A Speculative Historical Note on R. Meir (Maharam) of Rothenburg

In an article in Netuim 19, Simcha Emannuel showed how R. Meir of Rothenburg had actually agreed to be redeemed from captivity but had died before the money could be raised.  He argued that the tradition that R. Meir of Rothenburg had refused to be redeemed was merely a later story.  He did not explain, however, why such a story developed.

In the 16th century Sefer Ma'seh Nissim of R. Juspa of Worms,* however, we find a slightly different version of the famous story.  There the version is that R. Meir of Rothenburg refused to be redeemed for more than 500 gulden.

Based on that version, we can piece together a possible history of the story.  Possibly: R. Meir of Rothenburg refused to be redeemed at the price demanded by Rudolf I King of the Romans. At some point an agreed-upon price was reached, but R. Meir of Rothenburg died before it could be collected.  If that is what happened, it makes sense that a tradition developed that he had died in prison because he refused to be redeemed. For if had he not delayed being redeemed at the higher price, he would have left prison alive.

*Shelomo Eidelberg. 1991. R. Juspa, Shamash of Warmaisa (Worms). Jerusalem: Magnes Press. pp. 78-79 [hebrew], 80-81 [English].