Joachim Edler von Popper

aka Joachim Edler von Popper, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joachim_Edler_von_Popper

Joachim Edler von Popper (20 October 1722 – 11 May 1795) was a banker, commonly known as "Court Jew" to the Habsburgs. He was born in Březnice (Breznitz) in the Kingdom of Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. His father, Wolf Popper, was a Primator (Chief Judge) of the Jews of Bohemia.

In the mid-eighteenth century, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II held a monopoly of tobacco in Austria-Hungary. Leopold divided the monopoly into leases and awarded them to Joachim, Israel Edler von Hönigsberg, and Salomon Dobruschka. On 27 May 1790, Joachim was ennobled as the first "Edler von Popper". He was the second Austrian Jew to be ennobled, not having to convert to Catholicism or be baptized in order to do so.

Joachim Edler von Popper founded a beth midrash in Prague with Israel Fränkel, and helped fund the construction of the Popper Synagogue.

Joachim did not have any biological children, but he adopted his great-nephew Simon Popper, who inherited his title as Simon Edler von Popper. He also adopted his nephew Abraham Löbl Duschenes, who inherited his title as Andreas Josef Edler von Popper.

References[edit] Krauss, Samuel (1926). Joachim Edler von Popper. Ein Zeit- und Lebensbild aus der Geschichte der Juden in Böhmen. Vienna: Wien. Roth, Cecil; Wigoder, Geoffrey; Posner, Raphaël; & Rabinowitz, Louis I (2007). Encyclopaedia Judaica, vol. 13, p. 861. Detroit. Schnee, Heinrich (2012). Die Hoffinanz und der moderne Staat; Geschichte und System der Hoffaktoren an deutschen Fürstenhöfen im Zeitalter des Absolutismus. Nach archivalischen Quellen, p. 537-540. Prague. Županič, Jan. Die Entstehung des jüdischen Adels in der Habsburgermonarchie. Aschkenas – Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kultur der Juden, p. 473-497. 17. Jg., Heft 2, 2007, Sonderdruck, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, 2010, ISBN 978-3-484-98612-2.[verification needed] Županič, Jan (2012). Židovská šlechta podunajské monarchie. Mezi Davidovou hvězdou křížem, p. 537-540. Prague: Nakladatelství Lidové noviny. ISBN 978-80-7422-180-4. Narodni Archiv (Czech National Archives) (2003). Soupis zidovskych rodin v Cechach z roku 1793 III. Prague.