Migration as an Option for Jews in Ashkenaz around 1400

Following a short period of reorganization in the wake of the Black Death pogroms, the general conditions for Jewish life in the Holy Roman Empire worsened again towards the end of the fourteenth century. The focus of my ongoing research is on the period between c.1380 and c.1420, which can be characterized as a phase of upheaval and disruption, given the increasing numbers of disruptive reprisals against the Jewish population. The decrees of King Wenceslas, who in 1385 and 1390 ‘cancelled’ the debts owed to Jews, highlight the increasing financial strains on the Jewish communities. Over and above these worsening conditions, expulsions from cities and territories of the Empire became more frequent towards the end of the fourteenth century. Previous studies have mostly analysed these events by focusing on their causes and on the underlying motivations of the Christian agents. However, the archival sources also offer information on the Jews’ reactions. They can reveal options and strategies of resilience. When negotiations and diplomatic intervention failed, change of location was often the only remaining option. The paper looks at the migrations that can be traced and at possible links with existing networks. Close examination of the existing sources, mainly in Latin and the vernacular, will reveal relations both regional and international between the various Jewish agents. Based on a prosopographical database, some of the migratory movements will be presented and evaluated in terms of the coping potentials they may have had.