History of the Jews in Russia and Poland, Volume I (of 3)

f the Yaghello dynasty. The attitude of Casimir IV. (1447-1492), who was imbued with the ideas of the humanistic movement then in vogue, was at first that of a w

latter he granted, in 1441, the Magdeburg Law-and he frequently availed himself of the servi

ratify the old Jewish privileges, on the basis of copies of the charter which had been spared. Casimir readily granted the request of the deputies. "We desire"-he announces in his new charter-"that the Jews, whom we wish to protect in our own interest as well as in the interest of the royal exchequer, should feel comforted in our beneficent reign." Corroborating as it did all the rights and privileges previously conferred upon the Jews-liberty of residence and commerce, communal and judicial a

tic Archbishop of Cracow, Cardinal Zbignyev Oleshnitzki, who openly headed the forces arrayed in opposition to the K

nd strong enough to put down all opposition to himself when the interests of the faith are at stake. I therefore beg and implore your Royal Majesty to revoke the aforement

ws" as his ally Oleshnitzki started a campaign against Jews and heretics (or Hussites). On his arrival in Cracow Capistrano delivered on the market-place incendiary speeches against the Jews

his protection of the Jews. At last the King was forced to listen to the demands of the united clergy and nobility. In November, 1454, the Statute of Nyeshava[40] was promulgated, and by one of its clauses all former Jewish privileges were rescinded as "being equally opposed to Divine right and earthly laws." The reasons for the enactment, which were evid

nd Cracow on their way to Hungary. The disorderly crowd, consisting of monks, students, peasants, and impoverished noblemen, threw itself on the Jews of Cracow on the third day of Easter, looted their houses, and killed about t

Nyeshava Statute with its anti-Jewish restrictions. John Albrecht is also credited with the establishment of the first ghetto in Poland. In 1494 a large part of the Polish capital of Cracow was destroyed by fire, and the mob, taking advantage of the prevailing panic, plundered the property of the Jews. As a result, the Jews, who at that time w

wever, the Grand Duke suddenly issued a decree ordering the expulsion of all the Jews from Lithuania. It is not known whether this cruel action was due to the influence of the anti-Jewish clerical party, and was stimulated by the news of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, or whether it was prompted by the financial dependence of the ruler on his Jewish creditors, or by the general desire to enrich himself at the expense of the exiles. As a matter of fact Alexander confiscated the immovable property of the expelled Jews in the districts of Grodno, Brest, Lutzk, and Troki, and a large

reckon. It was now destined to become also an independent spiritual entity, having stood for four hundred years under the tutelage o

TNO

edominating element, which came from the West. It is quite possible that there was an admixture of settlers from the

der merchant"-five hundred years

on which see p. 53, n. 2. In 1319 Great Poland and Little Poland were united by Vladislav Lokietek (see p. 50), who assumed the royal title. His son Casimir the Great annexed Red Russia. Thenceforward G

," "Meshko, king of Poland," or ???? ????, "Benediction [on] Meshko." Other coins give

Saxony. Owing to the fame of the court of aldermen (Sch?ppenstuhl) at Magdeburg, the Magdeburg Law was adopted in many parts of Germany, Boh

, called in Polish mieszczanie-pronounced myeshchanye-and in Latin oppidani, "town-dwellers," thu

odas became the administrators of the various Polish provinces (or voyevodstvos) on behalf of the king. Later on their duties were encroached upon by the starostas (see below, p. 60, n. 1). With the growth of the influence of the nobility, which resented the authority of the

a Christian official, genera

e name is also found in the fo

" so called because of

ied to them by the c

, is used by the Poles and Russian

text for the sake of convenience. In reality Red Russia corresponds to present-day Eastern Galicia, in which the predominating population is Little Russian or R

Johannes Longinus [author of His

n the Cracow pogrom of 1407 show that its principal instigator

p. 47 a

Shlakhta was in complete control of the Diet, or sejm (pronounced saym), from which the other estates, the peasants and burghers, were excl

conventions of the nobility assumed, in the fifteenth century,

by the king for special services rendered to him. In the course of time they became, both in Lithuania and in Poland proper, governors of whole regions, taking over many of the functions of the voyevodas.

during the Crusades, and was afterwards transferred to Europe to propagate Christianity on the eastern

a, the meeting-place of

Polish form for Casimir (the Grea