Trust and the Jews of Sijilmassa in Mallorca, 1240–1256

Abstract For a short time from 1240 to 1256, a Jewish community from Sijilmassa was resident in Palma de Mallorca and took part in a variety of economic and social relationships, participating in a culture of trust. Using the concept of »trust work,« this study explores mechanisms of risk, character, and uncertainty management, in the form of interest rates, guarantors, collateral/pledges, promise and fides phrases, oaths, and flexible repayment terms. Analysis is based on two small databases of transcribed contracts: one containing 69 contracts involving Jews from Sijilmassa identified in the registers of the Arxiu del Regne de Mallorca and a Comparative Set of 245 loans written between 1240 and 1256. Findings suggest that both Jews and Christians participated in a shared culture of trust in credit financing and that interpersonal relationships, rather than community identity, shaped decisions to engage in various forms of trust work.