Hep-Hep riots begin in Würzburg

Background. The riots occurred during a period of heightened political and social tension, shortly following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the great famine of 1816-17. The status of Jews varied throughout the German states, with some having revoked Napoleonic era emancipation edicts. Immediately before the riots began, the Bavarian Diet had completed a debate on further emancipation of the Jews throughout the Kingdom, setting the stage for the outbreak of violence.

Outbreak in Würzburg. The antisemitic communal violence began on August 2, 1819, in Würzburg, a city located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia and spans the banks of the river Main. The violence in this city marked the beginning of the riots that would soon reach the outer regions of the German Confederation.