Metadata: Records
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:
- Oberösterreichische Regierung - Akten
- Title:
- Records
- Title (official language):
- Akten
- Creator/accumulator:
- Upper Austrian Government
- Date(s):
- 1725 /1782
- Language:
- German
- Extent:
- 148 boxes
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection “Upper Austrian Government – Records”, held by the Tyrolean regional archive of Innsbruck, is a non-Jewish collection with many Jewish-related documents. The files cover the period 1725–82 and are chronologically sorted by incoming and outgoing records. They comprise correspondence in legal matters between the Upper Austrian government and the subordinated administrative bodies of Upper Austria and Anterior. The incoming and outgoing records are strictly separated and filed by year and current date. The major part of the collection, composed of originals, conscripts and concepts, has been lost, but the incoming records from 1725–46 and the outgoing records of 1725–82 remain. Although there has been extensive loss of records, there are cartularies created by the Upper Austrian Government which compensate for a comprehensive part of the lost files. The cartularies are as follows: “An die fürstliche Durchlaucht” (“To the territorial Serenity”), 1519–81; “Tirol”, 1523 –1665; “Causa Domini”, 1523–1759 (1782); “Parteibuch”, 1523–1781; “Walgau”, 1523–1665; and “Von der fürstlichen Durchlaucht” (“From the territorial Serenity”), 1521–1781. Unfortunately, the loss of records of subjects (“Untertanen”), lower classes and authorities could not be redeemed through cartularies, but some parts remain as attachments created by superior authorities such as the Privy Council. [q.v. Beimrohr, Das Tiroler Landesarchiv und seine Bestände, 70-71.]
Jewish-related content includes many records, such as correspondence dealing with legal matters of private citizens and lower bodies. There are records of disputes between individuals, requests, complaints, minutes, mandates, reminders, process writs, applications and communications. The records contain details of Jewish people and their lives and legal transactions (“Rechtsgeschäfte”). The records for Tyrol include references to individuals who frequently appear in different cases, such as the brothers and business partners Isaac, Salomon and Maier (Mayr) Landau, Mändle Levi, Jacob Wassermann and Abraham Levi and members of the Innsbruck business house May, including Abraham and Michael. Also mentioned are members of the Jewish Ulman family, such as Joseph Jacob, Feist and Eva Dorothea and others such as Feist Rüfeln, Heinrich David and the influential businessman Gerson Daniel Oppenheimer. Most of these records deal with financial matters such as insolvency, debts and business transactions. Additionally, there are documents concerning matters of tolerance, acceptance, protection and expulsion in Tyrolean territories and files about inquisition processes in cases of criminal affairs including robbery, theft and dealing in stolen goods (“Hehlerei”) and property.
Finding aids to this collection are composed of an index and a register in each book, in which can be found “Juden” (“Jews”), “Judentum” (“Judaism”), “Judenschaft” (“Judaism”), “Israeliten” (Israelites) and “Hebräer” (Hebrew). There are six books covering the period 1724 –41, during which the incoming records were registered. There are also short summaries to each file.
To understand the correspondence between lower and higher bodies, it is necessary to combine the records of the Upper Austrian Government with other collections and cartulary series of the same authority. As noted above, there has been a significant loss of files in this record series.
- Archival history:
- This collection was transferred to the Tyrolean Regional Archive according to the regular document transfer process stipulated by national archival regulations.
- Administrative/biographical history:
-
The accumulator of the collection was the Upper Austrian government, the highest administrative authority in Tyrol and Further Austria, established by Emperor Maximilian I in 1490. In the second half of the 16th century and at the beginning of the 17th century, this authority was subordinated to the Privy Council, but equivalent and related to the Upper Austrian chamber.
The commission of the Upper Austrian government, consisting of twelve councillors, was responsible for the judiciary and administration of Further Austria, which was the collective name for the early possessions of the House of Habsburg in Vorarlberg in western Austria, parts of Switzerland, Swabia in south-western Germany, the Alsace region in eastern France, Baden-Württemberg and Belfort in eastern France. There were administrative bodies in the western part of Further Austria, which were subordinated to the Upper Austrian government in Innsbruck, whereas the eastern part was directly administered by the government without other regimental institutions. This authority had three roles: it was the highest administrative agency and the highest judicial agency and was responsible in matters of fief in Tyrol and Vorarlberg. In 1749, the main jurisdictions of the government shifted to the new institution called “Representation and Chamber” (“Repräsentation und Kammer”) until it was dissolved a few years later in 1782. [q.v. Beimrohr, Das Tiroler Landesarchiv und seine Bestände, 68-70; q.v. Köler, Verwaltungsgeschichte Tirols, URL. [https://www.tirol.gv.at/fileadmin/themen/kunst-kultur/landesarchiv/downloads/verwaltungsgeschichte.PDF] (April 2017).]
- Access points: locations:
- Innsbruck
- Tyrol
- Upper Austria
- Access points: persons/families:
- David, Heinrich
- Landau, Isaac
- Landau, Maier
- Landau, Salomon
- Levi, Mändle
- May family
- Oppenheimer, Gerson Daniel
- Rüfeln, Feist
- Ulman family
- Wassermann, Jacob
- System of arrangement:
- The collection is sorted into incoming and outgoing records.
- Access, restrictions:
- The collection is publicly accessible.
- Finding aids:
- Book of incoming records, 1724-1741
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum Hohenems
- Author of the description:
- Rebecca Muršec; Tyrolean Regional Archive Innsbruck; 2018