Jewish Diplomacy during the Revolt in Dutch Brazil, 1645-1654 | Amsterdam University Press Journals Online
2004
Volume 49, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 1781-7838
  • E-ISSN: 1783-1792

Abstract

Abstract

Historians have rarely studied early modern Jewish diplomacy, of which Jewish petitioning was a part. They hypothesize that early modern antisemitism and their minority status as a group without its own state prevented early modern Jewish communities from having any form of political power. However, according to historian David Biale, a typical example of ‘Jewish power’ is Jewish influence on political policy. This article demonstrates that the Jewish community used petitions directed at the city government of Amsterdam, the provincial states, and the . Their arguments were based on economics, legal precedent, loyalty, and the narrative of exile. As I show, these rhetorical techniques were successful.

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