Statute of Kalisch

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Kalisch Statute, illustration by Arthur Szyk (1894–1951), cover page with Casimir the Great, 1927
Statute of Kalisch, illustration by Artur Szyk, 1927

The Statute of Kalisch ( Polish Statut kaliski ) was a Jewish order or a Jewish protection letter , which was created by Duke Bolesław VI. the pious of Greater Poland ( Polish Bolesław Pobożny , 1224 / 27–1279) was issued on September 8, 1264 in the Polish city of Kalisz . The statute defined the position of the Jews in Poland and laid the basis for their relatively autonomous existence, which lasted until 1795. The statute threatened , among other things, penalties for desecrating Jewish cemeteries and synagogues . The statute contained provisions on the punishment of those who accused Jews of ritual murder . It regulated the principles of trade by the Jews and assured them the inviolability of life and property. The protective function that had been in effect for centuries led - despite repeated ritual murder pogroms - to a considerable increase in the Jewish population in Poland.

background

The original of the statute has not been preserved. It is only known from the confirmation of the contents that the grandson of Bolesław the Pious, Casimir the Great (Kazimierz III Wielki, 1310-1370) issued with the statute of Wiślica on the occasion of his accession to the throne on October 9, 1334 in Krakow . The reason for the issuance of the statute was the importance of the Jews in the development of trade, their credit business, and the mints they ran .

However, the princes wanted to secure sole jurisdiction over the Jews, in particular to dispose of their taxes alone. This results from a document Duke Bolesław the Wstydliwy (Bolesław V Wstydliwy, 1226-1279) of Cracow and Sandomierz , which he in 1262 for the Cistercian monastery in Koprzywnica had issued that the monks allowed in them to be founded cities Koprzywnica and Jasło people of any origin - except Jews - to settle. According to this prohibition, Jews were to be exclusively princely subjects, so that the prince would receive the appropriate tax income.

The statute was confirmed in 1453 by Casimir IV Andrew (Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk, 1427–1492). It was included in the collection of laws Commune incliti regni Poloniae Privilegium of Archbishop and Grand Chancellor Jan Łaski (1465–1531) at the behest of the Polish King Alexander (1461–1506) from the Jagiellonian dynasty in 1506 . Likewise in 1539 Sigismund I of Poland (Zygmunt I Stary, 1467–1548) confirmed the statute.

History of the creation of the statute

There are different views on the genesis of the statute and on its sources. However, all historians agree that there are connections between the Wielkopolska privilege and other documents issued between 1244 and 1264, namely the privileges of Emperor Frederick II , Duke Frederick II of the Arguable of Austria , King Belas IV of Hungary and King Premysl Ottokars II of Bohemia , who also granted the Jews comprehensive rights and placed them under protection.

Content

The statute laid down in 36 articles the principles of trade by the Jews, their granting of credit and the norms of relations with Christians . Lending money for interest was forbidden to the Christian population, but allowed to the Jews. In trade and customs regulations , the Jews were on an equal footing with the Christian population. It assured them the freedom to practice their religion, protected them in conflicts with the Christian population, granted them the protection of the ruler and allowed them to set up their own courts of justice for Jewish affairs. Penalties were threatened for desecrating Jewish cemeteries and synagogues.

Ritual murder legend

Ritual murder, painting by Karol de Prevot in the Cathedral of Sandomierz , 18th century.
Statute of Kalisch, Polish Jews in various craft professions, illustration by Arthur Szyk , 1927

The accusation of ritual murder was a particularly enduring stereotype of Christian anti-Judaism in the Middle Ages up to modern times : Jews needed the blood of Christian children for their matzos at Passover and for various magical or medicinal purposes. The accusation often resulted in pogroms, lynching and judicial murders of Jews accused of ritual murder. This legend drew its effect from a combination of church influence, superstition , economic hardship caused by many factors, social dissatisfaction and apocalyptic fears.

One of the most important parts of the Statute of Kalisch contained provisions on the punishment of those who accused Jews of ritual murder.

“In accordance with the provisions of the Pope, in the name of our Holy Father we strictly forbid that in the future the Jews who have settled in our domain will be accused of using human blood, since all Jews according to the prescription of the law are free from all blood completely included. "

- Article 31 of the Statute of Kalisch (translation from Latin)

Likewise, the Jews were assured of the inviolability of life and property.

Consequences

In response to the persecutions and expulsions of Jews in Western and Central Europe, the protective regulations triggered a wave of immigration that formed large Jewish communities and Poland became the center of Ashkenazi Judaism . The Kalisch statute formed the basis of Jewish culture in Poland and for all medieval and modern Jewish legislation in Poland, which was continued by all subsequent Polish kings up to King Stanislaus II August Poniatowski (1764–1795). With the constitution of May 3, 1791 , the first enlightened constitution in Europe was passed under him, which incorporated the contents of the Kalisch Statute. The bourgeoisie, the peasants and the Jews were given new rights.

Nevertheless, in 1407 Cracow was charged with ritual murder, accompanied by a pogrom . During the period of Poland-Lithuania ( Rzeczpospolita ), historians from 1500 to 1800 have identified at least 89 ritual murder charges and trials, resulting in an estimated 200 to 300 executions. In 1758 the Jewish communities of Poland asked Pope Benedict XIV to defend them against the frequent allegations of ritual murder by Catholics in their country. After his death, the Holy Office commissioned the Franciscan Lorenzo Ganganelli (1705–1774), later Pope Clement XIV., To examine the allegations. In his report he came to the conclusion that historical and current example cases were unfounded. He called Jew-inciting Christians "rabble" and "liars" and showed Polish bishops contradictions in their arguments for the alleged ritual murders. One must reasonably suspect that the allegations as a whole are only “slander” of the Jews by Christians.

Over the centuries, the Jewish population in Poland grew steadily in flourishing communities. Before the outbreak of World War II , around 3,350,000 Jews lived in Poland, making up around 10% of the Polish population.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Sofia Kowalska, The Wielkopolska and Silesian Jewish Protection Letters of the 13th Century in Relation to the Privileges of Emperor Frederick II (1238) and Duke Frederick II of Austria (1244) , Journal for East Central Europe Research , Vol. 47, No. 1 (1998). Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  2. ↑ Wolfgang Benz (Ed.) Handbook of Antisemitism Volume 5: Organizations, Institutions, Movements. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 2012, ISBN 3-11-027878-2 , p. 219
  3. ↑ An exhibition on the Statute of Kalisch ( Memento of the original from November 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Virtual Shtetl . Retrieved November 3, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sztetl.org.pl
  4. ↑ Thomas Brechenmacher: The Vatican and the Jews: History of an unholy relationship. Beck, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-406-52903-8 , p. 61 ff.