Bidspirit auction | Royal Decree of Maximilian I

Royal Decree of Maximilian I Expelling the Jews of Nuremberg (1498) – Vienna, 1573 – First Printing of Original Decree - Ein Königlicher Befelch der Judenheit außzubieten vnnd der keinen mehr zu ewigen tagen in der Stadt Nürnberg oder außwendig eines Rathsgebiet einzunehmen [Royal decree to expel the Jews perpetually from Nuremberg and its jurisdiction]. Location and date not indicated. [Probably Vienna, ca. 1573]. German. First printing of the historical decree of Maximilian I (later Holy Roman Emperor), propagated 21 July 1498, perpetually expelling the Jews of Nuremberg. This decree, one of the foundational anti-Jewish decrees of the latter-day Holy Roman Empire, is addressed to the Nuremberg City Council, blaming the Jews for usury, deceit, exploitation of the populace, harming trade and giving sanctuary to criminals. As a result of these claims, and in view of their status as servi camerae regis, Maximilian I decrees they shall be perpetually expelled from the city and its jurisdiction. The expelled Jews were permitted to leave with their movable property within a fixed space of time, while their homes, synagogue, cemetery and other land was seized for the Empire. The decree also provides for the City Council to found a bank to replace the credit provided by the Jews. As a result of this decree, during the months of February and March 1499, the entire Jewish community of Nuremberg was expelled and their property seized (the prohibition prohibiting Jewish settlement remained in effect for some 350 years, and was only repealed in 1850). After the expulsion, many Jews left for nearby towns, mainly Fürth, where they continued to manage the trade networks that threatened Nuremberg's economy. In an attempt to block competition and protect the city's status, the Nuremberg City Council appealed to Emperor Maximilian II, asking him to harden the restrictions on commerce and credit, and Maximilian II did so in 1573, expanding the restrictions to cover trade and credit between Jews and Nuremberg's residents. In order to accord the new move with public legal force, Maximilian II's decree was printed alongside the original decree of expulsion from 1498. This publication collected both decrees: the first part displayed the 1498 decree, while the second part displayed the 1573 decree. The present copy contains the 1498 decree only; its final page has the word ”Wir” as a catchword for the 1573 decree, which would have followed. [4] leaves (8 pages). 20 cm. Good condition. Minor defects and wear. Stains, including light dampstains to margins. New binding.