Manasse Darmstädter acquired right of residence in Frankfurt on 19 July 1662 following his marriage to Gütle of the Grüner Baum. Manasse had migrated from Darmstadt, where he had built up a substantial business in the previous two decades. At times he completely controlled the trade in leather and cowhide. He played a dominant role as a lender in the financial reorganization of Darmstadt after the Thirty Years War. The city became financially dependent on him, with the result that its leaders tried to expel him. Before they could do so, Manasse moved to Frankfurt, although he maintained his commercial links with Darmstadt, and particularly with the count there. The count gave him certain commercial privileges and appointed him court factor. Manasse died in 1684 with a high reputation in Frankfurt. He was best known and remembered among Frankfurt Jews as the founder of a yeshiva, known as the Klause. This house also had a small synagogue and its own rabbi. The son of Manasse Darmstädter, Löb, married a daughter of Isaak Kann, then one of the leading figures in the Judengasse. This family connection was one of the reasons for the significant donations by the rich Kann family to Manasse's foundation during the 18th century.