Amigo was born in Constantinople (now Istanbul,
in Turkey) and settled in Temesvar (now Timisoara), the capital of the region of
Banat, now in Romania, with a number of other Sephardi families in 1736. He
became head of the city's combined Ashkenazi-Sephardi community. Agent for Diego
d'Aguilar of Vienna, who held a tobacco monopoly in Austria, he was known as
'little king' (rey chico) because of his wealth and he was highly respected at
the court of Maria Theresa exercising a considerable influence on international
politics at the courts of Vienna and Constantinople. His descendants Yitzhak
Amigo and Yosef Meir Amigo continued to be prominent in the Jewish community of
Timisoara until early 19th century.
Links:
History of the Jewish community in Timisoara
