Acts – Page 24 – OAJA.org

1. Full Date of Act	Nov. 5, 1290
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Disposition of Debts Due to Jews after Their Expulsion, decreed by King Edward I of England
3. Geography of Act	England
4. Text of Act	Edward etc. to the Treasurer and Barons of the Exchequer, greeting. Whereas formerly in our Parliament at Wes minster on the quinzaine of St. Michael in the third year of our reign, to the honour of God and the profit of the people of our realm, we ordained and decreed that no Jew thenceforth should lend anything at usury to any Christian on lands, rents or other things, but that they should live by their commerce and labour; and the same Jews, afterwards maliciously deliberating among themselves, contriving a worse sort of usury which they called courtesy (curialitatem), have depressed our people aforesaid on all sides under colour thereof, the last offence doubling the first; whereby, for their crimes and to the honour of the Crucified, we have caused those Jews to go forth from our realm as traitors: We, wishing to swerve not from our former choice, but rather to follow it, do make totally null and void all manner of penalties and usuries and every sort thereof, which could be demanded by actions by reason of the Jewry from any Christians of our realm for any times whatsoever; wishing that nothing be in any wise demanded from the Christians aforesaid by reason of the debts aforesaid, save only the principal sums which they received from the Jews aforesaid; the amount of which debts we will that the Christians aforesaid verify before you by the oath of three good and lawful men by whom the truth of the matter may the better be known, and thereafter pay the same to us at terms convenient to them to be fixed by you. And therefore we command you that you cause our said grace so piously granted to be read in the aforesaid Exchequer, and to be enrolled on the rolls of the same Exchequer, and to be straitly kept, according to the form above noted. Witness myself at King's Clipstone on the 5th day of November in the eighteenth year of our reign.
5. Source	English Economic History: Select Documents, Edited by Alfred Edward Bland, Richard Henry Tawney. Macmillan: New York, 1919. p. 50, Accessed online.
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Mar. 18, 1291
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Official Letter/Document” issued by Archbishop Gerhard of Mainz
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Archbishopric of Mainz
4. Text of Act	We, G[erhard], holy Archbishop of Mainz by the grace of God and Arch-Chancellor of Germany […] after these 11 years, the four [administrative positions] and the Jews of Erfurt are to be returned to us and the church of Mainz and this present document regarding the Jews shall have no longer any legal validity. […]
5. Source	Würzburg, StA, Erzstift Mainz, MU 3469, Orig., lat. (“Würzburg State Archive, Archbishopric of Mainz, MU 3469, Orig[inal], Latin”);
6. Translator	Ziba Shadjaani
7. Year of Translation	2018
8. Notes	Researcher In this long document, Archbishop Gerhard pawns off four major administrative offices in Erfurt and Brühl together with the Jews to Heinrich von Gotha and Walter Kerlinger for 1,000 Mark starting on Saint Martin’s Day for the duration of 11 years. It is noteworthy that Gerhard pawns off the same four administrative offices and the Jews to Rudolf von Nordhausen and Gottschalk von Schmidtstedt and the city of Erfurt for another 300 Mark less than four years later to take affect after the expiration of the aforementioned 11 years.

1. Full Date of Act	Jun. 24, 1291
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Writ issued by Rudolf I
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	Rudolf (‘Rudolph’) I transfers the levies of the local Jews, which they owe to the empire, to the Burgmann* of Landau.
5. Source	Remling, Franz Xaver: Urkundenbuch zur Geschichte der Bischöfe von Speyer. (Book of writs of the Bishops of Speyer); (Mainz; 1852);
6. Translator	Ziba Shadjaani
7. Year of Translation	2020
8. Notes	Researcher The above is a translation of a German summary of the original Latin text which can be found in the cited source. *A Burgmann (literally: ‘man-of-the-castle’ was a title of nobility.

1. Full Date of Act	Dec. 13, 1291
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Papal bull from Nicholas IV to Margaret of Provence, Queen of France
3. Geography of Act	Present-day France
4. Text of Act	As you have exposed before us, you have acquired certain sums from Jews of your country, but have no knowledge to whom these [usurious] monies should be restored, and your conscience has provided a supplication to the Apostolic See. We therefore, yielding to your righteous petition, as well as to your devotion, consider these aforesaid funds to be restored, as long as you donate a third of them to the support of the Holy Land.
5. Source	Grayzel, Solomon. The Church and the Jews in the XIIIth Century, Volume II (1254-1315). The Jewish Theological Seminary of America: New York, 1989. Page 189.
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	Researcher This bull is in response to a letter from the Queen, who claimed that her conscience was burdened by the wealth she confiscated from “her” Jews; the papal response ignores the fact that meticulous “Jew registers” were kept in order to facilitate these special “Jew taxes;” thus, the Pope goes along with Margaret’s bold claim that direct restitution appears impossible, and he orders “representational restitution” in the form of support for the Crusades, completely cutting off the entire Jewish community from any reparations – in addition to letting Marguerite keep two thirds of the money. However, it should also be noted that Margaret was the only woman who had ever led a crusade, and there can be little doubt that the Vatican was truly in awe of her religious devotion.

1. Full Date of Act	1292
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	"Mass Conversion of Jews in Nepal"
3. Geography of Act	Kingdom of Nepal
4. Text of Act	Commentary from other sources: 1) "When it come to the question of the status of the Jews and especially their mission in the middle ages, the Kingdom of Nepal of the late middle ages deserves mentioning. It was here where the very first spontaneous "mass conversions" of Jews in the middle ages." 2) This did not mean in any way that the Jews were integrated into the Christian community. Rather, the converted Jews were marked as "neofiti," "christiani novi" or "christiani novelli" in the Kingdom of Nepal, often for generations to come." Gruyter, Walter: Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen. (2009)
5. Source	None
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Jan. 18, 1292
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Official Document” issued by the Abby of Essen
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Imperial Abby of the Holy Roman Empire
4. Text of Act	[…] deaconess and the chapter of the Abby of Essen transfer the Vogtei* of the Abby of Essen to Count Eberhard [II. von der Mark] as long as he lives. […] The rights over the court, the money, and the Jews of Essen are reserved without prejudice to the Abbess. […]
5. Source	Duisburg, LA, Essen, Stift, Urkunden, Nr. 126, Orig., lat., Perg. (Duisburg, LA [Land-Archive], Essen, Abby, Certifcates/Official Document, No. 126, Orig[inal], Latin, [on] Parchment Paper);
6. Translator	Ziba Shadjaani
7. Year of Translation	2017
8. Notes	Researcher A “Vogtei” is the territory of the Vogt. (‘regimine et tutela advocatie ecclesie nostre’)

1. Full Date of Act	Jul. 28, 1292
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Official Decree” issued by King Adolf
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Free City of Mainz/Electorate of Mainz
4. Text of Act	We, King Adolf […] promise Our consanguine Archbishop and Arch-Chancellor Gerhard [II] […] his successors and the church of Mainz, with this document, among other things, the ability to restore ownership of the Jews of the city [of Mainz] who [have been bestowed upon him] from Us and the empire […] and to restore jurisdiction and authority over them. Thus, they (Jews) should afford the Archbishop and the church the same ‘services’ such as levies/fees, taxes, […] and other various ways, as all the other Jews who linger/live in the cities and villages of the Archbishopric […].
5. Source	Würzburg, StA, Erzstift Mainz Urkunden Weltlicher Schrank L3/12, Orig. (A 1), lat., Perg.; Würzburg, StA, Domkapitel Mainz Urkunden 1292 Juli 28 / I (weitere Ausfertigung, A 2); ebda., Mainzer Urkunden 3590a (Vidimus der Mainzer Stuhlrichter vom 20. Februar 1309) (B); ebda., Mainzer Bücher verschiedenen Inhalts 20, fol. 100v-101v und 102r/v (Abschr., 14JH.) (C, D). (“Würzburg, State Archive, Archdiocese Mainz Documents Secular Cabinet L3/12, Orig[inal] (A 1), Latin, [on] Parchment Paper; Würzburg, State Archive, Cathedral Chapter Mainz Documents 1292 July 28 / I (further copy, A 2); ibid, Mainz Documents 3590a (Vidimus of the Mainz magistrate of February 20, 1309) (B); ibid, Mainz Books of Various Contents 20, fol. 100v-101v and 102r/v (Copy, 14th Cent.) (C, D)”);
6. Translator	Ziba Shadjaani
7. Year of Translation	2017
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Sep. 14, 1292
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Law issued by the Synod at Aschaffenburg
3. Geography of Act	Germany
4. Text of Act	Law issued by the Synod of Aschaffenburg [Germany]: […] Jews of both sexes have to wear a sign or clothing publicly which distinguishes them from the Christians. They may not show themselves publicly during the Holy Week, but must remain in their homes with the doors and windows closed, so that the Christians who commemorate the Holy Passion with suffering will not be mocked by the Jewish people […] After a lengthy consultation and consent of the councilors, it is irrevocably decided that Jews in cities, castles and other settlements of the (arch-) diocese and church of the city of Mainz have to be visibly distinguished from Christians. Within two months after publication of this provision they must choose and communicate a sign and a clothing of their choice, with which they can be distinguished without any doubt.
5. Source	Corpus of the Sources on the History of the Jews in the late Middle Ages (Corpus der Quellen zur Geschichte der Juden im spätmittelalterlichen Reich), ed. by Alfred Haverkamp and Jörg R. Müller, Trier, Mainz 2011, SK01, Nr. 5, Medieval-ashkenaz.org; Accessed online
6. Translator	Franziska Wagener
7. Year of Translation	2017
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Nov. 3, 1292
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Order” of Kind Adolf
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Free Imperial City of Frankfurt
4. Text of Act	[…We …] pledge to our [relative] (consangwineo) Gottfried IV von Eppstein a reward of 25 Mark for his faithful service to be submitted annually by the Frankfurter Jews […].
5. Source	Frankfurt, ISG, Juden Urkunden 31, Orig., lat., Perg. (“Frankfurt, ISG, Official Records of the Jews 31, Original, Latin, [on] Parchment Paper”);
6. Translator	Ziba Shadjaani
7. Year of Translation	2017
8. Notes	Researcher This document was issued and signed in Oppenheim, Rhineland-Palatinate.

1. Full Date of Act	Dec. 13, 1292
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“King’s Pledge” issued by King Adolf von Nassau
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Free Imperial City of Frankfurt
4. Text of Act	[King Adolf of Nassau accepts Gottfried von Merenburg as a soldier in his royal castle (Reichsburgmannen) in Kalsmunt and promises him 200 Mark Cologne Coins (Kölnische Dinare) as payment for his services …] However, since we do not currently have this money ready we authorize the payment of 20 Mark income annually [to be submitted] by the Jews of Frankfurt […] to be paid each Christmas. […].
5. Source	UB zur Geschichte der Juden in Frankfurt, Nr. 17, S. 6; (Certificate Book on the History of the Jews in Frankfurt, Nr. 17, p. 6”)
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Jan. 23, 1293
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Decree” of King Adolf [of Nassau]
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Free Imperial City of Oppenheim
4. Text of Act	We, King Adolf, […] have decided to increase the income of Our faithful […] Burgmann in Oppenheim […] of 4 Mark [silver] by an additional 2 Mark […] so that he and his heirs shall receive 6 Mark annually from Our Jews in Oppenheim on the feast of St. Martin’s Day [November 11] without objection. […]
5. Source	Darmstadt, StA, (Kriegsverlust), Orig., lat., Perg. (“Darmstadt, City Archive, (Loss of War), Orig[inal], Latin, [on] Parchment Paper”)
6. Translator	Ziba Shadjaani
7. Year of Translation	2017
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Apr. 20, 1293
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	"Jurisdiction of Jews" ordered by King Adolf
3. Geography of Act	Germany
4. Text of Act	Notice is hereby given that today here at the castle in the court knight Henry von Hammerstein, who had appeared as the representative of Archbishop Gerhard von Mainz, had enforced his rights against the following Mainz citizens […] and Jews […]: 1. The citizens illegally threaten the Archbishop’s possession of the Jews of Mainz and other possessions […], resulting in a loss of 10000 marks in silver to the Archbishop; 2. The 6000 marks in silver, which were awarded to Gerhard's predecessor, Archbishop Heinrich, by King Rudolf […] must be paid to the Archbishop by the Jews mentioned, together with a compensation of 4000 marks to be paid for the withholding of this sum; […]
5. Source	Regesta of the Empire Online (Regesta Imperii Online), RI VI,2 n. 230, regesta-imperii.de; Accessed online
6. Translator	Franziska Wagener
7. Year of Translation	2017
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Apr. 23, 1293
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Writ of Adolf von Nassau
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	Adolf of Nassau grants Gotfrid von Eppstein, his relative, annually 25 Mark as imperial loan for his services from the revenues generated by the levies (‘Bede’) placed on the Jews of Frankfurt.
5. Source	Codex diplomaticus mœnofrancofurtanus. Urkundenbuch der Reichsstadt Frankfurt. Herausgegeben von Johann Friedrich Boehmer. Erster Band. 794-1314. Edited by Friedrich Lau. (Book of writs of the Imperial City of Frankfurt. Published by Johann Friedrich Boehmer. First volume 794-1314. Edited by Friedrich Lau.); (Frankfurt am Main; 1901);
6. Translator	Ziba Shadjaani
7. Year of Translation	2020
8. Notes	Researcher The above is a translation of a German summary of the original Latin text both of which can be found in the cited source.

1. Full Date of Act	Jul. 9, 1293
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	"Agreement between King Adolph and Archbishop Gerhard of Mainz"
3. Geography of Act	Germany
4. Text of Act	[…]: 1. Any profit that the Archbishop will make from his case against the citizens and Jews of Mainz […] will be split, and then equally divided between Adolf and Gerhard for two years. After that the Jews will belong entirely to the Archbishop.
5. Source	Regesta of the Empire Online (Regesta Imperii Online), RI VI,2 n. 277, Regesta-imperii.de; Accessed online
6. Translator	Franziska Wagener
7. Year of Translation	2017
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	1294
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	"Taxation of Jews in the City of Mainz"
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	Commentary from other sources: 1) "On July 28, 1294 King Adolf of Nassau declares that all Jews are to be return to the jurisdiction of the city of Mainz and the Church. The Jews of Mainz were to be taxed freely and to pay their fief and other services to the church, as it was common in other cities and villages that were under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop." "Menorah. Fünfter Jahrgang - Jüdisches Familienblatt für Wissenschaft... (1927);" uibk.ac.at
5. Source	None
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	1294
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	"Taxation of Jews In Mainz"
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	Commentary from other sources: 1) "The right and claims of the Archbishop [Gerhard] on the Jews of Mainz remained intact. The Jews were to pay him 200 Mark during Gerhard's lifetime. The 200 Mark taxation was not raised by Archbishop Gerhard, but was stipulated by the City of Mainz along with their other demands on the Jews." "Menorah. Fünfter Jahrgang - Jüdisches Familienblatt für Wissenschaft... (1927);" uibk.ac.at
5. Source	None
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	1294
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Order issued to Jews of Erfurt
3. Geography of Act	Germany
4. Text of Act	Commentary from other sources: 1) “In Germany the earliest mention of the Badge is in a dispensation accorded to the Jews of Erfurt, Oct. 16, 1294.” “Badge.” Online article
5. Source	None
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	1294
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	"Discrimination of Jews"
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Poland
4. Text of Act	Commentary from other sources: 1) "Under the [Polish-Lithuania] Commonwealth's legal system, Jews endured economic restrictions called 'restrictions,' which also followed the Russian occupation." "History of the Jews in Russia;" wikipedia.org
5. Source	None
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Apr. 30, 1294
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Limited Concession” granted to Jews by the butcher’s guild of Frankfurt (Oder)
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Margraviate of Brandenburg
4. Text of Act	[10 named Jews] are permitted to slaughter two livestocks/cattle on Sunday, one on Tuesdays, and two on Fridays..
5. Source	Medieval Ashkenaz: Corpus der Quellen zur Geschichte der Juden im Spätmittlealterlichen Reich; Synoden und Konzilien 1, Nr. 1 (Corpus of the Sources on the History of Jews in the Late Middles Ages; Synods and Councils 1, No. 1). Accessed online;
6. Translator	Ziba Shadjaani
7. Year of Translation	2019
8. Notes	Researcher Jews were generally prohibited by the local guilds to slaughter livestock which posed a problem as the meat slaughtered by the Christian butchers were not kosher. This caused conflict among the Christians and Jews which the City Council of Frankfurt attempted to settle between the butcher’s guild and the Jewry by negotiating the granting a limited concession to Jews by the guilds.

1. Full Date of Act	Jul. 28, 1294
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Edict Against Jewish Homeownership, given by King Adolf von Nassau for the City of Worms, State of Hesse
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	We, Adolf, Roman King by the grace of God, exalted throughout the universe, faithful to the Holy Roman Empire, present these letters by its grace, and all that is good. For the honorable men, the dean and the chapter of the church of St. Martin in the City of Worms, in whose parish a certain site has been made known to us as being purchased by Anshelm Oppenheim, a Jew, their prayers have been received favorably, as they have been bestowed with our support and edict, that no Jew shall purchase any estate, farm or house in said parish of St. Martin. Those who do so presumptuously, shall pay twenty silver marks to our treasury, twenty marks to the church of St. Martin, and another twenty to the people of Worms, to suffer punishment, in the presence of written evidence. Given at Frankfurt in the seventh indiction of the Augustine calendar, in the year of our Lord 1294, the third year of our reign.
5. Source	BOOS, Heinrich, Quellen zur Geschichte der Stadt Worms. Herausgegeben von H. Boos. Volume TH. 1, (Berlin: 1886-93).
6. Translator	Dominik Jacobs
7. Year of Translation	2019
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Aug. 2, 1294
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Order” order issued by King Adolf von Nassau
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Free Imperial City of Frankfurt
4. Text of Act	[ … We …] accept Werner von Falkenstein-Münzenberg as Our knight (Burgmann) of Rödelheim. […] We grant him an income in the amount of 100 Mark of Cologne Pennies (Kölner Pfennige) […] and pledge to him the Jews of Königstein in return for this. […].
5. Source	Würzburg, StA, Falkensteiner Kopialbuch, fol. 9r, Abschr., lat., Pap. (“Würzburg, City Archive, Copy Book of Falkenstein, fol. 9r, Copy, Latin, [on] Parchment Paper”);
6. Translator	Ziba Shadjaani
7. Year of Translation	2017
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Oct. 18, 1294
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Official Document/Letter” issued by Archbishop Gerhard of Mainz
3. Geography of Act	Archbishopric of Mainz; Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	We, G[erhard], holy Archbishop of Mainz by the grace of God and Arch-Chancellor of Germany [reiteration of Archbishop’s documents dated March 18, 1291, and October 16, 1294] […] after the named 11 years and the three years that follow, the [four administrative offices] and the Jews of Erfurt return rightfully back to us and the church of Mainz and the previously given letters/documents shall no longer be valid. […]
5. Source	Universitätsbibliothek Erfurter Stifter und Klöster 1, Nr. 711, S. 406 f. (“University Library Erfurter Stifts and Convents 1, Nr. 711, p. 406 f.”)
6. Translator	Ziba Shadjaani
7. Year of Translation	2018
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	1295
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Instructions to clergy, issued by the Bishop of Montpellier
3. Geography of Act	Present-day France [Provisional]
4. Text of Act	“If Jews and Christians have been warned three times about providing domestic service to Jews, yet persist in their actions, then the Christian will be excommunicated and the Jew denied the communion of the faithful. Christians are also prohibited from grinding the Jews’ wheat, baking their bread, and providing them services of any kind. No notary may write an act providing for either manifest or hidden usury. Jews are to wear a round badge on their breast of a color different from that of their clothing. Jews may not dine with Christians, share meat with them, hold office, or appear in public at Eastertime.”
5. Source	Grayzel, Solomon. The Church and the Jews in the XIIIth Century, Volume II (1254-1315). The Jewish Theological Seminary of America: New York, 1989. Page 260.
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	1295
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	"Privilege of June 18, 1295" Issued by King Rudolph of Habsburg
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	Commentary from other sources: 1) "10 Jews become victims of the people of Mainz on Easter Sunday on April 19, 1283 after being accused of the ritual killing of a Christian boy. Archbishop Heinrich II of Mainz begins legal proceedings and reports to his benefactor Kind Rudolf of Habsburg. The latter turns on September 21, 1286 to the people of Mainz and other cities along the Rhine and demands that they support the Bishop in his pursuit and prosecution of the local Jews (because they allegedly kept a Christian family hostage and were charged with murder). Part of the Jews escape across the sea. That is why the King writes to the Council on December 6, 1286 and the people of Mainz to let them know that he has commissioned Archbishop Heinrich and Duke Eberhard von Katzenelnbogen to size and collect the properties of all escaped Jews from Worms, Speyer, Oppenheim and Wetterau and to administer over them. On the same date, Rudolph also warns the remaining Jews to assist Heinrich and Eberhard during their pursuit to track down the properties and assets of the escaped Jews. The city of Mainz took this as an opportunity for self-enrichment. Any property or assets it discovered that belong to an escaped Jew was either partially or completely confiscated." "Menorah. Fünfter Jahrgang - Jüdisches Familienblatt für Wissenschaft... (1927);" Online book; uibk.ac.at
5. Source	None
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Jan. 9, 1295
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Writ of Adolf von Nassau
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	Adolf of Nassau gives Albert von Barbi for his services 300 Mark and pledges to him the Jews (settled) in his domain until this [sum] is paid off.
5. Source	Regesten zur Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland während des Mittelalters. Bearbeitet von Dr. M. Wiener. Erster Teil. (Regesta regarding the history of Jews in Germany during the Middle Ages. Edited by M[eir] Wiener, PhD. First Part.); (Hannover; 1862);
6. Translator	Ziba Shadjaani
7. Year of Translation	2020
8. Notes	Researcher The above is a translation of a German summary of the Latin text. The original text can be found in Schöttgen and Kreyßig’s Diplomataria et Scriptores Historiae Germanicae.