Diego Pereira d'Aguilar

Baron Diego Pereira d'Aguilar was a Jewish businessman, community leader and philanthropist of Spanish origins. He made his wealth in Austria and made use of his connections with the Empress to help his fellow worshipers.

Diego Pereira d’Aguilr held the tobacco monopoly in Austria, from 1723 until 1739, and had the power to establish factories and regulate prices. He also had good relations with the Empress Maria Theresa, as seen in 1747 when he asked the government to return to him a part of the money that he had deposited on account of the revenues, the empress Maria Theresa replied: “This appears to me just. I owe him much more; therefore, return it to him.” The Empress commissioned him to rebuild and enlarge the imperial palace at Schönbrunn, and he advanced 300,000 florins for the work. For his services Maria Theresa created him a baron in 1726 and subsequently privy councillor.

D'Aguilar was the founder of the Spanish or Turco-Jewish community in Vienna, and succeeded in obtaining many concessions for the relief of his oppressed fellow worshipers. Thanks to his efforts the Jews of Moravia were protected from pillage in 1742, and the intention of Maria Theresa to expel the Jews from the whole of the Austrian empire, in 1748 or 1749, was abandoned. Aguilar moved in 1757 with his 14 children to London, because the Spanish government demanded his extradition. In London he took an active part in the life of the Sephardi community.