Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Ashkenazim
(2,660 words)

1. Concept

The term Ashkenazi, pl. Ashkenazim, derived from the Hebrew Ashkenaz, originally described the Jewish inhabitants of the French- and German-speaking lands in the Medieval Period. With the migration of Jews to the East in particular, from the 16th century it was extended to refer also to the Jewish inhabitants of the new settlement areas. In the Early Modern Period, most Ashkenazim lived in the aristocratic…

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Aust, Cornelia, “Ashkenazim”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_017104>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20160321



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