Pope Eugenius IV and Jewish money-lending in Florence: the case of Salomone di Bonaventura during the Chancellorship of Leonardo Bruni.

The prosecution of the Jewish money-lender Salomone di Bonaventura during the Medici era of Florence is an example of the tenuous position held by Jews in the eyes of Florentine law. Florentine law had expressly forbidden Jews to act as money-lenders, but an alteration of the law allowed Jews to work as bankers on a contractual basis starting in 1437. Continually strong ties between a Christian church and state, however, kept this from being seen as anything but a necessary evil to civic leaders. Jews could practice banking, but only so long as Florentine leaders felt that a Jewish banking industry was necessary for city growth. When the city coffers were low, bankers such as Bonaventura ...

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