(GERMANY).

Comprehensive collection of commercial and general laws pertaining to the city of Leipzig mainly during the reign of Johann Georg III(1647-1691), elector of Saxony from 1680-91. Kauf und Handels-Recht (1683) contains twelve commercial decrees concerning various aspect of trading, including handling of bills of exchange, legal aspects, transportation, trading of special goods, etc. Der Stadt Leipzig Ordnungen (1701) contains seventy-six general decrees related mainly to trading but also general municipal laws such as regulations relating to slaughtering, police and fire regulations, etc. Included in both of these volumes is the Leipziger Judenordnung of 1682, which is comprised of twenty-three sections (1683, pp. 127-32; 1701, pp. 133-38). Among the general rules in Der Stadt Leipzig Ordnungen (1701) are two additional regulations pertaining to Jews (pp. 73-74, 143-44): For example, prohibition to trade on Sundays or on Christian holidays; they may not situate their shops facing the street; when they engage in bills of exchange with Christians they are obliged to bring the money to their Christian counterpart, etc. Leipzig had long been known as a place of commerce. First documented in 1015 and endowed with city and market privileges in 1165, Leipzig fundamentally shaped the history of Saxony and of Germany. The Leipzig trade fair, which began in the Middle Ages, was an event of international importance and is the oldest remaining trade fair in the world. During the reign of Johann Georg III, the duchy of Saxony had recovered from the consequences of the Thirty Years’ War and trade once again thrived. Jews participated actively in this trade.