Metadata: Country-royal Court Chancelleries - Sigmundiana
Collection
- Country:
- Austria
- Holding institution:
- Tyrolean Regional Archive
- Holding institution (official language):
- Tiroler Landesarchiv
- Postal address:
- Michael-Gaismair-Straße 1; 6020 Innsbruck
- Phone number:
- 0043 512 508 3502
- Web address:
- https://www.tirol.gv.at/kunst-kultur/landesarchiv/
- Email:
- landesarchiv@tirol.gv.at
- Reference number:
- Landesfürstliche Hofkanzleien - Sigmundiana
- Title:
- Country-royal Court Chancelleries - Sigmundiana
- Title (official language):
- Sigmundiana
- Creator/accumulator:
- Country-royal Court Chancelleries
- Date(s):
- 1439/1496
- Language:
- German
- Extent:
- 19 boxes
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection “Country-royal Court Chancelleries” is a non-Jewish collection with a small number of Jewish-related documents. The collection “Maximiliana”, which was created by the archivists in the year 1840, was composed of records from the surroundings of the territorial Serenities Friedrich IV (1406-1439), Sigmund (1439-1490) and Emperor Maximilian I (1490-1519) and was stored in the Territorial Treasury Archive. In the same year, “Maximiliana” was divided into 14 subject groups, numbered from I to XIV. In 1885, the files from Sigmund’s reign were extracted and combined into a separate collection called “Sigmundiana”. Further files concerning the reign of Friedrich IV which were part of “Sigmundiana” were separated in 1936-37 and became the collection “Fridericiana”. Currently the Tyrolean Regional Archive subordinates these three series to the extensive collection “Country royal Court Chancelleries”. The collections also include documents of other provenances, for example records originating from the archives of the counts of Görz, which were transferred to Innsbruck after 1500.
Both “Maximiliana” (1) and Sigmundiana” (2) are structured into different subject groups concerning territorial matters.
1.) The reduced collection “Maximiliana” is incomplete, as the records of the subject group XIV (boxes 22 and 31) went missing and group III was dissolved and its contents added to the collection “Aristocratic records”. Additionally, repertory B 15 is inadequately updated and is missing crucial information. The remaining records deal with different territorial matters. Subject group M I includes files about war, military matters and banditry, subject group M II contains documents about grants of fief and records about legal matters and M IV covers matters relating to the royal household, for example property and pecuniary circumstances. Further subject groups deal with issues such as official appointments and positions, grants and privileges as well as religious matters of monasteries and churches. The remaining groups handle legal decisions and questions of the territorial estates, schools, art and science as well as construction, mining and coinage (mint).
2.) The series “Sigmundiana” is also indexed in the repertories B 14 and B 15, which hold some information. However, as already mentioned, B 15 is inadequately maintained. Like “Maximiliana”, “Sigmundiana” is divided into different subgroups numbered from I to XVI, including files about the court administration, relations to other territories, as well as records dealing with war and military matters, files about financial matters, privileges, agriculture, hunting and mining. Further subject groups contain records about tax and legal issues as well as files about fief and aristocracy. The collection also includes about 100 records of the Archive of Görz in Tyrol.
There are a few references to Jewish heritage in both series.
Subject group XIII of “Maximiliana” includes records about tax regulations referring to Jews in Ulm, Gienzen and Nekar in 1477 for obtaining territorial protection. Another record from 1469 from subject group XIII (“Sigmundiana”) is about debts of people in Breisach to Jewish bankers. One bigger group of records about Jews dating from 1516 to 1520 is included in box 36 of the subject group M XIV “Maximiliana”, containing five folders with numerous records about controversies between the Jewish community of Regensburg and the government and citizens of Regensburg, concerning different legal matters such as protection, taxes, expulsion, tolerance and trade. For example, one part of these records deals with complaints of the citizens of Regensburg directed to the city government and council concerning Jewish business. With these letters, they wanted to achieve the expulsion of the Jewish community of Regensburg or at least constrain Jewish business and economic influence. There are altogether 11 objections against Jewish people in Regensburg including demands for the reduction of Jewish citizens to 11 or at most 15 members of the Jewish community as well as the prohibition for Jewish people to practise a traditional art or craft. It is argued that they would otherwise ruin the local smiths and craftsmen. Furthermore, the citizens of Regensburg condemn the property and the financial assets of the Jewish community, because they would not pay their taxes to the city. They are also accused of receiving and dealing in stolen goods and to accumulate money (“Hehlerei” and “Wucher”). Additionally, they should not trade with treasure or jewellery (“Kleinod”) and clothing on the streets or in public.
The collection also includes articles of regulation of various guilds (goldsmiths, shoemakers, weavers, tailors, etc.) which include a lot of information about the guilds as well as details about prohibitions against and punishments of Jews, demonstrating their exclusion from this economic sphere.
In addition, there is a copy of a document issued between 1516 and 1520 by the city council of Regensburg and addressed to the emperor with the report that the city council and the Jewish community of Regensburg arranged the annual tax regulation. It was decided that if the Jewish community paid the required tribute to the city they would be tolerated and protected by Regensburg. One part of the earnings was retained Regensburg, with the remainder being added to the emperor’s budget. Finally, the collection contains letters from Jews to the authorities of Regensburg, requesting toleration and protection.
NB: Most of the catalogues of the Tyrolean Regional Archive include not only content registers but also subject indices. These can be searched for terms such as “Juden” (“Jews”), “Judentum” (“Judaism“), “Judenschaft” (“Judaism”), “Israeliten” (Israelites) and “Hebräer” (Hebrews). Usually there are numbers next to the entries concerning Jewish matters, which are needed to find the records in the register. The next step is to look up the number in the content registers to get a first impression of the written sources. Documents of interest can be ordered with their reference number for further consultation.
- Archival history:
- This collection was transferred to the Tyrolean Regional Archive as part of the regular document transfer process stipulated by national archival regulations.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The accumulator of the series “Maximiliana” and “Sigmundiana” of the collection “Country royal Court Chancelleries” was the Territorial Treasury Archive, which was the precursor Archive of the Tyrolean Regional Archive. (Cf. Beimrohr, Das Tiroler Landesarchiv und seine Bestände, 66-67.)
- Access points: locations:
- Austria
- Regensburg
- Tyrol
- Access points: persons/families:
- Frederick IV, Duke of Austria
- Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, 1459-1519
- Sigmund, Archduke of Austria, 1427-149
- System of arrangement:
- The collection is divided into different subgroups numbered from I to XVI.
- Access, restrictions:
- Public access
- Finding aids:
- Finding aid: Rep. B 14 (Register), Rep. B 15 (Index).
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum Hohenems
- Author of the description:
- Rebecca Muršec, July 2017
