Metadata: Cartulary series - Concessions
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 Kammer - Kopialbuchserie Bekennen
- Title:
- Cartulary series - Concessions
- Title (official language):
- Kopialbuchserie Bekennen
- Creator/accumulator:
- Upper Austrian Chamber
- Date(s):
- 1496/1783
- Language:
- German
- Extent:
- 188 volumes/books
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The series “Upper Austrian Chamber – Cartulary series – Concessions”, held by the Tyrolean regional archive of Innsbruck, is a non-Jewish collection with Jewish-related documents.
The series covers the period 1496–1783 and includes transcripts of deeds and writs, including records of bonds, loans, brevets (“Bestallungsurkunden oder -briefe”) for territorial officials, bills of sale, contracts, approvals and agreements [q.v. Beimrohr, Das Tiroler Landesarchiv und seine Bestände, 81]. The cartularies are structured like books with copied records, similar to the cartulary series of the Upper Austrian government, with alphabetical indexes containing Jewish references under I, J and Y.
The earlier cartularies (1498–c.1560) include only a few Jewish references to related records in transcribed deeds. The later books (1660–70 and c.1710–20) do not contain any Jewish-related documents. The records show some important details about Jewish finances and business in the form of costs, fees, loans and debts, which are clearly declared and explained.
Often, Jewish people appear in these records as creditors, having lent the authority of Innsbruck money for war acts. As the Upper Austrian chamber was responsible for financial transactions, it was obliged to repay debts to the creditors. A deed issued by Archduke Ferdinand in August 1552 instructs the Chamber to repay the Jewish creditors of Bern and Bolzano an interest-free amount of 450 guilders (1 guilder = 60 kreutzer), using customs revenues. A similar deed concerns a payment of 250 guilders to the creditors of Rovereto for territorial debts due to war acts, also to be funded from customs revenues. There are further examples from 1588, such as the Jew Emanuel, who lent 50 guilders to the authority of Tyrol and the Jew Lemble of Günzburg, who lent 1000 guilders.
Another example demonstrates how financial obligations were handled. In a record issued on 21 January 1587 by Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol, the main creditors Salomon and Abraham of Günzburg are mentioned alongside other family members. They lent 4800 guilders to the authority of Innsbruck for three years. It was arranged that the chamber of Innsbruck, which was responsible for financial matters, should make payments of 120 guilders twice a year against the loan and accrued interest, whereby 100 guilders corresponded to five guilders interest. The money was balanced by incomes such as pawn properties and taxes.
The indexes, B54 and B55, give an overview of the collection. As the repertories have gaps, it is preferable to use the volume indexes to find Jewish references. The cartularies are books with alphabetical indexes and transcribed deeds, containing Jewish references under I, J and Y. The books may be ordered by indicating the name of the collection and the years of interest.
To construct an overview of Jews and their lives and early “communities”, the records of each series or collection should be combined with those of their counterparts and records of similar assemblages to understand the progression of a decision [q.v. Hölzl, Repertorium Nr. 203 – “Älteres Gubernium”. 1764–1783, Innsbruck 1985, V]. This also applies to other collections of the general administration.
- 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 creator of this collection was the Upper Austrian chamber, a stable commission established in 1493. This authority was responsible for the territorial fiscal administration of the county of Tyrol and Anterior Austria. Its counterpart was the Upper Austrian government, which was equivalent to the chamber and was responsible for the inner administration and judiciary of Tyrol and Further Austria. Both authorities were later subordinated to the Privy Council, which was established in the late 16th century, and subsequently to the Second Privy Council. In the administrative reformation of 1749, the Upper Austrian chamber was incorporated into the new comprehensive administration authority for Tyrol and Anterior Austria, “Repräsentation und Kammer” (Representation and Chamber), founded by Empress Maria Theresa. The jurisdiction of the Upper Austrian government also shifted to this new authority for general administration. The traditional Upper Austrian chamber and the Second Privy Council no longer existed after Maria Theresa’s reformation. [q.v. Beimrohr, Das Tiroler Landesarchiv und seine Bestände, 78.]
- System of arrangement:
- The cartularies are structured into books of copied records, similar to the cartulary series of the Upper Austrian Government. They include an alphabetical index.
- Access, restrictions:
- The collection is publicly accessible.
- Finding aids:
- Rep. B 54, 55, 55a, Z 189 (Indices)
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum Hohenems
- Author of the description:
- Rebecca Muršec; Tyrolean Regional Archive Innsbruck; 2018
