Jews in Smaller Styrian Towns in the Middle Ages

Abstract

For the purpose of this paper, we have set out to answer some key questions of the debate, mainly relating to the timing and cause of the arrival of the Jews in individual smaller urban locations. We have selected smaller cities where the Jewish presence is recorded in the documents as prime examples. We have to note that the role of the sovereigns, especially the Habsburgs, has proved to be crucial in encouraging and supporting the Jews in their decision to settle in a particular place. This is probably most evident in the different histories of the two border towns of Ormož and Brežice, both of which are owned by the Archbishop of Salzburg. Both towns are therefore owned by the Archbishop of Salzburg, but while Ormož was largely owned by the Ptuj family and their close ties with Salzburg were largely shaken due to their support on Styrian Dukes, the subjugation of the Salzburg rule in Brežice remained very pronounced. This is also shown by the fact that Ormož (though relatively short-lived) experienced the formation of the Jewish community of Ormož, while there is nothing comparable in Brežice. However, the commitment of Styrian Dukes seems to be best in the case of the (Slovenian) Bistrica, where it is clear that their interest that has not only made the arrival of Jews in the town possible, but also largely regulated their activities. The case of Slovenj Gradec also points to a similar pattern. Here, too, the influence of the landed gentry is decisive for the arrival of the Jews in the city, but in this case it is indirectly expressed through the actions of the Aufensteiner landed gentry, which was undoubtedly entirely in the spirit of their master, the Duke of Carinthia. From the overall picture, the example of Dravograd stands out most, where we are dealing with a rather unusual moment when the Jews from Styria (at least as the fact that they are subject to the judge for the Jews of Graz) settle down in one place. Especially the example of Dravograd shows how small the amount of data is, because neither the time of arrival and thus the longevity of the data is clear, nor the connection of Dravograd Jews with potential communities from Carinthia or Styria. The fate of Jew David from Dravograd in Vienna only shows that the connection with Dravograd was very tight and had to go beyond a purely short-term stay. In any case, it can be concluded that it was not only the role of Provincial Lords that largely controlled the presence or absence of Jews in individual places, but that the role of the Habsburgs (and Tyroleans as Dukes of Carinthia) as Styrian sovereigns is also particularly exposed. Different approaches to the (non-)presence of Jews can be seen in the comparison of the Salzburg town of Brežic, where Jews are freely sought, and the Salzburg town of Ormož, where they were freely sought in the 14th century. The emphasis on the Habsburgs is also brought to our attention by the analysis of the material of the town Slovenska Bistrica In any case, this analysis must be added for further answers in a similar way for the Kranjska region and for the Goriška and Istra regions.

Keywords

• middle ages
• towns
• jews
• styria
• carinthia