The legal status of Jews in medieval Europe represents a multilayered structure that cannot be fully explained solely through religiously motivated discrimination. This study focuses particularly on the legal status of Jews in medieval Germany, as defined within the conceptual frameworks of servitus perpetua (perpetual servitude) and servi camerae (chamber serfs or treasury servants). The central problem addressed is how these statuses were shaped not only by theological traditions, but also by the evolving power struggle between the imperial and papal authorities. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to analyze how Jews were positioned not merely as a religious minority, but also as significant economic and political actors within the structure of medieval society.

In this study, primary sources—particularly papal and imperial decrees as well as conciliar decisions—have been systematically examined and interpreted from a historical perspective. Theological texts and secular documents have been comparatively analyzed, and the socio-political dynamics underlying the transformation of the legal status of Jews have been brought to light.

The research findings indicate that, over time, Jews were transformed not only into “witnesses to be tolerated,” but also into “special communities under sovereign ownership,” directly subordinated to imperial authority and subject to economic exploitation. The servi camerae status did not reduce Jews to classical forms of slavery; rather, it represented the formation of a unique legal regime in which they were bound to the emperor through fiscal, political, and legal dependency, reflecting the mechanisms of secular sovereignty.