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Mobilia (Testimonies in civil disputes concerning movable property)

  • HR-DADU-26
  • Fonds
  • 1471, 1475-1476, 1478-1479, 1482-1483, 1486, 1488-1490, 1492, 1495-1497, 1502, 1504-1507, 1509-1519, 1523, 1529, 1549, 1573-1575, 1577-1578, 1580-1581, 1585, 1587-1589, 1591, 1594, 1599, 1601-1815

Lawsuits in the civil court and the first testimonies of plaintiffs, defendants and witnesses were registered in the books of the fonds Intentiones Cancellariae (HR-DADU-22). If it was deemed necessary, the Civil Court would continue with the court proceedings by hearing prosecutors, defendants, and witnesses. If these were movable property proceedings, the hearings would be then recorded in the volumes of this fonds, which covers the period from the 70s of the 15th centuries to the beginning of the 19th century. The books in the fonds are divided in two parts: Mobilia ordinaria and Mobilia extraordinaria. If the proceedings were terminated by reaching a verdict, the information about the verdict was recorded on the margins. Using this system, it is easy to find a specific court judgement in the fonds of judgments of the Civil Court (Sententiae Cancellariae; HR-DADU-18).


The fonds is important for the research of the business life of Dubrovnik Jews and the types of their business cooperation with their Christian fellow citizens. The fonds contains data on some famous people in Jewish history, such as Isac Ergas (the business representative of Gracia Mendes in Dubrovnik), Isaac's brother Samuel, and Jacob Coen de Herrera (the brother of Abraham Coen de Herrera). The data of the fonds mainly relate to Jews who were living in Dubrovnik, and belonged to families such as 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. To a certain extent, this fonds can also be seen as relevant for the historical reconstruction of Jewish business and trading network in the Balkans and the Mediterranean, since the names of Jewish merchants from Italian and Ottoman cities, such as the Penso family from Venice and Adagno and Baruch from Belgrade, occasionally are referenced to in the Civil Court proceedings and documents (i.e., vol. 54, f. 5v).

Chancellery and the Judicial Office of the Dubrovnik Republic

Stabilia (Testimonies in civil disputes concerning real estate)

  • HR-DADU-25
  • Fonds
  • 1465, 1470, 1472, 1475-1480, 1482-1499, 1503-1510, 1520-1522, 1529-1530, 1535, 1537-1538, 1543-1545, 1570-1573, 1575-1577, 1581-1583, 1586-1587, 1589, 1591, 1593, 1597, 1600, 1602-1604, 1607-1815

The lawsuits addressed to the Civil Court and the first statements of plaintiffs, defendants and witnesses were registered in the volumes of the fonds Intentiones Cancellariae (HR-DADU-22). If it was deemed necessary, the Civil Court would continue with the proceedings by hearing prosecutors, defendants, and witnesses. If these were real estate proceedings, the hearings would be then recorded in the books of this fonds, which covers the period from the mid-15th century to the early 19th century. The volumes of this fonds consist of two parts: Stabilia ordinaria and Stabilia extraordinaria. Some proceedings were terminated with a final verdict. The date of the verdict and the page number of the sheet of paper on which the verdict was entered, are noted on the margins of the document. This procedure makes it easier to find the actual judgement in the fonds of the civil court sentences (Sententiae Cancellariae; HR-DADU-18).


There is very little reference to Jewish people in this fonds. Nevertheless, the references found are still significant since, according to these references, Jews also acted asrepresentatives of Christian defendants. For example, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Ruben Vita Ambonetti repeatedly appeared as a representative of a sea captain Bartul Pezer (e.g., vol. 235, ff. 17v-19v).

Chancellery of the Dubrovnik Republic

Diversa et possessio de criminalibus; Diversi e possesso di criminale (Various disputes and disputes over possession)

  • HR-DADU-24
  • Fonds
  • 1513-1526, 1543-1550, 1570-1577, 1581-1586, 1592-1596, 1609-1611, 1615-1627, 1634-1636, 1642-1815

From the 70s of the 16th centuries, the Criminal Court (established in 1459) began to systematically keep the registers Diversa et possessio de criminalibus and they were kept until the beginning of the 19th century. The registers contain court decisions made in accordance with the request submitted by the plaintiff, and sometimes ex officio. The fonds is characterized by decisions in which the court forbade the defendant to communicate with the plaintiff, either in person or through an intermediary, either by actions or with words (Ital. né per sé, né per interposte persone, né in fatti, né in parole), which was done to prevent escalation of the conflict. Until the judgement was publicly announced, the court would often confiscate disputed items or documents from the defendants. These facts were also recorded in the volumes of this fonds.


The fonds contains a large variety of information about Jews. The research shows that in slightly more than one third of the recorded cases the content of the documents indicates the existence of court prohibition of the communication between a defendant and a plaintiff. These decisions were made in equal numbers at the request of Jews against Jews, or at the request of Jews against other non-Jewish citizens. Also, the fonds contains orders for the eviction of tenants, bans of activities which could cause any damage to neighbour, bans on construction work and orders to maintain peace and order in the Jewish community. The fonds also contains lawsuits for physical and verbal violence. If the defendant did not comply with the court decision registered in the fonds Diversi e Possesso de Criminale, the plaintiff could sue the defendant again in regular proceedings by invoking that decision. Some notable Jewish people who are referenced to in this fonds are: Didacus Pyrrhus, David Coen de Herrera - father of Abraham Coen de Herrera, Zvi Esconasi, a famous rabbi of the Ashkenazi Jewish community in Amsterdam, who also was a rabbi in Sarajevo for a certain period (c. 1686- c. 1697) (vol. 19, f. 220v). The fonds also contains the will of Samson from the Peloponnese, which he registered in Dubrovnik in 1571 (vol. 4, f. 16). Generally, the fonds mainly references to members of Dubrovnik Jewish families such as: Abenun, Ambonetti, Angiolo, Asser, Azubi, Baruch, Bencastiel, Bensassen, Bueno, Campos, Chabiglio, Cohen, Costantini, Ergas, Esperiel, Fermo, Franco, Israel, Janni, Levi Mandolfo, Lima, Luzzena, Maestro, Miranda, Nahmias, Oef, Pappo, Pardo, Penso, Russo, Salama, Saralvo, Terni, Tolentino, Valenzin, Vitali, Volterra.

Chancellery and the Judicial Office 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

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

Lamenta politica; Lamenti politici (Political disputes)

  • HR-DADU-19
  • Fonds
  • 1312-1313, 1417-1419, 1441, 1537-1544, 1547-1563, 1570

The fonds mainly contains data on court cases with topics that could be potentially sensitive or even dangerous for the stability of the Republic, and which were the responsibility of the Minor Council. Some of these cases thus reference to investigations led against local people who, together with Uskoci, plundered the neighbouring areas under the Ottoman rule, or to investigations against those who would spy for foreign countries. This fonds also contains documents that are not of a political nature, such as, e.g., wine smuggling, quarrels, insults, and physical confrontations.


There is very little reference to Jewish people in the fonds. Some references can be found in a lawsuit and a related investigation against a sea captain from the Republic who in 1547 attempted to kill some Jewish merchants on his ship (vol. 5, f. 13), and another reference found is in a reported conflict from 1550 between a Dubrovnik physician Isaac and other Dubrovnik physicians (vol. 5, f. 164).

Josip Gelčić (1849-1925)

Sententiae Cancellariae (Judgments of the Chancellery)

  • HR-DADU-18
  • Fonds
  • 1352, 1376, 1388-1406, 1414-1811, 1814-1815

The fonds contains the judgments of the judicial councils Curia maior and Curia minor as well as those rendered by civil judges (consuls) in the period from the mid-14th century to the early 19th century. In fact, in the 13th and the 14th centuries, civil and criminal cases were handled by the judicial councils Curia maior and Curia minor (for disputes worth up to 5 perpers). The members of these councils would be elected from the Minor Council (Lat. iudices). The Rector held the central position in the judicial council until the 15th century. While the Civil Court was established in 1416, initially there were six judges who presided, but their number later increased. The fonds provides information relevant for the research of the professional lives and business affairs of Dubrovnik Jewish people as well as of their business relationships with their Christian fellow citizens. It also preserves data on some famous figures of Jewish history such as Isac Ergas (who acted as the representative of Gracia Mendes in Dubrovnik), Isaac's brother Samuel, and Jacob Coen de Herrera (the brother of Abraham Coen de Herrera) (e.g., vol. 184, f. 99). The data in the fonds mainly relate to Jews who were living in Dubrovnik at the time, and were members of Jewish families such as 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. To some extent, the fonds is also important 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 occasionally are referenced in the documents related to the affairs of the Civil Court.

Chancellery of the Dubrovnik Republic

Procurae Cancellariae; Procure de Cancellaria (Powers of attorney registered at the Chancellery)

  • HR-DADU-17
  • Fonds
  • 1470-1475, 1580-1815

The fonds contains books of various types of powers of attorney registered in the period from the 15th to the beginning of the 19th century, in which, in addition to citizens residing in the Dubrovnik Republic, citizens from other countries are also referenced either in a role of authorised proxies or principals. The topics of these documents are mainly related to the conduct of various types of business both in Dubrovnik and in other, foreign countries, mainly in the Ottoman Empire and in the countries of the Apennine Peninsula.


The fonds is very important for the reconstruction of the Jewish business network in the Mediterranean and the Balkans. There are many references to Jewish people in the fonds: some references relate to the Jews who lived in Dubrovnik at the time, while others relate to those from other countries. The data show that many of the powers of attorney that were registered at the Chancellery were written in various cities of the Ottoman Empire (Belgrade, Sarajevo) or Italy (Ancona, Venice). The main topics of these documents are the collection of debts, the conducting of business affairs, and the representation at in-court and out-of-court settlements of commercial disputes. To illustrate, the following is an example of a power of attorney signed by the principal and written in Hebrew letters. The document refers to a certain Jew by the name of Solomon Barelia from Belgrade who came to Dubrovnik in 1674 and, at the Chancellery, authorized Jakob Almoslino to collect debts for him in Dubrovnik, Ancona, Venice, and in other cities in Italy (vol. 59, ff. 194-195v). Principals would often give a so-called general power of attorney in which they would declare the people they authorised as their alter ego. It is important to point out that a significant number of Jewish women are also referenced to in this fonds, most often also in the function of principals or of those who gave a power of attorney to someone else. Judita Luzzena is one of the few women to appear as a proxy: her husband Samuel Luzzena declared her to be his alter ego in 1795 (vol. 82a, f. 173). References can be found in this fonds to some members of Dubrovnik Jewish families, such as Ambonetti, Campos, Cohen, Fermo, Levi Mandolfo, Luzzena, Maestro, Pappo, Pardo, Russo, Terni, Tolentino, Valenzin, Vitali; to some of their relatives who lived abroad; as well as to members of some other Jewish people from foreign countries, such as Barrafael, Bianchi, Della Tomba, Mucciaccio.

Chancellery of the Dubrovnik Republic

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