The Jewish presence in Modena grew significantly during the 15th century, as more than 500 documents on Modena’s Jews are found among notarial deeds. Jews settled in Modena to practice money lending against pledges, opening banks authorized by the Este family (money lending banks). The first of these was authorized on January 1, 1393, by Marquis Alberto d’Este to Guglielmo son of the late Masetto da Fermo, who lived in Modena; Salomone di Mattasia da Perugia, who lived in Bologna; the heirs of the late Masetto de Leuciis da Perugia, who lived in Bologna; and the heirs of the late Salomone di Elia, who lived in Rimini—bankers who wanted to create new hubs for their business.
