Metadata: Reich Chamber Court
Collection
- Country:
- Germany
- Holding institution:
- Hamburg State Archive
- Holding institution (official language):
- Staatsarchiv Hamburg
- Postal address:
- Kattunbleiche 19, 22041 Hamburg
- Phone number:
- +49 (0)40 428313204
- Web address:
- www.hamburg.de/staatsarchiv
- Reference number:
- 211-2
- Title:
- Reich Chamber Court
- Title (official language):
- Reichskammergericht
- Creator/accumulator:
- Reich Chamber Council
- Date(s):
- 1497/1806
- Language:
- German
- Extent:
- 89 linear metres (1,300 files)
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
- This record group documents 160 trials concerning Jews, concerned mainly with penal and private law. Law suits could last for several years and they produced rich documentation. Furthermore this record group provides personal informations of the parties involved, such as testaments or lists of dowry items. The court hearings with Jewish participation mostly dealt with claims from purchase contracts, inheritance and bills of exchange.
- Archival history:
- These documents entered the State Archive between 1847 and 1852. Although at the time it was usual to preserve records of trials with state involvement at the respective court, these files were handed over to the State Archives which acted as a high court archive. Those files that were related to other states than Hamburg were mainly transferred to these, an exception being Bremen and Hannover, where no comprehensive agreement could be established.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Reich Chamber Court was originally located in Frankfurt and then moved to Worms, Speyer and finally in 1693 to Wetzlar. Often it served as a final authority in civil and criminal disputes.
- Subject terms:
- Financial matters
- Legal matters
- Legal records
- Wills
- System of arrangement:
- The material is ordered alphabetically by claimant.
- Finding aids:
- Finding aid with indices: Hans-Konrad Stein-Stegemann, Findbuch der Reichskammergerichtsakten im Staatsarchiv Hamburg Part 1-4, Hamburg 1995.
- Links to finding aids:
- https://recherche.staatsarchiv.hamburg.de/ScopeQuery5.2/detail.aspx?id=773
- Yerusha Network member:
- Institute for the History of German Jews
- Author of the description:
- Esther Yen