“Mandate” issued by Rudolf II and addressed to Duke Sebastian Schlick [Present-day Austria, Czech Republic; Holy Roman Empire/House of Habsburg]: “[…] Since it has been brought to Our attention by the local communities and [we have] received numerous complaints about the many Jews living in the city of [Petschau] and around the mines, and considering that more and more (Jews) turn up and set roots [each day], to whom many of the mining folks and locals […] run to in order to borrow money […] and are sucked dry by the Jews via excessive usury to the point that they lose their worldly goods so that they fall further into ruin […] and bring harm and disadvantage to Our royal possessions (‘Kammergut’)* […] that is why we order you herewith graciously, to drive out [all] Jews who live in and around [Petschau] so that they not only avoid the mining town itself, but also leave from everywhere nearby within a month, which we are announcing to you via this mandate […] which is to be publicly announced and displayed […].” [Researcher’s note: *A ‘Kammergut’ was the legal possessions of kings, emperors and princes.]
Zur Geschichte der Juden in Böhmen, Mähren und Schlesien von 906 bis 1620. Herausgegeben von Gottlieb Bondy, em. Präsidenten der Handels – und Gewerbekammer in Prag. Zur Herausgabe vorbereitet und ergänzt von Franz Dworsky, em. Director des Landesarchives des Königreiches Böhmens. Ii. 1577 bis 1620. (Prag; 1906); (Regarding the history of Jews in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia from 906 to 1620. Published by Gottlieb Bondy, fo[rmer] President of the Trade and Commerce and Industry in Prague. Prepared for publication and supplemented by Franz Dworsky, fo[rmer] Director of the National Archives of the Kingdom of Bohemia. II. 1577 to 1620.); (Prague; 1906); Researched and Translated by Ziba Shadjaani 4/20/2019