Yellow badge

A yellow badge is a mandatory mark or a piece of cloth of specific geometric shape, worn on the outer garment in order to distinguish a person of certain religion or ethnicity in public. It is traditionally associated with the persecution of Jewish people. In some countries a badge was accompanied or replaced by identifying garb or hat. In the Middle Ages clothes worn by different groups of people were regulated by sumptuary law.

Related Topics:
Jewish people - Middle Ages - Sumptuary law

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The color yellow had been maligned since feudal times. Horses that were yellowish were considered worthless throughout society (as seen in the obsolete phrase, to curry Fauvel, a conventional name of a yellow horse). All other colors were used by knights on their shields, so yellow was left to brand the Jews.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~