Ihrer Königlichen Majestät von Sachsen … Mandat zu mehrerer Beschränkung des jüdischen Wuchers bei den von Christen an Juden ausgestellten Schuld- und Wechselschreibungen – “Decree by His Majesty the King of Saxony for the Purpose of Further Restrictions on Excessive Interest Charged by Jews Regarding Promissory Notes and Bills of Exchange Issued by Christians to Jews…” – Royal mandate issued by the King of Saxony on August 1, 1811, restricting the economic activity of Jews, particularly in the fields of lending and interest. In Gothic German.
The decree is addressed to “ministers, mayors, officials, judges, peasants, and all other subjects of the kingdom, ” reporting on “Jews engaging in especially excessive interest rates in the acquisition of promissory notes from young and inexperienced Christians, which has caused severe financial harm and suffering to entire Christian families.” It states that “many of our subjects have been driven into a state of indescribable misery.” In order to put an end to “such fraudulent practices, ” new regulations were established. Among them: Jews would no longer be permitted to acquire or collect promissory notes or checks from Christians unless the note was explicitly issued in their name, and in the presence of a notary or authorized official. This was intended to prevent the unsupervised transfer of promissory notes from Christians to Jews. In the case of any transfer of notes or checks from a Christian to a Jew (e.g., by sale), full documentation was to be submitted to the local authority, which had the right to approve or deny the transaction. It was also established that a Jewish lender was prohibited from demanding or collecting payment without presenting a valid official document. If he attempted to do so, it would be considered an offense punishable by a fine and the nullification of the loan—and he might be required to return the amount collected. Furthermore, loan repayments to Jews were to be made only in actual currency (silver and gold), and not in goods, furniture, jewelry, or any other property. Penalties were set for any violations of these provisions.
[8] pages. 34 cm. Thick, clean paper. Only minor stains. Good–very good condition.
