Quick to Borrow, Slow to Pay: Litigating Debt in Medieval Ashkenaz

Moneylending and credit transactions were common forms of economic exchange between Jews and Christians in medieval Ashkenaz. While contracts, loan registers and pawns were used to guarantee loans, in many cases credit transactions nonetheless found their way to different courts in the German Empire, following debtors’ default. Likewise, contemporaneous responsa literature reveals just how often Christian debtors reneged on their loans, and the ensuing problems default created among Jewish business partners. By analyzing thousands of court records from throughout the German Empire, and the social networks that emerge from them, together with local legislation and Hebrew responsa, this paper will inquire into the consequences of default, raising questions as to the importance of information sharing and reputation within the fourteenth century urban credit market.