DRBR 5: In which the Oppenheimers leave Vienna

Image copyright Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Used with permission. Click to see larger image.

The RBR has a good many decrees resembling this one. They’re all printed on that kind of heavy paper which makes the letter depressions palpable, and some of them have seals and such too. They’re in German, but note how they’ve set the Latin jargon in a Roman typeface, and the German in Fraktur:

This one (DR5-R48) expels the family of Emanuel Oppenheimer from Vienna, in 1723.

Emanuel Oppenheimer was the son of Samuel Oppenheimer, an influential banker, mover, and shaker. Jews hadn’t been allowed to live in Vienna since 1670, but Oppenheimer père lent vast amounts of money to the emperor, funding an expensive war against the Turks, so he was given a special privilege to live there along with his family and associates.

What I found fascinating about this one was that the war didn’t go well; pressure was applied to Oppenheimer père to forgive the debt. Which he did not do, even after rioters trashed his house. The debt passed with his death to Emanuel, who tried to get the state to pay back what it had borrowed.

The state simply could not do that, though; it seems its financial credibility was more or less completely based on the idea that the Oppenheimer family were a never-ending fountain of money. Instead of paying Emanuel, it claimed that he owed them, and since the family were no longer a source of ready cash, they were expelled from Vienna like the rest of the Jews.

In this decree, people are informed (on March 20) that after June 25, the Jews associated with the late Emanuel, including his widow Judith, will be exiled from Vienna. Anyone who has any outstanding business with them had better settle up by then. If you want to take them to court, get it sorted before the exile date because after then the court won’t hear your case.

One of Emanuel’s brothers had gone and established a bank in Hanover, so some of the exiles went there, but it seems that Judith, Emanuel’s widow, stayed on; she apparently died in 1738 in Vienna.

This sort of thing was pretty normal for Jews. They were allowed to live in Christian countries so long as they were useful; when they were not useful, they were expelled.

Full transcription and translation follow, with profuse thanks to my Mum for translating old high German legalese into English legalese and my chum Adam for being enthusiastic about Fraktur capitals.

Wir Karl der Sechste von Gottes Gnaden Erwälter Römischer Kayser/ zu allen Zeiten Wehrer des Reichs / in Germanien / zu Hispanien / Hungaren / Böheim / Dalmatien / Croatien / Sclavonien / zc. König / Erz-Herzog zu Oesterreich / Herzog zu Burgund / Steyer / Kärnten/ Crain / und Wuürtenberg / Graf zu Habspurg / Flandern / Tyrol und Görss/ zc. zc. Entbieten allen und jeden Unseren getreuen Landsassen / Geistlich- und Weltlichen / was Würden/ Standes / oder Wesend die seynd / Unsere Gnad; und geben euch hiemit gnädigst zu vernehmen / was gestalten Wir uns untern 18ten bis Monats Martii Allergnädigst entschlossen / und resolviret haben; dass weilen des abgeleibten Hof-Juden Emanuels Oppenheimersverleihen Lands-Furstliche Privilegium in hiesiger Unserer Residenz-Stadt Wien mit seiner Familia stehen zu darffen / den zweyten fünftigen Monats Junii dieses Jahrs sich endiget / und Wir nun sothanes Privilegium weiters zu prolongiren / nicht gemeinet seynd / sondern alle unter diesem Schutz bishero gestandene Juden / nemlichen Judith Oppenheimerin Wittib / Wolf Moyses Oppenheimer / Löw Oppenheimer / Lehemann Herz / Emanuel Drach / und Löw Manasses mit all deren Familien, wie auch alle andere ohne Privilegio oder Schutz dahier eingeschlichene und sich aufhaltende Juden von hier abgeschasset wissen wollen;

Als haben wir allen und jeden / insonderheit diese Unsere anbefohlene Emigrirung aller sowol ohne Privilegio oder indulto stehender / als auch deren obernennten Juden-Familien biemit zu Ende publiciren lassen wollen: auf dass / so wer an selbe Juden etwas zu forberen haben wurde / solches in dem bangesessten Termin, nemlichen bis anderten Junii dieses Jahrs zu der Richtigkeit bringen / widrigen fahls / der oder dieselbe alhier nicht mehr gehöret werden sollen: masten auch diese Emigrirung besagten Juden durch besondere Hof-Decreta unter obigen Dato intimiret worden: Wornach dann alle / und jede sich zu richten / und ihrem Recht zu invigiliren wissen werden: dann hieran beschiehetUnser Ernstlich – auch Gnädigster Will und Meinung. Geben in UnseredrHaupt-und Residenz-Stadt Wien den Zwanzigsten Monats-Tag Martii im Siebenzehenhundert und Drey und Zwanzigsten / Unserer Reiche des RömischenKonischen im Zwolften / deren Hispanischen im Zwanzigsten / deren Hungarisch – und Böhmischen auch im Zwölften Jahre.

Sigmund Friderich Graf Khevenhuller / Statthalter.
Christoph Friderich Schmid v/ Mayenberg / Canzler-Umts-Berwalter.
L.S.
Commissio Domini Electi
Imperatoris in Consilio.
Johann Ferdinand Edler von Lewen-Egg.
Franz von Harrudern.

We Charles VI by the grace of God Holy Roman Emperor / for all time protector of the realm/ King of Germany/ Spain / Hungary / Bohemia / Dalmatia / Croatia / Slavonia / etc / Archduke of Austria / Duke of Burgundy / Steyer / Kärnten / Krain / and Würtenburg / Count of Habsburg / Flanders / Tyrol and Görss/ etc etc, our gracious majesty greets each and every of our loyal vassals / both spiritual and secular / of whatever office, rank or kind they be; and we herewith graciously give you to learn / what has transpired since the 18th day of the month of March and what we have most graciously decided / and resolved;

The duration of the late Court Jew Emanuel Oppenheimer’s special concession of a royal land grant allowing him to stay here in our town of residence Vienna with his family / expires on the twenty-fifth of the month of June of this year / and we now are not minded / to extend that concession longer / but we want all the Jews hitherto staying under this protection / namely Judith Oppenheimer, widow / Wolf Moyses Oppenheimer / Löw Oppenheimer / Herz Lehmann / Emanuel Drach / and Löw Manasses with all their families, as also all other Jews staying without a special concession or protection, to know that it is abolished from now on.

Whereas we have hereby desired to let one and all know / in particular this our ordained expulsion of every person staying without a concession or pardon / and whereas that of these aforementioned Jewish families has hereby come to an end; hence any person who might have something to demand from a particular Jew / should bring it to justice by the aforesaid deadline, that is to say by the end of June this year / otherwise / he or she shall no longer be heard: also these Jews ordered to exile by special royal decree must be banished by the above date: so each and every person has been notified to abide by this and safeguard their rights.

Herewith our earnest and most gracious wish and intention. Given in our capital and home city of Vienna on the twentieth day of the month of March in seventeen twenty three, in the twelfth year of our reign over the Roman Empire, in the 20th over the Spaniards / and also in the twelfth over the Hungarians and Bohemians.

Mirrored from hasoferet.com.