“Royal Announcement” issued by King Louis IV (Ludwig, the Bavarian) [Swabian Imperial City of Esslingen; Present-day Germany]: “We, Louis/Ludwig, […] exonerate the municipal chief (‘Schultheiß’), council and citizens of Esslingen along with Johannes von Bernhausen, his brother Wolfram and Walther von Urbach and all their heirs, […] for the great damage which they have suffered at the hands of our enemies while in our service, of all debts, which they currently owe to Jews, who have not submitted to our rule but those of our enemies. [The aforementioned] are also exonerated of any payment obligations to the Jews [… and] may not settle any of the debts with the Jews or do otherwise anything that could hurt the [aforementioned folks]. […] the citizens are free of all vows, promises, and guarantees [made] to Jews which are no longer valid [… and for which] they cannot be held liable by any court or judge. […]”
Stuttgart, HStA, H 51, U 251, Orig., dt., Perg, (“Main State Archiv of Stuttgart, H 51, U 251, Orig[inal], German, [on] parchment paper”); Researched and Translated by Ziba Shadjaani 3/12/2018