Jewish migration in Central Europe during the Transition from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period.
Abstract
This study focuses on the migration of the Jewish population in Central Europe in the 2nd half of the 15th century and in the 16th century. It provides a description of the reasons, which forced individuals and entire communities to leave their homes in the second half of the 15th century and in the 16th century and look for a new place to live.
The wave of expulsion that affected the Jewish community in the expansive Holy Roman Empire during the 15th century led to Jews arriving in the Czech Lands, and in particular in the largest Jewish community, in Prague. However, the situation in the Czech lands was not entirely stable either, and the local Jews were exposed to several attempts to force them out, and indeed actual expulsion, during the 16th century.
The study analyzes the political and economic background of these expulsions and explains several waves of Jewish migration to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth area.