, how did the university members assess the persecution of the Jews, and what impact did the Geserah have on the university?
