How did this unique influence of the Jews in Eastern Europe begin?
Scholars and historians -- many of them Jews -- have puzzled over the presence of the huge Jewish population in Eastern Europe. There is no recorded evidence that they migrated from Babylon after the Babylonian captivity. Nor are they the descendants from the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in A.D. 70.
Who, then, brought the Jews into Eastern Europe seven centuries before the birth of Jesus.
The answer has been in the Bible all these years! It is found in II Kings 18:13-16. "Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them. And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying: 'I have offended; return from me; that which thou puttest on me will I bear.' And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house. At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the door-posts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria." A parallel account may be read in either II Chronicles 32 or Isaiah 36.
Notice the dates of this event -- the fourteenth year of Hezekiah -- 711-710. Sennacherib was at this time associated with his father on the throne of Assyria. A vigorous general, he captured all the fortified cities of Judah except Jerusalem, enslaved the inhabitants. Where he carried them had been unknown to historians. But the answer is preserved for us in the "Austrian Chronicle". He carried them into Eastern Europe along the Danube River. But how could an Assyrian king of Nineveh plant tens of thousands of Jewish captives in Europe? -- because Central Europe was then part of the Assyrian Empire.
Rulers |
Lengths of Reign |
Dates |
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Gennan, middle son of Peyman, became duke. He was overcome, records the Austrian Chronicle, by the Jews and was circumcised, accepted Jewish marriage customs, put away images and acknowledged the Hebrew faith. He called himself "Gennan, a Jew." There were not yet any Jewish noble, willing to give their daughters in marriage to him. So he died without wife and heir. |
4 |
708-704 |
|
Nanman and Saptan, sons of Peyman, split the country. Nanman chose the lower and Septan the upper part. Nanman married a Hungarian duchess called Meynin (Mennin). Saptan became the Master over his brother and over all the land, also changed its name to Mittanauz. He married a Bohemian duchess called Salaim (Salan, Salann, Salim), who was a Jewess. They had two sons, Tanton and Rippan. Tanton died without wife before his father. |
61 |
704-643 |
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Rippan, a Jew, married a countess from Penenaw (Pennawe), named Menna. They had one son, Lantawz, and two daughters, Pamyn and Rachaym. Lantawz and Pamyn (Panym) died unmarried before their father. |
57 |
643-586 |
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Salant, a Jew, a duke from Hungary, married Rachaim. They had one son, Piltan II (Pilton, Pilkan) who died. After both this son and Salant had died, Rachaim remarried. |
45 |
586-541 |
|
Laptan, a Jew from Bohemia, married Rachaim. Changed the name of the land from Mittanauz (Mittenaus) to Fannau (Fannawe). They died without an heir. |
15 |
541-526 |
|
At that time there ruled a Jewish duke in Hungary, called Almantan. He usurped the power and conquered the dukedom of Fannaw. Almantan brought with him his wife, a Bohemian duchess, named Schlammyn (Schalmmyn). She was Jewish. They had two sons, Rantanaiz and Halman (Halbman). Halman became duke of Hungary. |
40 |
526-486 |
|
Rantanaiz (Rattans), in his day the name of the land was changed from Fannaw to Aurata. He called himself "Rattanaiz, a Jew." Married Bohemian duchess called Sawlin (Sawlim). They had a son who died without name, and a daughter, Lenna. |
57 |
486-429 |
|
Rettan, Hungarian duke, marries Lenna. He changed the name of the land from Aurata to Fyla. They had a son, Manton (Montan). |
45 |
429-384 |
|
Flanton, married Sanna, a duchess from Bavaria. They had a son, Hegan and a daughter, Semyn. Hegan died unmarried before his father. |
54 |
384-330 |
|
Rattan, a Hungarian duke, marries Semyn. They had one son, Attalon. |
39 |
330-291 |
|
Attalon, married a Bohemian duchess, Magalim. They had three sons, Raban, Penyn and Effra, and Semna, a daughter. Semna died young. Penyn also died without wife and heir. |
57 |
291-234 |
|
Raban (Rawan, Raban), married a Bohemian duchess called Sancta (Santta, Santla). They died without Elelr. |
(6 months) |
(234) |
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Effra, Attalon's youngest son, married Hungarian duchess, Samaym, who was Jewish. They had one son, Naban. |
49 |
234-185 |
|
Naban, married a Hungarian duchess, a Jewess, Samanna. They had a son, Rolan, and a daughter, Signa who died unmarried. |
52 |
185-133 |
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Rolan (Nolan), changed the name of the land from Fyla to Rarasma. Married a Hungarian duchess, Sanna. They had two daughters, Eminna and Sanna. Eminna died unmarried. |
32 |
133-101 |
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Remar (Reinar, Reimar), a Bohemian duke, married Sanna. They had one son, Natan. |
53 |
101- 48 |
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Natan, married Hungarian duchess, Satym (Satyn). They had two daughters, Masym and Rachym. |
41 |
48- 7 |
|
Masym, a duchess. She died before marrying. Her sister Rachym obtained the duchy. |
2 1/2 |
7- 5 |
|
Raban (Naban), a Bohemian duke, married Rachim. They had two sons, Lanat (Lenat, Lamer, Laniar), and Sannet (Samet, Samer). Lanat died young. |
51 |
5 B.C. to 47 A.D. |
|
Sannet, married a Hungarian duchess, Enna. They had a son, Laban, and a daughter, Racha (spelled also Ratha, Rachaym, Rathaym). Laban died before his father. |
34 |
47- 81 |
|
Saptan, duke from Bohemia married Racha. They had a son, Salamet (Salamer), and a daughter, Semna (Sanna, Senna). Salamet died unmarried before his father. |
42 |
81-123 |
|
Rolant, a Bohemian duke marries Semna. They had a son, Rattan, a daughter, Amama II (Amania), and another son, Jannat (Jannas, Jannet, Jamer). Rattan and Amama died without heir before their father. |
52 |
123-175 |
|
Jannat (Jannett Janner), changed the name of his inheritance from Rarasma to Corrodancia. Married a Bohemian duchess called Samanna. They had a son, Manton (Montan). With him ended the predominance of the Jewish faith, and the land lapsed again to Heathenism. |
51 |
175-226 |
|
Manton |
45 |
226-271 |
In his time heathen from Hungary and other lands forced Manton to become a heathen and to pray to images. "He called himself Manton, a Heathen." He married a heathen duchess from Hungary, named Signa. They had two sons, Natan (Mathan) and Reptan. Reptan died young and unmarried.
The sudden influx of heathenism in the hitherto predominantly Jewish patrimony was due to a mass migration from the east. This was the period of the last famous Odin or Wodan -- king of the Saxons from 256-300. He led numerous tribes from Eastern Europe following the Roman attack upon Dacia (the modern Romania). The story of Wodan will be made plain in a succeeding chapter.
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Natan, married a duchess from Hungary named Salymna (Salynna). They had two sons, Salanata and Hemna (Hemma, Henna, Honna). The latter died without heir.
|
51 |
271-322 |
|
Salanata, married a Bohemian duchess called Alamynn. They had one son, Rattan, a heathen.
|
41 |
322-363 |
|
Rattan, married a Bohemian duchess, Sympna (Synna, Symna). They had a son, Fultan (Sultan, Fulkan, Fullan) who died without heir before his father.
|
32 |
363-395 |
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Rolant, a heathen Hungarian duke was established in Corrodancia by the Romans. He brought along his wife, a Bohemian duchess called Salympna (Salymna). They had one son, Sattan.
|
51 |
395-446 |
|
Sattan, married a Hungarian duchess, Samynna. From now on the dukes in Corrodancia, were Catholic nobles. Sattan and Samynna died without an heir.
|
51 |
446-497 |
The Romans established Amman, a noble count, in Corrodancia. He secretly believed and practiced Catholicism.
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Amman, changed the name of the land from Corrodancia to Avara. He brought along his wife Helena, a secret Christian. Later known as "St. Amman" and "St. Helena," they converted much of the population. When the Romans found it out they slew Amman and many of the people, but not Helena. They had three sons, Johanns, Albrecht, and Dietreich. A11 three became dukes of Avara and changed the name to Osterland. They split the land and Johanns became the chief over his two brothers.
|
43 |
497-540 |
|
Johanns, married a noble countess from Rome called Anna. They had no heir. Albrecht became duke of Osterland, since Dietreich died shortly after Johanns.
|
32 |
540-572 |
|
Albrecht, changed the name of the land from Osterland to Oesterreich -- now the official name of Austria. He married a duchess from Bohemia, Katherin. They had a son Eberhart, a daughter Ann, and another son, Johanns. Johanns and Anna died shortly after their father.
|
31 |
572-603 |
|
Eberhart, married Osanna, a duchess from Bavaria. They had two sons, Jacob and Albrecht. They both died before father and mother Thereafter the land was turned into a margraviate.
|
32 |
603-635 |
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Hainreich, duke from Bohemia was given Austria by the Roman emperor. Hainreich (Henry), became Margrave of Austria. He brought with him his wife, a duchess from Hungary named Ursula. They had no heir.
|
30 |
635-665 |
|
Otto -- Hainreich granted Austria to Otto of Hungary. He styled himself "Otto, by the grace of God, Margrave of Austria and Duke of Hungary." Married a duchess from Bohemia called Elsbet. They had two sons, Chunrat and Johans. Johans died young.
|
18 |
665-683 |
|
Chunrat, made the margraviate a dukedom. He styled himself "Chunrat, by the grace of God a Roman king, always a multiplier of the empire, and duke of Austria. His wife was Anna, a Hungarian duchess. They had three sons, Hainreich, Steffan and Albrecht. They split the land and Albrecht became chief.
|
50 |
683-733 |
|
Albrecht, married a Bohemian duchess, Salme (Salome). They had two sons, Ludweig and Fridreich. They divided the land.
|
49 |
733-782 |
|
Ludweig, was the higher duke in Austria. Married a duchess from Hungary named Elena. They had a son, Johannes and a daughter, Dorothea, who died before her father.
|
32 |
782-814 |
|
Johannes, married a duchess from Bohemia called Anna. They had one son, Hainreich.
|
49 |
814-863 |
|
Hainreich, married a duchess from Hungary named Ursula. They had three sons, Johanns, Steffan and Philipp. Steffan and Philipp died young.
|
31 |
863-894 |
|
Johannes, married Margareta, duchess from Bohemia. They had two sons, Albrecht and Ludweig. Albrecht died unmarried prior to his father.
|
28 |
894-922 |
|
Ludweig, married a duchess from Hungary called Elsbet. They had one son, Albrecht. |
42 |
922-964 |
|
Albrecht, married a duchess from Bohemia, Osanna. They had two sons, Ott and Hainreich. Ott died unmarried prior to his father. |
28 |
964-992 |
Albrecht was a contemporary of Leopold, duke of the rising House of Babenberg. Leopold was appointed by Otto II of Germany as supreme ruler of the Austrian mark.
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Hainreich, or Henry, succeeded; married a Hungarian duchess called Margareta. They had two sons, Peter and Johanns, and a daughter, Elisabet (Elspeth). |
28 |
992-1020 |
|
Peter and Johanns Johanns was duke jointly with Peter of Austria for a year and a half, when he died without wife and heir. Peter 3 1021-1024 succeeded as duke for three years and also died without heir. His dukedom passed to the Babenbergs. |
1 1/2 |
1020-1021 |
In 976 the chief authority in Austria had passed to the House of Babenberg. The powerful rule of the Babenbergs -- and the interrelationships of the royal families -- may be found in any thorough English or German history of Austria. The Babenbergs became extinct in 1246. Thereafter the realm passed into the hands of the famous Hapsburgs.
With this the history of early southeastern Europe, which began in the days of Abraham, closes.