Metadata: Cartulary series - General Missives
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 Gemeine Missiven
- Title:
- Cartulary series - General Missives
- Title (official language):
- Kopialbuchserie Gemeine Missiven
- Creator/accumulator:
- Upper Austrian Chamber
- Date(s):
- 1527/1783
- Language:
- German
- Extent:
- 483 volumes/books
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The series “Upper Austrian Chamber – Cartulary series – General Missives”, held by the Tyrolean regional archive of Innsbruck, is a non-Jewish collection with several Jewish-related documents.
The collection covers the period 1527–1783 and is divided into cartularies, which are extensive books with transcribed records of the record series “Outgoing general missives”. It is a parallel collection to the record series and an important addition. The cartulary collection is composed of outgoing records, which were addressed to subordinated offices and instances [q.v. Beimrohr, Das Tiroler Landesarchiv und seine Bestände, 80]. They include mandates and orders created by the Upper Austrian chamber and directed to subordinates such as city officials, clerks, scribes and treasurers (“Renntmeister”). All the records deal with financial matters, including those regarding Jewish people.
Each year is covered by two cartularies and almost every book contains Jewish-related documents. There are 483 volumes, but no summaries. Therefore, only a selection of the Jewish-related material is presented here. In earlier books, such as those from 1585–1590, there are records of Simon of Günzburg and and his sons Salomon, Lasarus, Isaac, Samuel and Abraham, Helias and Jäckle of Aach and Wolf of Bregenz. These records contain details of the business lives of Jewish people including costs, fees (such as detractions, attendance and protection fees), loan and debts. Financial situations are clearly declared and explained.
The record concerning Simon of Günzburg, issued on 1 January 1585, is about a loan of 900 guilders, of which 400 was lent to the provincial governor of Burgau and 500 financed the construction of the governor’s house. The chamber asked for records and financial files regarding the construction and the financial transaction.
A record of 1586 concerns Simon of Günzburg, who had died some years before, and his son Mossi, and deals with the fee he had to pay to Pfershaim to build a house there. The fee remained unpaid for three years. As there were outstanding debts, the fee was offset.
Documents issued on 5 February 1585 referring to Helias of Aach and his heir Jäckle of Aach in Stockach in southern Germany relate to a detraction regulation (“Abzugsgeld”, “Abschoss”). This was a fee which Jewish people had to pay to leave the territory or sphere of influence of the local ruler along with their property. Helias died in 1585 and his heirs had to pay a detraction fee to the city of Aach, of which 100 guilders helped to finance the construction of the city walls. The rest was collected from Jäckle and given to the official of Stockach to pay debts and outstanding interest.
Another document, issued in 1585, concerns Helias, his son Jäckle and their detraction. It records that Jäckle moved from Aach to the county of Nellenberg for a fee of 2000 guilders. It also states that Jäckle’s inheritance was shared with his brothers. Records from 1586 and 1587 give similar details about detraction costs. Other records from 1587 concern the Jew Wolf of Bregenz in reference to a loan.
A longer record, issued on 21 January 1578, concerns transactions of the Jew Simon of Günzburg and his relatives or heirs, Jacob, Samolon, Lasarus, Isaak and Lemble. The documents refer to a loan of 14,000 guilders, with 700 guilders interest, to be repaid within six years from the customs income of Primor. After Simon’s death, his sons created four loan notes to recover the money. It was arranged that each person would receive 4800 guilders with interest, except Lemble, who would receive 1700 guilders with 85 guilders interest. A predetermined amount was to be returned semi-annually from the customs of Primor. The amount could also be repaid with gold kroner (“Goldkronen”).
A record from 1587 concerns Jacob, who lived with his relatives in a house in Pfersen (Pfersee) and had to pay protection and attendance fees to remain there.
The later books or cartularies contain fewer records than the volumes mentioned above. Books from 1665–1670 contain very brief references to Abraham, Marx, Ventura and Ferdinand May. There are details of Johann Ferdinand May’s assets in a record of 17 April 1666. After he was baptised, his inheritance was transferred from his parents (his father was Abraham May) to him, but the interest on the sum had expired and was no longer available. 1000 guilders of the inheritance was placed in the county of Nellenburg and the rest (986 guilders and 45 kreuzer) at the office of Altenburg. He asked for the interest so he could feed himself, find a new job and to pay his own debts. The file states that he did not receive the full amount, but rather half of the interest annually. Records in other cartulary series of the Upper Austrian chamber, also deal with Ferdinand May and his needs.
A general repertory to this collection does not exist. Each cartulary has an A-Z index, containing Jewish references under I, J and Y. It should be noted, however, that the cartularies are sorted by personal names as well as subjects, so, for example, under M may be found files relating to the May family, which are not listed under I, J or Y. Some names are accompanied by the designation “hebreer” (Hebrew).
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.]
- Access points: persons/families:
- Helias of Aach
- Jäckle of Aach
- May family
- May, Johann Ferdinand
- Simon of Günzburg
- Subject terms:
- Financial matters
- Financial matters--Debt
- Real estate
- Trade and commerce
- Wills
- System of arrangement:
- The collection is arranged into book-like cartularies with alphabetical indexes.
- Access, restrictions:
- The collection is publicly accessible.
- Finding aids:
- Volume indices
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum Hohenems
- Author of the description:
- Rebecca Muršec; Tyrolean Regional Archive Innsbruck; 2018