Acts – Page 39 – OAJA.org

1. Full Date of Act	Feb. 20, 1391
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Decree of Cortes of Evora, 1391, by King John I
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Portugal; Kingdom of Portugal
4. Text of Act	That all Jews...shall wear a red star having six points, the size of my royal seal on the breast of the outer garment at the pit of the stomach in such a manner as to be visible.
5. Source	Pearlson, Twelve Centuries of Jewish Persecution (1898): 251, Date and Region by Ziba Shadjaani 2/17/2020
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Mar. 9, 1391
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Writ issued by Emperor Wenceslaus IV
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	We, Wenceslaus [IV] (‘Wenezlaw’), Roman Emperor by the grace of God […] announce with this public letter to all who see, or hear [it] read […] that we have bestowed special grace upon the mayor, council, and citizens of the city of Nordhausen […] in that we completely and irrevocably free and absolve all citizens, co-habitants, […] and subjects of all capital on loans which they have come to owe or have borrowed from the Jews in Nordhausen or from those [Jews] who are settled elsewhere in the empire […] or any other exchange which they may have entered into with Jews […] and no one may sue them or hinder them from this [and Jews are to return any pledges or [debts] they hold against such debt to the borrower …]
5. Source	Förstemann, Ernst Günther: Geschichte der Stadt Nordhausen. Erste Lieferung, bis zum Jahre 1250. (History of the city Nordhausen. First issue, until the year 1250.); (Nordhause; 1827)
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	Researcher The above has been abbreviated to fit the allocated space. The entire text can be found in the cited source.

1. Full Date of Act	May 24, 1392
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Decree, issued by Leopold IV, Duke of Austria, for the City of Freiburg im Breisgau
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	The City shall not have anything to do with the Jews, who shall obey only the chief of police, and one third of their taxes shall be given to the chief of police, while the other two thirds shall go to Us. In addition, any fines incurred by the Jews, on account of crimes and misdemeanors, shall lawfully be Ours, and these fines shall be collected by the chief of police, and no one else.
5. Source	Lewin, Adolf. Juden in Freiburg im Breisgau (Jews in Freiburg im Breisgau). Maas & Co.: Trier, 1890. Page 62.
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	1394
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Expulsion of Jew” issued by King Charles VI
3. Geography of Act	France
4. Text of Act	Commentary from Other Sources: 1) That twenty-year period was later extended another six years and then another ten in 1374. But the new king, Charles VI, declined to agree to the years added to the original twenty, and in 1394 he decreed that the following year Jews had to get out of France altogether, even in those areas where they were living under the ungratified decree extension. Kamins, Toni: The Complete Jewish Guide to France; (New York; 2001)
5. Source	None
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Aug. 27, 1394
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Decree No. 76-21-4 of the Venetian Senate expelling Jewish moneylenders, restricting Jewish travel to Venice and imposing the wearing of a Jewish badge.
3. Geography of Act	Republic of Venice
4. Text of Act	Therefore it was decided not to bring them [the Jews] back anymore but that once the end of their conduct had expired in 1396 they would have to leave, under penalty of 1000 Ducati to anyone who would take part to the contrary, and at the expiration of the said term, a Jew could not stay in Venice for more than 15 days for each time he came to Venice, and a certain Jew would have to bring [wear] in his upper garment on his chest one badge of the size of a loaf of bread of four denarii, so that it would be well visible.
5. Source	Giambattista Gallicciolli, Delle Memorie Venete Antiche Profane Ed Ecclesiastiche [Of Ancient Venetian Memories, Profane and Ecclesiastical],“ Volume 2, Venice, 1795, p. 287-288, available from books.google.com.
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	Researcher According to Professor Benjamin Ravid, the Jewish moneylenders were expelled after a 10 year period of permitted residence in Venice. See Benjamin Ravid, “The Legal Status of the Jews of Venice to 1509,” Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research, Volume 54, 1987, p. 180-181, available at academia.edu. Translator The text of the Act is available in Latin and Italian in the source above. It was translated using Google translate.

1. Full Date of Act	Sep. 14, 1394
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Jew-Ordinance, issued by Leopold IV, Duke of Austria, for the City of Freiburg im Breisgau
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	The attire of the Jews shall henceforth consist of coats and hats of the same color, except red or green. During Holy Week, they shall remain in their homes from Wednesday evening until the morning of Easter Monday, while keeping all windows and doors closed that are facing any Christian homes. Shall they encounter a priest on his way to bring the Holy Eucharist to a dying person, they shall immediately get out of the street. They are not allowed to charge any arbitrary interest on loans; at most, two pfennings per pound per week. They shall not take any suits of armor nor wet garments as collateral.
5. Source	Schreiber, Heinrich. Geschichte der Stadt und Universität Freiburg im Breisgau (History of the City and University of Freiburg im Breisgau). Vol. III. Wangler: Freiburg, 1857. Page 41.
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Sep. 17, 1394
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Order issued by King Charles VI
3. Geography of Act	France
4. Text of Act	Order issued by King Charles VI [France]: […] We have been informed repeatedly for a long time by people of faith and prosecutors and officers about several major complaints and outcries they received every day on their excesses and pleasures that they do in front of the Christians. […] From now on no Jew or Jewish woman shall live, remain or stay in this our kingdom […].
5. Source	Ordonnances des roys de France de la troisième race, volume VII, page 675.
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Nov. 24, 1395
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Regulations issued in the Red Book of the City of Ulm, 1395.
3. Geography of Act	Free Imperial City of Ulm
4. Text of Act	(2) From Palm Saturday until Easter Wednesday, as well as on Corpus Christi Day, all Jews must remain within the Jewish quarter; transgressions of this ordinance will be punishable with a fine of five pounds heller. … (5) No Jew may have a Christian servant in his house.
5. Source	Gotthard Deutsch and Schulim Ochser, “Ulm,” jewishencyclopedia.com, accessed Dec. 5, 2024.
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	Researcher The above source also notes that, “as a result of a complaint lodged by the goldsmiths' gild the following restrictions were imposed by the city council of Ulm: (1) No Jew may melt gold, silver, or other precious metals without the knowledge of the gild. (2) Jews may neither buy nor sell silver bullion in the city. (3) They are permitted to trade only in pearls, gems, and undamaged wares in gold and silver,” however it is unclear if these laws were published in the Red Book on this date, or elsewhere. Translator The text of this Act is available in German in the source above. It was translated using Google translate.

1. Full Date of Act	1397
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Code Regulae Juris “ad Decus,” No. CXXXIII
3. Geography of Act	Germany [Provisional]
4. Text of Act	"Jews shall not bear arms."
5. Source	Manuscript J 15, CXXXIII. Published in: Kisch, Jewry Law in Medieval Germany, New Jersey 2003, page 121.
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Apr. 1397
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Law” of Maria de Luna of Aragon
3. Geography of Act	Kingdom of Aragon; Present-day Spain [Provisional]
4. Text of Act	“[…] because these perfidious Jews are thirsty for Christian blood, as enemies would be, and it is dangerous for Christians to obtain any medical help from Jewish doctors when they are sick […] we ordain and establish that no Jew, in any case of a Christian’s infirmity, should dare to exercise his office unless a Christians doctor will [also] take part in the cure.”
5. Source	Soyer, Francois: Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories in the Early Modern Iberian World. (Leiden/Bosten);
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	Researcher A punishment of imprisonment and a fine of 10 pounds was imposed.

1. Full Date of Act	Dec. 23, 1398
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Letter* of Protection to Jews (‘Judenschutzbrief’)” issued to Duke Heinrich of Slesia
3. Geography of Act	Duchy of Silesia-Wroclaw
4. Text of Act	We, Henry [Heinrich] Duke of Silesia by the grace of God, […] announce publicly to everyone who sees, hears or reads this letter […] that the Jews shall pay us every year - for six [consecutive] years - three Mark (of interest), half of which is to be due on Walpurgis Night (April 30) and the other half on St. Michael’s Day […].
5. Source	Bondy, Gottlieb and Franz Dworsky: Geschichte der Juden in Böhmen, Mähren und Schlesien; II 1577-1620 (History of Jews in Bohemia, Maehren, and Slesia; Vol. II 1577-1620); (Prague; 1906)
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	Researcher The Duke’s helm seal (Helmetsiegel) hangs on a strip of parchment paper in dark wax of the original document. *Many of the ordinances and laws in the Early Middle-Ages were issued in the form of "letters."

1. Full Date of Act	Oct. 26, 1400
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Order” of King Ruprecht to (all) Electors, Princes, Custom Officials, and Servants
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Wittelsbach Dynasty
4. Text of Act	We, Ruprecht […] command with this official letter […] and until this order is revoked, that all the Jews of the empire […] pay a tax called the golden penny ('gulden pfennig') due on St. Jacob’s Day […].
5. Source	König Rupercht von der Pfalz in seinen Beziehungen zu den Juden – Ungedruckte Königsurkunden nebst ergänzenden Aktenstücken; Gesammelt und mitgeteilt von Moritz Stern; (Kiel, 1898); p. 1; (King Ruprecht of the Rhineland-Palatinate in his Relations with the Jews - Unpublished Royal Documents along with supplementary files; collected and shared by Moritz Stern);
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Jan. 6, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Order” of King Ruprecht to the City of Nuremberg
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Wittelsbach Dynasty
4. Text of Act	We, Ruprecht, Roman Emperor by the grace of God, […] command with this official letter to all who see or hear of this, […] 3) Thus should each Jew or Jewess who has come of age, and who lives in the city of Nuremberg or moves into the city, pay a gold coin ('Gulden') into our Royal chambers once a year […]. 5) And Jews who want to move out of the city and want to sell their inheritance or property are only to do so to the citizens of Nuremberg and to no one else. […]
5. Source	König Rupercht von der Pfalz in seinen Beziehungen zu den Juden – Ungedruckte Königsurkunden nebst ergänzenden Aktenstücken; Gesammelt und mitgeteilt von Moritz Stern; (Kiel, 1898); p. 3; (“King Ruprecht of the Rhineland-Palatinate in his Relations with the Jews - Unpublished Royal Documents along with supplementary files; collected and shared by Moritz Stern”)
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Jan. 9, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Decree, issued by Rupert, King of Germany, for the City of Mainz
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	[…] Every Jew who is at least thirteen years old shall pay Us, every year on Christmas Day, a righteous tribute of one guilder, and We shall not allow anyone near that money except those whom We deputize to collect it, and it shall not go anywhere but into Our imperial tax chamber.
5. Source	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 108.
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Jan. 24, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Order” of King Ruprecht
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Wittelsbach Dynasty
4. Text of Act	We, Rupert, king of the Romans by the grace of God, order the Jews and [Our] chamber-servants of Frankfurt to give 550 gold coins (“Gulden”) to Heinrich Melbecher, the Chancellor to the County Canton of Alzey ('Landschreiber zu Alzey'). […]
5. Source	König Rupercht von der Pfalz in seinen Beziehungen zu den Juden – Ungedruckte Königsurkunden nebst ergänzenden Aktenstücken; Gesammelt und mitgeteilt von Moritz Stern; (Kiel, 1898); p. 3; (“King Ruprecht of the Rhineland-Palatinate in his Relations with the Jews - Unpublished Royal Documents along with supplementary files; collected and shared by Moritz Stern”)
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Feb. 5, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Writ of King Rupert
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	King Rupert (‘Ruprecht’) pawns off to Count Johann von Wertheim the castles in Neuenburg on the Härtsfeld (‘Nuwburg uff dem Hartemfelde’) and the escort[-fees], [customs-]tolls, coins, and the Jews.
5. Source	Regesta Imperii. Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz. (Academy of Sciences and Literature of Mainz). [Regg. Pfalzgrafen 2] Ruprecht (Rupert) I. (1400-1410); www.regesta-imperii.de.
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	Researcher A copy of the original hand-written document can be found in the Austrian online database www.archivinformationssystem.at

1. Full Date of Act	Jul. 4, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Order” of King Ruprecht
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Wittelsbach Dynasty
4. Text of Act	We, Ruprecht, […] order with this letter officially, that the Jews of Cologne […] give Our beloved and faithful Wilhelm Freschin -- provost to the apostles to Cologne -- and Schilling of Flig -- Hofmeister to the venerable Archbishop Friedrich of Cologne and Our beloved nephew -- […] a golden penny ('guldin pfennig') annually for their magnificent service which they have afforded to Us in the past and will do so in the future […] this order goes into effect with this letter […] until it is revoked by Us or Our successor […].
5. Source	König Rupercht von der Pfalz in seinen Beziehungen zu den Juden – Ungedruckte Königsurkunden nebst ergänzenden Aktenstücken; Gesammelt und mitgeteilt von Moritz Stern; (Kiel, 1898); p. 4; (King Ruprecht of the Rhineland-Palatinate in his Relations with the Jews - Unpublished Royal Documents along with supplementary files; collected and shared by Moritz Stern)
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Aug. 1, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Official Announcement” by Ludwig (Ludewig) and Hans, Dukes of Palatine (“Pfalzgrafen”)
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Rhineland-Palatinate
4. Text of Act	We, Ludewig and Hans, brothers -- and by the grace of God -- Earls of the Palatinate of Rhinepfalz near the Rhine and Dukes of Bavaria, vow […] to the […] Roman King, [… Ruprecht] and Our father, not to permit any Jews and Jewesses to settle in any of the castles and the lands of the Palatinate (“Pfalz”) and in the Dukedom […] and especially not to permit Our heirs […] to allow Jews or Jewesses to settle or live in any of Our castles […].
5. Source	König Rupercht von der Pfalz in seinen Beziehungen zu den Juden – Ungedruckte Königsurkunden nebst ergänzenden Aktenstücken; Gesammelt und mitgeteilt von Moritz Stern; (Kiel, 1898); p. 4; (“King Ruprecht of the Rhineland-Palatinate in his Relations with the Jews - Unpublished Royal Documents along with supplementary files; Collected and shared by Moritz Stern”)
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Aug. 15, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Writ of King Rupert I
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	King Rupert grants the city of Nördlingen a Freibrief (letter of freedom)* […] and permits them to keep Jews (settled there) for another 10 years, stipulated that half of the revenues collected from them as well as the golden Opferfennig** from each Jew above the age of 12 [is submitted to him and his chamber …]
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. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	Researcher A Freibrief was a letter which granted a city or a person a number of privileges, including often to function semi-autonomously. *The Sacrifice-Penny (‘Opferpfennig’) was a special tax placed on Jews.

1. Full Date of Act	Aug. 16, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Writ” of King Rupert (‘Ruprecht’) of Germany
3. Geography of Act	Free Imperial City of Augsburg; Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	[… permits the Council and citizens of Augsburg to accept, allow, and to keep Jews for 10 years […] and until the permission is revoked]; however, [only if] half of the usage/benefits that […] are reaped from such Jews are submitted to the King and his empire’s chamber [and that] each Jew and Jewess who are older than twelve, must give one Gulden Sacrifice-Penny* every Christmas as it is proper (‘von iglichen Juden vnd Jüdinnen, die über zwölff Jahre alt sin, ein Gulden ‘Opfferpfennig’ jerlich off Wyhennachten alss das gewohlich ist’).
5. Source	Codex Juris Municipalis Germaniae Medii Aevi. Regesten und Urkunden zur Verfassungs-und Rechtsgeschichte der deutschen Städte im Mittelalter. Gesammelt und herausgegeben von Dr. Heinrich Gottfried Gengler,Professor der Rechte zu Erlangen. Erster Band. (“Codex of Municipal Laws in Germany. Regests and official documents of the constitutional and legal history of German cities in the Middle Ages. Collected and edited by Heinrich Gottfried Gengler, PhD., Professor of Laws of Erlangen. First Volume.”); (Erlangen; 1863)
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	Researcher *The Sacrifice-Penny (‘Opferpfennig’) was a special tax placed on Jews.

1. Full Date of Act	Aug. 20, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Writ of King Rupert I
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	King Rupert loans to Ulrich, Lord of Hanau, his fief, among which are the Jews of Babenhausen, Hanau, Wonnegau, Mintzberg, Friedberg, Assenheim, and Nidda.
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. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Aug. 31, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	Writ of King Rupert I
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany
4. Text of Act	King Rupert commands the cities Nuremberg, Rotenburg, Wimsbeim, and Weißenberg to summit half of the Jewish-taxes and the golden Opferfennig*, which the Jews owe to give to him, to Berthold Pfinzing on Saint Michael’s Day.
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. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	Researcher *The Sacrifice-Penny (‘Opferpfennig’) was a special tax placed on Jews.

1. Full Date of Act	Sep. 4, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Edict” of King Ruprecht
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Wittelsbach Dynasty
4. Text of Act	[…] the Jews […], are always [to be seen] to be the collateral/fief (‘Pfand’) of our cousin Duke of Bavaria. […]
5. Source	König Rupercht von der Pfalz in seinen Beziehungen zu den Juden – Ungedruckte Königsurkunden nebst ergänzenden Aktenstücken; Gesammelt und mitgeteilt von Moritz Stern; (Kiel, 1898); p. 5; (“King Ruprecht of the Rhineland-Palatinate in his Relations with the Jews - Unpublished Royal Documents along with supplementary files; collected and shared by Moritz Stern”);
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Oct. 30, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Privileg” issued by King Rupert [Ruprecht] of Germany
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Electorate of the Palatinate
4. Text of Act	[… each Jew and each Jewess] who have reached the age of 12 are to be taxed - that is after the age of eleven […]
5. Source	König Ruprecht von der Pfalz in seinen Beziehungen zu den Juden. Ungedruckte Königsurkunden nebst ergänzenden Aktenstücken. Gesammelt und mitgeteilt von Moritz Stern. (“King Rupert of Palatinate in his relations to Jews. Unprinted royal documents together with supplemental documents. Collected and shared with Moritz Stern”); (Keil; 1898)
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	None

1. Full Date of Act	Dec. 19, 1401
2. Name of Act (or Short Description)	“Writ” of Count Palatine Ludwig on half of his father
3. Geography of Act	Present-day Germany; Electorate of the Palatinate
4. Text of Act	We, Louis (‘Ludwig’) […] announce with this letter of his royal majesty and order that you are to give half of the Jewish-taxes as well as the Gulden oblation/offering/sacrifice-penny (‘Opperphenning’)* which the Jews who live among you are annually obliged to pay to us, or to the state - if so ordered - immediately, which is why we are sending Johannes Kircheim, the royal-scriber of our dear lord and father […] along with this letter …]
5. Source	Deutsche Reichsakten unter König Ruprecht. Zweite Abtheilung 1401-1405. Herausgeben von Julius Weizsäcker. Auf Veranlassung seiner Majestät des Königs von Bayern. Herausgegeben durch die Historische Commission bei der Königlichen Academie der Wissenschaften. (“German imperial documents under King Ruprecht. Second division 1401-1405. Edited by Julius Weizsäcker. Published by the Historical Commission at the Royal Academy of Sciences”); (Gotha; 1885)
6. Researcher	None
7. Year of Research	None
8. Notes	Researcher The Opferpfenning was a poll tax that was initially introduced by Emperor Louis IV of Bavaria which required Jews past the age of 12 to pay a gulden as a “protection fee/tax.” The above has been abbreviated to fit the allocated space. The legal text in its entirety can be found in the cited source.