Metadata: Collection of Documents in the Document Archive in C State Collections
Collection
- Country:
- Switzerland
- Holding institution:
- State Archive of Bern
- Holding institution (official language):
- Staatsarchiv Bern
- Postal address:
- Falkenplatz 4, CH-3001 Bern
- Phone number:
- +41 31 633 51 01
- Email:
- info.stab@sta.be.ch
- Reference number:
- Bern, Oberamt; Kyburg; Kanzellierte Schuldtitel; Dt. Orden, Haus Bern; Erlach; Eidgenossenschaft; Varia III; Inselarchiv
- Title:
- Collection of Documents in the Document Archive in C State Collections
- Title (official language):
- Urkundensammlung im Urkundenarchiv in C Staatliche Sammlungen
- Date(s):
- 1235/1992
- Language:
- German
- Hebrew
- Extent:
- Around 45,000 documents
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains documents and deeds produced by various offices and other official bodies in the period from 1235 to 1992. The collection primarily contains documents documenting legal disputes and transactions.
A document from the Bernese Oberamt from 1392, for example, testifies that King Wenceslas renounced all claims he had on the Bernese Jews. He exempted the Jews in Bern from all taxes for six years, but after that every Jew from the age of 13 was to pay 1 florin a year to the royal treasury on Christmas. The collection also contains documents from other Roman-German kings and emperors concerning the Jews of Bern.
Most of the documents from the Middle Ages concern financial matters. Anne of Nidau, Countess of Kyburg, and her son Count Rudolf of Kyburg, Landgrave of Burgundy, as the principal debtor, and four guarantors, for example, confessed that the Jew Mathis Eberlin (Mathias Eberlin) and his wife Esther Mennelin (Mennelina) owed citizens of Berne 12 shillings and 50 florin. Johannes von Krauchthal, Conrad Thüring and Ulrich Bütschelbach also vouched against the Jews Salomon von Visonn (Vysun), his brother Abraham and mother-in-law Froeida, citizen of Fribourg, for the inconvenience of a deferment of payment which these Jews granted for a debt obligation from 1382 to 1385. Another document testifies that Benjamin the Jew of Schlettstadt, his wife Meria and grandson Bennfelt were granted citizenship and a letter of freedom for their money transactions by the mayor, the councils and citizens of Bern and in return agreed to have an article of this letter concerning the interest on debts revised by the city. In 1384, the sheriff, council and citizens documented that they owed Jacob the Jew, called Klein-Jecklin, and his mother Isacklin, citizens of Solothurn, 368 florins. Similar documents can also be found on transactions between the city of Bern and church dignitaries and organisations (for example the Teutonic Order) on the one hand and the Jews Simon Menneli (Mennelis), Master Isaac of Tanne and Vivilin in Bern, on the other. Together with Benjamin of Schlettstadt, these were the four most active Jews in the region at the end of the 14th century.
In 1457 the Vogtgericht at Ins had to cope with far more serious events. Jean Gobet of Montilier had slain and robbed the Jew Mordache (Mordecai), whom he was to lead through the Grosses Moos marshland. The court therefore declared Gobet a traitor, murderer and highwayman.
Somewhat unusual is the document from 1866, which concerns the vote on the revision of some articles of the Federal Constitution of 1848 (especially Articles 41 and 48: legal equality between Jewish and Christian Swiss citizens).
In the section ‘Varia III’ there are three documents of relevance. A document from 1417, which testifies that Isaac the Jew, resident of Neuchâtel, ceded his assets to Niquilinus Guta (?) Perrod, citizen of Neuenstadt, as principal debtor, and Heinrich Berner, citizen of Landeron, and Petermann (Peter) Faber, citizen of Neuenstadt, as guarantor, consisting of three items of 12, 31 and 130 pounds, to Otholinus de Saliceto, citizen of Fribourg. Another document from 1407 concerns a communication from the Vice-Dean of St-Imier to priests and vicars of Neuenstadt and Landeron: it concerned debt collection proceedings against Niquilinus Guta Perrod, as principal debtor, and Heinrich Berner and Petermann (Peter) Schmid (Faber), as co-guarantors and co-guarantors, for 12 pounds of Lausanne coin in favour of the Jew Isac (Isaac), resident of Neuchâtel. A further document proves that Konrad von Wädiswil lent 100 pounds of Bernese coin to the Jew Joseph of Bern.
In the partial collection called "Inselarchiv" there are also several documents of interest. For example, a document from 1324 shows that three and a half shares in the former Jewish cemetery and the house on it as well as on the adjacent slope, were sold by a Christian family for 175 pounds. There are several other documents from this period concerning this property as well as: the Judengasse in Bern.
From the year 1295 there is a document that details how King Adolf, the Sheriff and the other officials of the city of Bern urgently ordered the Dominican brothers in Bern to immediately return all books they had given to the Jews as a pledge at the time, and which the latter had given to the city for safekeeping, namely an antiphonary. From 1413 a document has been preserved which tells how Henri (Heinrich) Hernay, citizen of Le Landeron, and Petermann (Peter) Favre, citizen of La Neuveville, sold goods for Niqly (Niklaus) Grandperrod, citizen of La Neuveville, to Abraham of Neuchâtel and pledged three vines.
There are no signatures in this case. The corresponding documents must be searched for in German in the following sub-collections using the search help. The date of issue of the respective document is particularly helpful here: Bern, Oberamt (30.06.1294; 01.08.1294; 12.1294; 29.04.1300; 05.02.1380; 15.04.1391; 02.05.1392); Kyburg (07.06.1380; 09.07.1381; 16.11.1381; 28.11.1381; 21.01.1382; 22.01.1382; 20.02.1382; 24.04.1382; 30.05.1382; 31.05.1382; 22.06.1382; 17.07.1382; 29.07.1382; 12.08.1382; 11.11.1384); Kanzellierte Schuldtitel (04.10.1379; 19.07.1380; 27.03.1381; 17.04.1382; 08.08.1384; 07.04.1385); Dt. Orden, Haus Bern (14.08.1294); Erlach (23.01.1457); Eidgenossenschaft (14.01.1866); Varia III (25.10.1274; 26.09.1407; 20.06.1417); Inselarchiv (07.08.1295; 17.12.1323; 02.1324; 03.1324; 26.11.1324; 03.02.1328; 15.04.1362; 02.07.1413)
- Archival history:
- This collection has been in the State Archive since the foundation of the Archive.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The State Archive of Bern is the repository of all state archival holdings worthy of preservation. Since the 15th century, the Bernese archives have been housed in the vaults of the town hall. In 1713 a permanent archive commission was set up. The archives of the perished city and Republic of Bern went to the newly created Canton of Bern in 1803, and partly to the Cantons of Aargau and Vaud. Until 1891, the administration of the National Archive was the responsibility of the respective state scribe.
- Access points: locations:
- Bern
- Access points: persons/families:
- Jakob
- Subject terms:
- Crime
- Financial matters
- Financial matters--Moneylending
- Legal matters
- Taxation
- Finding aids:
- An online finding aid is available, although the information is often rudimentary.
- Links to finding aids:
- https://www.query.sta.be.ch/suchinfo.aspx
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum Hohenems
- Author of the description:
- Severin Holzknecht; Jewish Museum of Hohenems; 2020