Gli ebrei alle fiere del Regno di Napoli dopo l’espulsione del 1541

Abstract

The Jews at the fairs of the Kingdom of Naples after the expulsion of 1541

The study results from the examination of a manuscript copy of a file once preserved in the archives of the Royal Chamber of Sommaria in Naples but subsequently destroyed during the Second World War. The copy was made between the end of the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th century at the request of the Apulian scholar of homeland history Giovanni Beltrani (1848-1932); presently, it is held at the Metropolitan Library “De Gemmis” in Bari. The document relates to the petition sent to Naples in around 1580 by the Archbishop of Trani to authorize the Jews to be able to participate in the city fairs, as had already been granted to the cities of Lucera and Lanciano in the Abruzzi. It also publishes a previously unknown document from the Sommaria containing further information about previous measures taken by the Viceroys, thus confirming what was declared by the Archbishop of Trani regarding the Lucera and Lanciano fairs.