צרפת – The Jewish community of northern France in the medieval period, part of greater Ashkenaz but known as Tzarfat in its own right. The name is taken from Ovadia 1:20, from which the term Sefarad is also drawn. With centers in Paris, Troyes, Rouen, Ramerupt, Évreux, Corbeil, Sens, Dampierre, Coucy, and other towns, this community was the home of Rashi and the French Tosafists. It was largely ruled by the French Crown and those loyal to it, and thus its Jewish community was subject to the general order of expulsion of 1306, after which Jewish settlement in the region was effectively ended.
Tzarfat
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