May 20, 1558

Mandate, issued by Emperor Ferdinand I, King of Germany, for the Archbishopric of Mainz [Present-day Germany]: “Henceforth, no Jew or Jewess in the Archbishopric of Mainz may lend anything to Our subjects and residents without the permission of the Archbishop of Mainz, be it against a collateral of small items, clothes, or any other movable or immovable goods, in any kind of usurious manner; any claims to such debts that were incurred without such permission shall be null and void, and no court shall accept to hear any case in such a matter. Notwithstanding any additional penalties, contraventions of this order shall incur a fine of twenty marks in gold, half of which is payable to Our imperial tax chamber, with the other half payable to the Archbishop of Mainz.”
Schaab, Carl Anton. Diplomatische Geschichte der Juden zu Mainz und dessen Umgebung, mit Berücksichtigung ihres Rechtszustandes in den verschiedenen Epochen (Diplomatic History of the Jews in Mainz and its surroundings, under consideration of their legal situation across the various epochs). Zabern: Mainz, 1855. Page 177. Researched by Dominik Jacobs 8/6/2020