Hungary

Middle Ages to the Ottoman Conquest

Archaeological evidence indicates the existence of Jews in Pannonia and Dacia, who came there in the wake of the Roman legions.  Jewish historical tradition, however, onlymentions the Jews in Hungary from the seconf half of the 11th century, when Jews from Germany, Bohemia and Moravia settled there.  In 1092, at the council of Szabolcs, the church prohibited marriages between Jews and Christians, work on Christian festivals, and the purchase of slaves.  King Koloman protected the Jews in his territory at the end of the 11th Century, when the remnants of the crusader armies attempted to attack them.  Jews resided only in towns ruled by the bishops where important communities developed: in Buda, Pressburg, Tyrnau and Esztergom.  During the 12th Century the Jews of Hungary occupied important positions in economic life.  The nobles felt it necessary to curb this development, and in the "Golden Bull" (1222) an artcile was included which prohibited Jews from holding certain offices and from receiving titles of nobility.  The legal status of the Jews was settled by King Bela IV in a privilege of 1251, which follows the pattern of similar documents in neighboring countries.  As a result of the Church Council of Buda in 1279, Jews were forbidden to lease land and compelled to wear the Jewish badge.  In practice, these decress were not applied strictly because of the King's objection.

During the reign of Louis the Great (1342-82), the hostile influence of the Church in Jewish affairs again predominated.  The Black Death led to the first expulsion of the Jews from Hungary in 1349.  A general expulsion was decreed in 1360, but in about 1364 their return was authorized though they were subjected to restrictions.  In 1365 the king instituted the office of "judge of the Jews," chosen from among the magnates, who was in charge of affairs concerning Jewish property, the imposition and collection of taxes, representation of the Jews before the government, and the protection of their rights.  The reign of Matthais Corvinus (1458-90) marked a change in favor of the status of Jews, despite his support of the towns, whose inhabitanats, the overwhelming majority of whom were Germans, were inimical to the Jews as dangerous rivals.

In 1494 there was a blood libel in Tyrnau and 16 Jews were burned at the stake.  In its wake, anti-Jewish riots broke out in the town;  these were repeated at the beginning of the 16th century in Pressburg, Buda and other towns.  The economic situation of the Jews was also aggravated:  King Ladislas IV (1490-1516) canceled all debts owing to ther Jews.  In 1515, however, the Jews were placed under the direct protection of Emperor Maximilian I (the pretender to the crown of Hungary).  During this period, a degrading form of Jewish oath before the tribunals was introduced; it remained in force until the middle of the 19th century.  During the reign of Louis II (1516-26) hatred of the Jews intensifiedas a result of the activities of Issac of Kaschau, the director of the royal mint, and the royal treasurer who devalued the currency and raised taxes in order to provide funds for the war against the Turks.