Appointment of Samson Wertheimer as Imperial Court Factor in Vienna

Born in Worms in 1658, Samson Wertheimer settled in Vienna in 1684 as the representative of banker Samuel Oppenheimer (his uncle by marriage). Samson subsequently rose to prominence in the courts of Emperors Leopold I, Josef I, and Karl VI, serving as chief administrator of royal financial affairs from 1694. Following Oppenheimer’s death, Samson was appointed Imperial Court Factor and he was entrusted with diplomatic missions. The wealthiest Jew of his time, he provided massive amounts of money for the royal treasury. His Vienna home was guarded by ten soldiers and he was referred to as the Judenkaiser. Samson also played a major role in Jewish affairs. In recognition of his interventions, he was appointed Landesrabbiner of Hungary and accorded honors by Jews in Moravia, Bohemia, and Worms. A keen scholar (he studied at yeshivas in Worms and Frankfurt), halakhic questions were addressed to him. Various manuscripts written by Samson have survived, including some of his sermons. He funded the printing of the Babylonian Talmud in Frankfurt (1712–1722), built synagogues and schools, and supported Jews in the Land of Israel. Samson retired from court affairs in his old age; he died in 1724.