Dec. 5, 1633

General Mandate, issued by Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria [present-day Austria]: “[…] from now on, any Jew who handles Christians’ money in such a manner […] as to charge interest higher than six percent annually on loans, or as to use it for any other immoral mischief, shall be flogged publicly and mercilessly with switches […].”
von Guarint, Frantz Anton (ed.). Codex Austriacus: Zu Gemeinsamen Nutzen mit besondern Fleiß zusammen getragen Und das Erstemahl in Druck gelassen. Volume 2. Voigt & Koll: Vienna, 1704. P.357. Researched by Dominik Jacobs 8/15/2019