 In the Middle Ages, Franconia was a stronghold of Torah studies.But Franconia also began to exclude the Jewish populations particularly early on.For example, there were two Jewish massacres - the Rintfleisch massacres of 1298 and the Armleder Uprising of 1336-1338 - and in the 15th and 16th centuries many cities exiled their Jewish populations, which is why many Jews settled in rural communities.