The emergence, development and historical continuity of the sephardi courtier class

There is a considerable body of scholarly literature devoted to the topic of Jewish retainers and officials who throughout history, have served in one capacity or another at the court of Gentile rulers. Much of this literature deals with the lives and careers of individual Jewish courties in the Islamic world or in Christendonn, especially those who acted as «shtadlanim», of ficial or unofficial representatives and intercessors for their people before the authorities. Ever since the rise of the Wissenschaft des Judentums, a considerable portion of the literature has dealt with the unique cultural milieu and ethos of the Jewish courtiers in medieval al-Andalus. A less extensive body of work —although by no means inconsiderable— has discussed the Sephardi courtier elite in the Christian kingdoms of the Reconquista. However, very little of this scholarly corpus has examined the phenomenon of Jewish courtiers sociologically or diachronicall y, with the notable exception of Selma Stern's classic monograph on the Hofjude in seventeenth —and eighteenth— century Central Europe or of Walter P. Zenner's recent groundbreaking article which attempts to analyze data on Jewish courties in the Muslim and Christian worlds in the light of social scientific theories. Such scholarly treatments of the Sephardi courtier phe nomenon remain a major desideratum \