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Testamenta Notariae; Testamenta de Notaria (Wills registered at the Public Notary)

The series consists of wills of citizens, i.e., residents of the Dubrovnik Republic, as well as the wills of non-residents of the Republic, in the period from the end of the 13th to the beginning of the 19th century. The series is a very important archival source for both researchers of the legal history of Jewish people and for those who research the history of their everyday life and daily routines.


Approximately 20 wills of Jewish people have been preserved in the records of the State Archives in Dubrovnik, dating from the 16th to the 18th century. Out of this number, 16 wills were recorded in this series, and the names of the testators indicate some prominent and famous persons such as Didacus Pyrrhus (vol. 51, ff. 27v-28v), Aron Cohen, a famous rabbi of the 17th century (vol. 55, ff. 164v-166) and his descendant Raphael Cohen, a distinguished merchant and benefactor (vol. 74, ff. 66-67). The wills of Abram Abinun (vol. 59, f. 33v; 1628), Nathan Ambonetti (vol. 87, ff. 67v, 68), Rica Barrafael (vol. 80, f. 149v), Moshe Calderon (vol. 43, ff. 182, 182v), Abram Campos (vol. 66, f. 33v), Isac Vita Campos (vol. 81, f. 33v), Joseph Esperiel (vol. 55, ff. 21-22), Ester Maccioro (vol. 63, ff. 94v-95v), Ester Maestro, the wife of Moshe (vol. 58, ff. 168, 168v), Ester Maestro, the wife of Solomon (vol. 78, ff. 62, 62v), Solomon Pardo (vol. 84, ff. 129v), Decora de Silva (vol. 72, ff. 39, 39v) and Bona Vitali (vol. 81, ff. 49v, 50). The remaining wills are in the fonds of Diversa Notariae (HR-DADU-9), Diversa Cancellariae (HR-DADU-15), Diversa et possessio de criminalibus (HR-DADU-24), Miscellanea (HR-DADU-61) and in the series Diversa de Foris (HR-DADU-30.2). Most wills have been published.

Tutores Notariae (Legal guardians in the execution of wills registered with the Public Notary)

The series consists of registers in which, during the period from the 15th to the beginning of the 19th century, the names of legal guardians were entered, most often for women (usually widowed) and minor children. The data show that the guardians referenced to in the files would not represent those women and children only in the execution of wills. Since this is one of few series where references on women and minor children can be found, it is very useful to researchers because it provides valuable data for the genealogical reconstruction of Jewish families in Dubrovnik. Most often the records reference to women and children from some Dubrovnik Jewish families such as Abuaf, Campos, Cohen, Levi Mandolfo, Luzzena, Maestro, Pappo, Pardo, Penso, Terni, Tolentino, Valenzin. The guardians of Jewish women and minor children were usually Dubrovnik Jews. According to the data, a Jewish woman, or a Jewish minor, could have between one to three legal guardians. Guardians belonged sometimes to Dubrovnik nobility, particularly in cases where they would actually serve as lawyers. Occasionally, other Dubrovnik citizens would also appear in these documents in the role of guardians of Jewish women and children. The series is closely related to the decisions of the Minor Council (Acta Minoris Consilii HR-DADU-4.1). More precisely, the proposal would be first accepted by the Minor Council, i.e., the permission would be given to a woman (most often a widow) to perform a certain job with the permission of her legal guardian. The name of the guardian would be then entered in the registers of this notarial series most often on the same day. If the Minor Council issued a permit to a woman to appoint, with a prior consent of her guardian, a person to represent her in the conduction of her business in the Republic or in any other state, this information would be then entered in the registers of the Procurae di Cancellaria (HR-DADU-17). This is another indicator of overlapping competencies of the Public Notary and the Chancellery. For example, on May 6, 1793, according to the data, the Minor Council allowed Rachel, the widow of David Luzzena, to appoint, with the permission of her guardian, a person to represent her in all her business affairs (HR-DADU-4.1, Acta Minoris Consilii, vol. 110, f 83). On the same day, the names of her guardians, a nobleman Antun Caboga and a citizen Petar Čingrija, were entered in the books of this series (vol. 13, f. 19c). A day later, in the books of Procure di Cancellaria, it was registered that Rachel Luzzena, with the permission of her guardians, appointed her son Samuel as her representative, or, legally, as her alter ego (HR-DADU-17, vol. 82, ff. 158v, 159).

Libri dotium Notariae (Books of dowry agreements registered at the Public Notary)

The series includes dowry agreements, dating from the mid-14th to the early 19th century. Most contracts were written in the form of certificates according to which the husband confirmed that he had received his wife's dowry. Records concerning marriage contracts and dowry agreements were initially entered in the books of the Diversa Cancellariae (HR-DADU-15) and Diversa Notariae (HR-DADU-9) fonds. Since the beginning of the middle of the 14th century, these contracts began to be entered in special books belonging to this series. A tergo of the books of Libri dotium Notariae, notaries entered the so-called Venditiones tacitae.


Since this is one of the few series in which women were mentioned, the series is very important for the genealogical reconstruction of Jewish families, as well as for further attempts to analyse the connections and relationships of Jewish people made through marriages. Approximately seventy agreements referencing Jewish people can be found in the volumes 16-22 (1627-1811) of this series. The records provide the following information: name and surname of the husband and wife, name of the father of the wife (or, sometimes, of the father of the husband), total amount of the dowry and total amount of the husband's dowry adding (tosefet), and name of the person who paid the dowry. The dowry was usually paid by the wife's father, and sometimes by the brother or the mother. The record most often would follow the following template in Latin: Ego Isak Danielis Tolentino Haebreus confiteor, quod super me, et omnia mea bona habui, et recepi pro dote, et parchivio Judittae meae conjugis filiae Abram Tolentino tempore mei matrimonii a dicto Abram Tolentino meo sexoce ducat. 40 per ducato in pecunia numerata mihi dante, et solvente pro dote, et parchivio prefatis. Quam quidem dotem habui, et recepi secundum ordinem, et consuetudinem Rhacusii. Haec autem cartha nullo testimonio rumpi possit (vol. 22, f. 5v, 1804). Most records in the series reference to members of indigenous Dubrovnik Jewish families such as Levi Mandolfo, Luzzena, Tolentino, Valenzin. The records do not contain any details on the content of the dowry concerned. This information can be found in translations of Ketubahs, which are registered in the Diversa de foris series (HR-DADU-30.2) and in the Diversa Notariae fonds (HR-DADU-9). A tergo of the books of this series (Venditiones tacitae) there are records on credit business, insurance business and other types of money transactions, in which other references of the Jewish people from Dubrovnik can be retrieved.

Pacta matrimonialia (Marriage contracts)

There are no references to Jewish people in the series.
The records that are related to marriage contracts and dowry agreements were initially entered in the books of the Diversa Cancellariae (HR-DADU-15) and Diversa Notariae (HR-DADU-9) fonds. Since the middle of the 14th century, these contracts began to be entered in special books belonging to this series. The series consists of various registers with marriage contracts, or letters of engagements, in which a commitment to provide dowry and define what would be given as dowry was stated. According to the data, Jewish people who wanted to register Ketubahs in notarial and chancellery books of the Republic, would first have them translated into Italian. Most Ketubahs were registered in the Diversa de foris series (HR-DADU-30.2) and in the Diversa Notariae fund (HR-DADU-9).

Leges et instructiones; Leggi e istruzioni (Books of laws and regulations of the Dubrovnik Republic)

The series is very important for the research of the legal history of the Dubrovnik Republic. It consists of several transcripts of the basic Dubrovnik legal codes, or more precisely, the Statute from 1272, Liber omnium reformationum (1335-1410), Liber viridis (1358-1460) and Liber croceus (1460-1803). A Dubrovnik nobleman, Frano Gondola (1539-1589) composed indexes for these basic collections of regulations. He made sure that each provision is followed by a brief description and definitions of less familiar terms. Gondola's work has contributed significantly to easier referencing and interpretation of the law in general. The series also contains other books of laws that were created based on the previously mentioned codes as well as collections of decisions from judicial and administrative practice. It also contains various indexes for series and fonds such as Acta Consilii Rogatorum (HR-DADU-3.1), Sententiae Cancellariae (HR-DADU-18), Diversa Cancellariae (HR-DADU-15), Diversa Notariae (HR -DADU-9), Diversa de Foris (HR-DADU-30.1).


Jewish people are mentioned in the series only occasionally. In the book Index sive regestum Partium Consilii Rogatorum, rpbl. Ragusinae ab. A 1407 us. ad a. 1601, there are three entries on the decisions of the Senate on the dwelling of the Jews inside the city walls (vol. 26, f. 81). The books Indice alfabetico delle sentenze and Index sententiarum present the words of an oath that Jews were required to take when testifying in court (vol. 18, f. 53; vol. 42, f. 35). In the book Compendio di tutte le sentenze e giudicati in ogni materia, in forma d'indice raccolte da me D. Antonio Damiano Ohmuchievich, the text of this oath in Latin was published in two places (vol. 45, f. 121-122, 124 -125).

Venditiones Cancellariae; Vendite Cancellarie (Sale agreements registered at the Chancellery)

The fonds contains data on purchase and sale transactions of real and personal property, such as land, houses, estates, ships, dowries, in the period from the middle of the 13th century to the beginning of the 19th century. The fonds is very important for the research and study of the topographic image of the city of Dubrovnik in that period, the development of urban planning, as well as for the research on trade of living quarters and buildings.


Scarce data available on Jewish people contained in the fonds reveal that in the second half of the 18th century Jews began to buy and sell real estate, i.e., houses that were mostly located near the ghetto, the exception being Abram David Maestro, who at the end of 1641 bought two houses in the street Lučarica, and two years later sold them to two Dubrovnik noblemen. Real estate purchases increased in the 80s of the 18th centuries so much that in 1799 the Senate decided that a Jew who owned several houses could keep only one and should sell the others. Members of Ragusan Jewish families Ambonetti, Coen, Costantini, Janni, Levi Mandolfo, Maestro, Pardo, Russo, Terni (i.e., vol. 135, ff. 180-181) are referenced in this fonds as both: buyers and sellers of houses. In accordance with the regulations of that time concerning the sale of real estate, apart from the name of the seller of the real estate in the document there is also a written consent of the members of his family. Therefore, next to the names of Jewish house-sellers are either the personal names of their wives, sons, and daughters, or the names of their legal guardians.

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