Benveniste de Porta
Encyclopedia
Benveniste de Porta was the Jewish batlle
of Barcelona
and a brother of Nahmanides
.
Benveniste was an important capitalist of Barcelona and advanced money to King Jaume I of Aragon, mainly on the security of the municipal dues owed to the king. Thus on 17 December 1257, he advanced 3,863 sou
s on the dues of his bailiwick
; and on the 15th of the following month he received the right to sell the dues of Barcelona and Girona
for two years. The total indebtedness of the king was no less than 199,483 sous, which Benveniste was allowed to recover by taking the dues of Lleida
and other places of his bailiwick. Part of the payment was made by the Jews of Barcelona themselves, who were ordered to hand over 12,000 sous to Benveniste.
Meanwhile the king continued his applications to Benveniste for funds, drawing a check on him for 5,000 sous on June 12, 1260; while two years later the king acknowledged his indebtedness to Benveniste of 15,221 sous for payment made on account of the Infanta Donna Joanna, on May 21, 1262. In return for the advance, the dues of Vilafranca
(ib. No. 205), as well as twenty squares of land there, and the dues of the Balearic Islands
and of Perpinyà, were granted to Benveniste. The latter continued to act as banker for the king, since a record is found of acknowledgment of a debt of 15,000 sous, paid by Benveniste to the bishop of Barcelona when proceeding on an embassy to France
on 1 January 1254; and as late as 1 February 1268, the dues of the Jews of Girona were assigned to Benveniste.
Altogether Benveniste stood high in favor with King Jaume—no doubt for value received—and when on May 29, 1264, his brother Nahmanides was pardoned, two-thirds of the fine he had incurred for the alleged crime of vituperating Jesus
in the celebrated controversy of 1263 was remitted, the king expressly stating that the pardon was given "amore Benveniste de Porta, fratris tui".
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and a brother of Nahmanides
Nahmanides
Nahmanides, also known as Rabbi Moses ben Naḥman Girondi, Bonastruc ça Porta and by his acronym Ramban, , was a leading medieval Jewish scholar, Catalan rabbi, philosopher, physician, kabbalist, and biblical commentator.-Name:"Nahmanides" is a Greek-influenced formation meaning "son of Naḥman"...
.
Benveniste was an important capitalist of Barcelona and advanced money to King Jaume I of Aragon, mainly on the security of the municipal dues owed to the king. Thus on 17 December 1257, he advanced 3,863 sou
Sou
Sou may refer to:* Sou , a type of food pastry* Sou , a film by Theodore Ushev for Shorts in Motion: The Art of Seduction* Solidus #France, French slang for coins...
s on the dues of his bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
; and on the 15th of the following month he received the right to sell the dues of Barcelona and Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
for two years. The total indebtedness of the king was no less than 199,483 sous, which Benveniste was allowed to recover by taking the dues of Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
and other places of his bailiwick. Part of the payment was made by the Jews of Barcelona themselves, who were ordered to hand over 12,000 sous to Benveniste.
Meanwhile the king continued his applications to Benveniste for funds, drawing a check on him for 5,000 sous on June 12, 1260; while two years later the king acknowledged his indebtedness to Benveniste of 15,221 sous for payment made on account of the Infanta Donna Joanna, on May 21, 1262. In return for the advance, the dues of Vilafranca
Vilafranca
Vilafranca is a municipality in the comarca of Alt Maestrat, Castellón, Valencia, Spain. Its official Castilian name is Villafranca del Cid....
(ib. No. 205), as well as twenty squares of land there, and the dues of the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
and of Perpinyà, were granted to Benveniste. The latter continued to act as banker for the king, since a record is found of acknowledgment of a debt of 15,000 sous, paid by Benveniste to the bishop of Barcelona when proceeding on an embassy to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on 1 January 1254; and as late as 1 February 1268, the dues of the Jews of Girona were assigned to Benveniste.
Altogether Benveniste stood high in favor with King Jaume—no doubt for value received—and when on May 29, 1264, his brother Nahmanides was pardoned, two-thirds of the fine he had incurred for the alleged crime of vituperating Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
in the celebrated controversy of 1263 was remitted, the king expressly stating that the pardon was given "amore Benveniste de Porta, fratris tui".