War against the Ottomans .281526.E2.80.931686.29 History of the Jews in Hungary

the ottomans vanquished hungarians @ battle of mohács (august 29, 1526), on occasion louis ii slain. when news of death reached capital, buda, court , nobles fled rich jews, among them prefect. when grand vizier, ibrahim pasha, preceding sultan suleiman i, arrived army @ buda, representatives of jews had remained in city appeared garbed in mourning before him, and, begging grace, handed him keys of deserted , unprotected castle in token of submission. sultan himself entered buda on september 11; , on september 22 decreed jews seized @ buda, esztergom, , elsewhere, more 2,000 in number, should distributed among cities of ottoman empire. sent constantinople, plevna (pleven) , sofia, maintained separate community several decades. in sofia, there existed 4 jewish communities in second half of 16th century: romaniote, ashkenazi, sephardi , ungarus . overflow of hungarian jews sofia settled in kavala later.

although ottoman army turned after battle, in 1541 again invaded hungary repel austrian attempt take buda. time ottoman army arrived, austrians defeated, ottomans seized buda ruse.

while of jews of hungary deported anatolia, others, had fled @ approach of sultan, sought refuge beyond frontier or in free royal towns of western hungary. widow of louis ii, queen regent maria, favored enemies of jews. citizens of sopron (Ödenburg) began hostilities expelling jews of city, confiscating property, , pillaging vacated houses , synagogue. city of pressburg (bratislava) received permission queen (october 9, 1526) expel jews living within territory, because had expressed intention of fleeing before turks. jews left pressburg on november 9.

on same day diet @ székesfehérvár opened, @ jános szapolyai (1526–1540) elected , crowned king in opposition ferdinand. during session decreed jews should expelled every part of country. zápolya, however, did not ratify these laws; , diet held @ pressburg in december 1526, @ ferdinand of habsburg chosen king (1526–1564), annulled decrees of of székesfehérvár, including zápolya s election king.

as lord of bösing (pezinok) in debt jews, blood accusation brought against these inconvenient creditors in 1529. although mendel, prefect, , jews throughout hungary protested, accused burned @ stake. centuries afterward jews forbidden live @ bösing. jews of nagyszombat (trnava) shared similar fate, being first punished alleged ritual murder , expelled city (february 19, 1539).

the jews living in parts of hungary occupied ottoman empire treated far better living under habsburgs. during periods of 1546-1590 , 1620–1680, community of ofen (buda) flourished.

the following table shows number of jewish jizya-tax paying heads of household in buda during ottomans rule:

at end of ottoman era, approximately 1 thousand jews living in buda worshipped in 3 synagogues: ashkenazi, sephardi , syrian one.

while ottomans held sway in hungary, jews of transylvania (at time independent principality) fared well. @ instance of abraham sassa, jewish physician of constantinople, prince gabriel bethlen of transylvania granted letter of privileges (june 18, 1623) spanish jews anatolia. community of judaizing szekler sabbatarians, had existed in transylvania since 1588, persecuted , driven underground in 1638.

on november 26, 1572, king maximilian ii (1563–1576) intended expel jews of pressburg (bratislava), stating edict recalled in case accepted christianity. jews, however, remained in city, without abandoning religion. in constant conflict citizens. on june 1, 1582 municipal council decreed no 1 should harbor jews, or transact business them. feeling against jews in part of country not under turkish rule shown decree of diet of 1578, effect jews taxed double amount imposed upon other citizens.

by article xv of law promulgated diet of 1630, jews forbidden take charge of customs; , decree confirmed diet of 1646 on ground jews excluded privileges of country, unbelievers, , had no conscience (veluti jurium regni incapaces, infideles, et nulla conscientia praediti). jews had pay special war-tax when imperial troops set out toward end of 16th century recapture buda ottomans. buda community suffered during siege, did of székesfehérvár when imperial troops took city in september 1601; many of members either slain or taken prisoner , sold slavery, redemption being subsequently effected german, italian, , ottoman jews. after conclusion of peace, jews helped bring about, communities in part reconstructed; further development in territory of habsburgs arrested when leopold (1657–1705) expelled jews (april 24, 1671). he, however, revoked decree few months later (august 20). during siege of vienna, in 1683, jews had returned city again maltreated. ottomans plundered communities in western hungary, , deported members slaves.