Detailed
Description |
|
The first regulation (no. 17662) from April 25, 1788 stipulates that the last will of a Jew needs to be written in German, last wills of testators who are still alive have to be changed. The second regulation (No. 18364) from May 2, 1788, intends to intensify strict controls for foreigners, especially for foreign traveling Jews. The cause is several cases of arson of magazines and storage facilities. The regulations are "signed" by Count Zichy (Karl Graf Zichy), the Austrian-Hungarian minister of Finance.
Most of Hungary came under Hapsburg rule by the beginning of the 18th century. At this time a movement of Jewish migration began, marking the formation of Hungarian Jewry of the modern era. The census of 1735 enumerated 11,600 Jews (in reality, their numbers were far greater) of whom only a few were born in Hungary, while the majority had come from Moravia and the minority from Poland. Most of the Jews were peddlers and small tradesmen. Because of the hostility of the townsmen, most of them lived in the villages. During the reign of Maria Theresa (1740–80) the situation of the Jews deteriorated. In 1744 an annual "tolerance tax" of 20,000 guilders was levied on them. It was gradually increased, until it amounted to an annual sum of 160,000 guilders at the beginning of the 19th century. The reign of Joseph II brought some improvements. In 1783 Jews were authorized to settle in the royal cities. There were 81,000 Jews in Hungary in 1787. |
