Abraham of Bohemia

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Abraham ben Moses Jaffe of Bohemia, also known by his Latin name Abraham Judaeus Bohemus, was a prominent Jewish banker, tax collector, moneylender, and court official in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He later moved to Poland and served as the Prefect of the Council of Four Lands from 1514 to 1518.

Biography in simple terms
- Origins: He was born in the mid-1400s in Prague, Bohemia. His father was Moses Jaffe of Bologna, a Polish rabbi, and his mother was Margolioth bat Samuel HaLevi, a highly learned woman. Through his family, he had notable scholarly ancestors.
- Early wealth: Abraham built up a large fortune and loaned money to rulers, including King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.
- Move to Poland: Around 1495 he moved to Kazimierz (Kraków), Poland. There he became a banker for Alexander Jagiellon and later for King Sigismund I of Poland, forming close ties with the Polish rulers.
- Official duties: In 1512, King Sigismund appointed Abraham as prefect over Polish Jews to collect the Jewish poll tax from communities in Great Poland and Mazovia, and from 1514 also in Lesser Poland. He carried out this duty until 1518. He also ran a trading post in Lwówek Śląski, owning a house in Kraków’s Jewish quarter given to him by the king.
- Conflicts and privileges: Abraham’s growing power caused friction with the Kraków authorities and local Jewish communities. At one point, Krakow’s Jewish leaders were ordered to pay him 200 florins to defend them against accusations. The king attempted to protect his privileges, and the Jewish community had to respect his authorities. Abraham paid an annual personal tax of 20 ducats.
- Change in status: In 1518, with the help of Emperor Maximilian, Sigismund removed Abraham from the jurisdiction of the Council of Four Lands, freed him from taxes enjoyed by other Jews, and allowed him freedom of commerce and banking across Poland.
- Later life and death: In 1533, Sigismund transferred Abraham from royal officials to the authority of Queen Bona Sforza. Near the end of his life, Abraham moved to Lwów (Lviv) in Poland and died there around 1535.

Significance
- Abraham was a powerful example of a 16th-century Bohemian Jewish banker who became a key royal official in Poland. As a Court Jew and chief tax collector for Polish Jewry, he played a major role in the finances and governance of Jewish communities under the Polish crown during his time.