The last of the successors to the House of Rashi lived in the final century of Torah life in France. As the violence of the Crusades intensified, many Jews sacrificed their lives rather than convert. Among these was Rabbeinu Elchonon, son of the Ri, who was burned at the stake at the age of 35. Yet his contribution to the Tosfos, as well as the writings of the Ritzba and Rabbeinu Shimshon after him, is an example of how love of Torah can shine even in the darkest of times.