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Lamenta de criminali sive Libri maleficiorum (Books of criminal complaints)

There is no reference to Jewish people in the series.
The series consists of registers of criminal cases from the mid-14th century to the mid-15th century, kept by the Curia Maior and Curia Minor (the Criminal Court was established in 1459). The oldest criminal cases are recorded in individual documents, while registers for criminal cases (Libri maleficiorum or Libri de maleficiis) had begun to be kept even before 1279. The data show that criminal proceedings were entered in the series Lamenta de criminali sive Libri maleficiorum for crimes committed in the entire area of the Dubrovnik commune.

Lamenta de criminali (Criminal complaints)

The series contains registers of criminal cases recorded during the period of five years in the 15th and 16th centuries. Criminal cases mainly relate to physical violence, murder, verbal violence, and property crimes. Each case consists of a lawsuit filed by a private person or by the state (ex officio). Witnesses are listed in the case and, if necessary, their written testimonies are also added. It is a characteristic of the Dubrovnik Criminal Court that it rarely rendered judgements, most likely because most disputes were settled in conciliation of the warring parties. The mark "fatta" entered on the margins of the documents indicates that a judgment was pronounced. Some judgements (legal decisions) were written at the end of the case, and, in most cases, judgements were registered in special books kept in the fonds Criminalia (HR-DADU-23).


The series Lamenta de criminali is a first-rank source for the research of everyday life of the Dubrovnik Jewish community in the broadest sense of the word. Also, the archival material provides an opportunity to analyse the relations of Dubrovnik Jews with both: their fellow citizens and the authorities of the Republic. The series does not contain a lot of documents, and there are approximately twenty references to Jewish people. The most notable Jews referenced in the series are Isaac Ergas, the representative of Gracia Mendes, who, according to the records, was very prone to conflict, and Isaac, the son of a surgeon Abraham. The data show that Isaac, the son of Abraham, sued Isaac Ergas in 1575 for repeatedly insulting him, having stated Didacus Pyrrhus as a witness (vol. 4, f. 32). According to the records, conflicts over the performance of religious rites, especially in the 16th century, were one of the characteristics of Dubrovnik's Jewish community. In this sense, there is a very interesting record dating to 1575, which describes in Latin a conflict over the manner of ritual slaughter of chickens: Graciadio hebreo di Ghetto fa querella contra et ad. Salamon hebreo di Ghetto dicendo, che hoggi havingndo in la mano un polastro, et volendo quello amazarlo, all'usanza di hebrei, dissi a esso Salamon che lo dovesse tenir cosci, et lui di subito mi dette molti pugni, poi mi prendi per la testa, con quella dette nel muro, rupendomele in la orechia sinistra, effusione di sangue, mostrando il capo tutto insanguinato ...; Testes: Hebrew venture; Iacob hebreo (vol. 4, f. 141).

Lamenta de criminali post terraemotum (Criminal charges after the earthquake in 1667)

The series contains registers of criminal cases recorded during the period of five years of the 15th and 16th centuries. Criminal cases mainly relate to physical violence, murder, verbal violence, and property crimes. Each case consists of a lawsuit filed by a private person or by the state (ex officio). Witnesses are listed in the case and, if necessary, their written testimonies are also added. It is a characteristic of the Dubrovnik Criminal Court that it rarely pronounced verdicts, most likely because most disputes were settled in conciliation of the warring parties. The mark "fatta" entered on the margins of the documents indicates that a judgment was pronounced. Some verdicts were written at the end of the case, and in most cases the verdicts were registered in special books kept in the fonds Criminalia (HR-DADU-23).


The series Lamenta de criminali post terraemotum is a first-rank source for researching everyday life of the Dubrovnik Jewish community in the broadest sense of the word. The archival material also provides an opportunity to analyse the relations of Dubrovnik Jews with both: their fellow citizens and the authorities of the Republic. In total, there are about 600 cases in which Jewish people are referenced to in the role of prosecutors, defendants, or witnesses, which is about 2% of the total number of cases recorded in this series. The members of eleven large Dubrovnik Jewish families dominate (Ambonetti, Campos, Fermo, Levi Mandolfo, Luzzena, Maestro, Pardo, Russo, Terni, Valenzin, Vitali). A catalogue of litigations belonging to this series related to Jews (1667-1805) was compiled in 2016. Disputes are presented in a precisely defined form with the following information: date of the lawsuit, name of the plaintiff, name of the defendant, type of crime, place and date of the crime, verdict, and archival signature.

Lamenta de intus (Criminal charges concerning offences committed in the city of Dubrovnik)

Criminal cases were initially tried by Curia Maior and Curia Minor, and from 1459 by the Criminal Court. Registers for criminal offenses of the fonds Lamenta de intus began to be kept systematically around 1440. Although the purpose of these registers was to record crimes committed inside the city walls, the registers also contain documents on crimes committed in the suburbs of the city. Records are generally very short, dating from the early 15th century to the 1770s. Each case consists of a lawsuit initiated by a private person or the state authorities (ex officio), the names of witnesses and, if necessary, their written testimonies. The records in this series mainly relate to cases of physical violence, verbal violence, and property crimes. It is characteristic of the Dubrovnik Criminal Court that it rarely rendered judgements, most likely because most disputes ended in conciliation of the warring parties. Some of the judgements and/or legal decisions were recorded at the end of the case, and some were entered in special books of the Criminalia Fonds (HR-DADU-23). Not all judgments have been preserved for the period before 1667.


The series abounds with information about Jews who came to Dubrovnik from the Apennine Peninsula and from the area of the Ottoman Empire. Overall, the series is a first-rate source for exploring all aspects of the daily life of the Jewish community in Dubrovnik in the 16th century. The archival material also provides an excellent opportunity to analyse the relations of Dubrovnik Jews with their fellow citizens and the city authorities. Another characteristic of this series is that it also provides a large amount of information about converts who came to Dubrovnik from Italian cities and reconverted to their original religion in Dubrovnik. For example, Moshe Sarfatin (Michele Mondego Vas) and his son Jacob (Diego Mondego Vas), Moshe Currier (Duarte Cardoso), Joseph Mocenigo, Leon Mazaod (Pietro de Silva) and his son Joseph (Orlando de Silva) are referenced in this series. In addition, the series provides information about Jewish people who converted to Catholic faith in Dubrovnik, and the most famous among them is Isac Abravanel (Stjepan Abravanel). The name of Didacus Pyrrhus, who repeatedly appears as a witness to various conflicts among the Jews, is worth noting as another significant figure in the Sephardic history (e.g., vol. 107, f. 152). This series records information about the only murder committed by a Jew during the time of the Dubrovnik Republic. The data show that the case is about a convert named Benvenisti Nasci (Isac son of Abraham) from Ferrara, who in 1570 killed another convert Menachem Maraz (vol. 109, ff. 250v-251v). The series also includes fragments of an investigation against a physician from Dubrovnik Moshe Maralio, accused in 1502 of the ritual murder of an old Ragusan woman (vol. 45, ff. 27v-28v). There are many references to Jewish families whose members lived both in Dubrovnik and in various Italian and Ottoman cities (e.g., Abeatar, Abuaf, Amadio, Bensassen, Cabiglio, Camargo, Cidi, Cohen, Cussi, Danon, Esperiel, Formon, Gaon, Lanciano, Levi, Lindo, Maestro, Mazaod, Miranda, Moschato, Oef, Pappo, Pardo, Salama, Sarfatin, Toby).

Lamenta de foris (Criminal charges concerning offences committed outside of the city of Dubrovnik)

  • HR-DADU-21-HR-DADU-21.2
  • Series
  • 1370-1373, 1410-1414, 1419-1430, 1432-1434, 1436, 1438-1451, 1453-1462, 1464-1476, 1480, 1482-1483, 1487-1489, 1491-1499, 1501-1524, 1526-1539, 1541-1542, 1544-1556, 1558-1565, 1567-1573, 1576-1581, 1583-1584, 1587-1591, 1597-1598
  • Part of Lamenta de criminali (Legal complaints concerning criminal offences)

There are no references to Jewish people in the series.
Criminal cases were initially tried by Curia Maior and Curia Minor and, starting with 1459, by the Criminal Court. Already around 1412, lawsuits began to be filed separately for acts committed outside the city walls. This is how the Lamenta de foris series originated. Each record consists of data on a lawsuit initiated by a private person or the state (ex officio). Witnesses are listed and, if necessary, their written testimonies are also added. The records in this series date from the period of the 70s in the 14th century to the end of the 16th century. The records relate to acts committed outside the city walls, as well as those committed outside the territory of the Dubrovnik Republic (if the victim or the perpetrator was a citizen of the Republic). Unlike the records for crimes committed inside the city walls, in the records of the fonds Lamenta de foris crimes such as theft and other property crimes prevail.

Lamenta de intus et de foris (Legal complaints concerning criminal offences committed inside and outside Dubrovnik city walls)

In addition to the registers Lamenta de intus (HR-DADU-21.1) and Lamenta de foris (HR-DADU-21.2), registers of this fonds were also kept, containing lawsuits for criminal offenses committed inside and outside the city walls, that were recorded in the period from the 70s of the 14th centuries, to the 70s of the 17th centuries. Criminal cases were initially tried by Curia Maior and Curia Minor and, from 1459, by the Criminal Court. The entries in the documents of the fonds consist of a lawsuit initiated by a private person or the state (ex officio). Witnesses were listed and, if necessary, their written testimonies were also added. The records in this series mainly relate to cases of physical violence, verbal violence, and property crimes. It is characteristic of the Dubrovnik Criminal Court that it rarely rendered judgements, most likely because most disputes terminated with conciliation of the warring parties. Some of the judgements were recorded at the end of the case, and some were entered in special books in the Criminalia Fonds (HR-DADU-23). Not all legal decisions or judgements had been preserved for the period before 1667.


Similar to the series Lamenta de intus (HR-DADU-21.1), this series provides abundant information about Jews who came to Dubrovnik from the Apennine Peninsula and from the areas of the Ottoman Empire. It is an excellent source for researching all aspects of everyday life of the Dubrovnik Jewish community in the 16th century. It also provides an opportunity to researchers to analyse the relations of Dubrovnik Jews with both: their fellow citizens and the city authorities. As for significant figures in Sephardic history, it should be noted that the series mentions Abraham Coen de Herrera and his father David Coen de Herrera (vol. 16, f. 253v; vol. 17, f. 127). There are many references to Jewish families the members of which lived both in Dubrovnik and in Italian and Ottoman cities (e.g., Abeatar, Abravanel, Abuaf, Albachari, Alfarin, Amadio, Bencastiel, Benmaior, Bensassen, Cabiglio, Camargo, Celebi, Cidi, Coduto, Cohen, Criado, Cussi, Danon, Ergas, Esperiel, Formon, Gaon, Israel, Lanciano, Levi, Lindo, Maestro, Mazaod, Melle, Membre, Miranda, Moschato, Nahmias, Oef, Pappo, Pardo, Salama, Sarfatin, Tobi , Trigo, Trincha, Valenzin).

Intentiones Cancellariae; Intentiones de Cancellaria (Court applications submitted to the Chancellery and first depositions in civil litigations)

  • HR-DADU-22
  • Fonds
  • 1380-1383, 1457-1459, 1574-1576, 1568-1569, 1581-1583, 1601-1603, 1605-1815

The fonds contains registers with letters of applications and first statements in civil litigations dating to the 80s of the 14th century, mid-15th century and those dating to the period between the 70s of the 16th century and the beginning of the 19th century, which were first settled by Curia maior and Curia minor, and then by civilian judges (consuls). The data show that in the 13th and 14th centuries, civil and criminal cases were settled by Curia Maior and Curia Minor (for disputes worth up to 5 perpers), two legal bodies that consisted of members of the Minor Council (iudices). The central position in the judicial council until the 15th century was held by the Rector. The Civil Court was established in 1416, and initially there were six judges, and later their number decreased. The most common topics of litigations are found to be disagreements over the payment of rents, rental of real estate, arable land and other land, or disagreements over construction and remodelling, division of property, loans, etc. If it was deemed necessary, the proceedings would continue with a further examination of prosecutors, defendants, and witnesses. The statements in real estate litigations were entered in the Stabilia books (HR-DADU-25), and those related to litigations on movable property were entered in the books Mobilia (HR-DADU-26).


The fonds contains significantly less information about Jews if compared to the records of the Criminal Court. The data of the fonds are important for researching business affairs of Jewish people both in Dubrovnik, and in the Ottoman Empire, as well as in the countries of the Apennine Peninsula. The topic matters of the applications are mostly unpaid debts and trade disputes, or problems with the delivery of trade goods to Dubrovnik and their shipment to Italian ports. The fonds contains some references to Jewish women, widows, and fatherless girls. These women would defend their rights and their property, most usually from other family members such as their male in-laws, in person, or through their guardians (i.e., vol. 60, ff. 90v-91v). The fonds contains data on famous figures from Jewish history such as Isac Ergas, who was the business representative for Gracia Mendes and conducted all her affairs in Dubrovnik, as well as his brother Samuel, and Abraham Coen de Herrera and his brother Jacob Coen de Herrera (i.e., vol. 13, f. 161). The data of the fonds mainly reference to Jews who were living in Dubrovnik and belonged to families Abeatar, Abenun, Abuaff, Almoslino, Altarac, Ambonetti, Arari, Azubi, Bensahen, Campos, Cittanova, Coen, Costantini, Danon, Esperiel, Fermo, Franco, Gaon, Israel, Lanciano, Levi, Levi Mandolfo, Luzzena, Maestro, Miranda, Oef (Ohev), Pappo, Pardo, Penso, Piade, Ribero, Russo, Salama, Saralvo, Sarfatin, Terni, Tobi, Tolentino, Valenzin, Vitali. The fonds could also be important to a certain extent for the reconstruction of the Jewish business network in the Balkans and the Mediterranean since the names of Jewish merchants from Italian and Ottoman cities are occasionally referenced to in the Civil Court proceedings. The members of families like Zonana, or Benvenisti and Galante from Sofia, Maestro and Tobi from Belgrade, or Franco and Pappo from Venice are also referenced in the fonds.

Chancellery of the Dubrovnik Republic

Criminalia (Criminal convictions)

  • HR-DADU-23
  • Fonds
  • 15th century - 19th century

The fonds consists of registers of criminal convictions of the Criminal Court (established in 1459) and the accompanying alphabetical indexes and covers the period from the 15th century to the beginning of the 19th century. Criminal convictions reached after 1667 have been fully preserved, and those of earlier times have been preserved partially. Usually, at the end of each conviction there is a reference code of the corresponding lawsuit and investigation procedure, which were entered in the registers of Lamenta Criminalia (HR-DADU-20) and Lamenta de criminali (HR-DADU-21). As a result, it is much easier to get information about complete court proceedings: from filing a lawsuit to reaching a judgement. It is a characteristic of the Dubrovnik Criminal Court that it rarely rendered judgements, most likely because most disputes ended in conciliation of the warring parties.


The fact that the Criminal Court rarely rendered judegements is also visible in cases involving Jewish people. An analysis of criminal cases in which Jews appear either in the role of prosecutors or defendants has provided the following outcome: the percentage of convictions in lawsuits where Jews would sue other Jews and the percentage in lawsuits where Jews would sue other non-Jewish citizens is almost identical (7.64% and 7.83%). The percentage of final verdicts in lawsuits of non-Jewish citizens against Jews is slightly higher (10.52%). As expected, the highest percentage of verdicts is in lawsuits rendered ex officio (27.90%). In most verdicts, the sentence was imprisonment or a fine and the convict often had the right to choose between two options. In addition to some prison sentences and fines, there is also a reference to one penal labour case, several cases of corporal punishments, or cases of public humiliation, which were reached in cases of theft and fornication (e.g., vol. 5, f. 119). In the history of the Dubrovnik Republic, there is only one record to death penalty pronounced to Jewish people. This is the case of a convert named Benvenisti Nasci (Isaac, the son of Abraham) from Ferrara, a cousin of the famous Joseph Nassi, who was sentenced to death in 1571 for murder of a convert Menachem Maraz (vol. 20, ff. 90, 90v). The fonds mostly references to some members of Dubrovnik Jewish families such as Ambonetti, Angeli, Ascoli, Asser, Baraffael, Bueno, Campos, Cohen, Costantini, Fermo, Forte, Janni, Levi, Levi Mandolfo, Luzzena, Maestro, Pardo, Penso, Russo, Terni, Tolentino, Valenzin, Vitali, Volterra.

Chancellery and the Judicial Office of the Dubrovnik Republic

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