Editing Fugger family (section)

==History==

===Founding===
The founder of the family was Hans Fugger, a weaver at [[Graben, Bavaria|Graben]], near the [[Swabia]]n [[Imperial Free City|Free City]] of [[Augsburg]].<ref name=eb11>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Fugger |volume=11 |pages=287–288}}</ref> The last name was originally spelled "Fucker" – the first recorded reference to the family comes when Johann's son, also named Johann (or Hans), moved to Augsburg in 1367, with the local [[tax]] register laconically noting ''Fucker advenit'', "Fugger has arrived".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Steinmetz, Greg.|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/965139738|title=The richest man who ever lived : the life and times of Jacob Fugger|year=2015|page=5|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-4516-8856-6|oclc=965139738|access-date=6 August 2020|archive-date=2 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240602064811/https://search.worldcat.org/title/965139738|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Mark Häberlein: ''The Fuggers of Augsburg: Pursuing Wealth and Honor in Renaissance Germany.'' (= ''Studies in early modern German history''). University of Virginia Press, 2012, {{ISBN|978-0-8139-3244-6}}, Kapitel ''The Fugger family in late medieval Augsburg''</ref> He married Klara Widolf and became an Augsburg citizen. After Klara's death, he married Elizabeth Gattermann. He joined the weaver's guild, and by 1396, he was ranked high in the list of taxpayers. He added the business of a merchant to that of a weaver.<ref name=eb11/>

His eldest son, [[Andreas Fugger]], was a merchant in the weaving trade, and was nicknamed "Fugger the Rich"<ref>{{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Fugger}}</ref> after buying land and other properties. The Fugger family itemized and inventoried a large number of Asian rugs, an unusual undertaking at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dilmaghani.com/oriental-rugs.htm#fuggers|title=Oriental Rugs & Oriental Carpets – Dilmaghani|first=D. Dilmaghani, Certified Rug|last=Appraiser|access-date=3 September 2016|archive-date=9 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809060900/http://dilmaghani.com/oriental-rugs.htm#fuggers|url-status=live}}</ref> Andreas's son, [[Lukas Fugger]], was granted arms by the Emperor [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick III]], a [[Golden Hind (mythology)|golden deer]] on a blue background, and he was soon nicknamed "the Fugger of the Deer".<ref name=eb11/> He would eventually go bankrupt. His descendants served their cousins of the famous younger branch and later went to Silesia. Contemporary members of the Fugger of the Deer (''German:'' Fugger vom Reh) are descendants of Matthäus Fugger (1442–1489/92). 

[[File:Giovanni_Bellini_-_Portrait_of_Joerg_Fugger_(1474).jpg|thumb|left|''[[Portrait of Georg Fugger]]'' by [[Giovanni Bellini]], 1474]]
Hans Fugger's younger son, [[Jakob Fugger the Elder|Jakob the Elder]], founded another branch of the family. This branch progressed more steadily and they became known as the "Fuggers of the Lily" after their chosen arms of a flowering [[lily]] on a gold and blue background. Jakob was a master weaver, a merchant, and an [[alderman]]. He married [[Barbara Basinger|Barbara Bäsinger]], the daughter of a goldsmith. His fortune progressed, and by 1461, he was the twelfth richest man in Augsburg. He died in 1469.

Jakob's eldest son, Ulrich, took over the business on his father's death, and in 1473 he provided new suits of clothes to Frederick, his son [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]], and his suite on their journey to [[Trier]] to meet [[Charles I, Duke of Burgundy|Charles the Bold]] of [[Duchy of Burgundy|Burgundy]] and the [[betrothal]] of the young prince to Charles's daughter Maria. Thus began a very profitable relationship between the Fugger family and the [[Habsburg]]s.

With the help of their brother in Rome, Marx, Ulrich and his brother George handled remittances to the [[papal court]] of monies for the sale of [[indulgences]] and the procuring of Church benefices. From 1508 to 1515, they leased the Roman mint. Ulrich died in 1510.

When the Fuggers made their first loan to the Archduke [[Sigismund, Archduke of Austria|Sigismund]] in 1487, they took as security an interest in silver and copper mines in the [[County of Tyrol|Tyrol]]. This was the beginning of an extensive family involvement in mining and precious metals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mindcontagion.org/banking/hb1487.html|title=History of Banking, 1487 – The Fuggers and the Archduke|access-date=3 September 2016|archive-date=15 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915202729/http://www.mindcontagion.org/banking/hb1487.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Fuggers also participated in mining operations in [[Silesia]], and owned copper mines in [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]]. Their trade in spices, wool, and silk extended to almost all parts of Europe.<ref name=eb11/>

=== Jakob Fugger "the Rich" ===
[[File:Albrecht Dürer 080.jpg|thumb|[[Jakob Fugger]], "the Rich" (1459–1525), by [[Albrecht Dürer]]]]
Ulrich's youngest brother [[Jakob Fugger]], born in 1459, was to become the most famous member of the dynasty. In 1498, he married Sibylla Artzt, Grand Burgheress to Augsburg, the daughter of an eminent [[Grand Burgher]] of Augsburg ({{langx|de|Großbürger zu Augsburg}}). They had no children, but this marriage gave Jakob the opportunity to elevate to Grand Burgher of Augsburg and later allowed him to pursue a seat on the city council ({{lang|de|Stadtrat}}) of Augsburg. He was elevated to the nobility of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] in May 1511, made [[Imperial Count]] in 1514, and in 1519, led a consortium of German and Italian businessmen that loaned [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] 850,000 [[Italian coin florin|florins]] (about 95,625 [[Troy ounce|oz(t)]] or 2974&nbsp;kg of gold) to procure his election as [[Holy Roman Emperor]] over [[Francis I of France]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Brechin |first=Gray A. |author-link=Gray Brechin |title=Imperial San Francisco: urban power, earthly ruin |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |year=1999 |isbn=0-520-22902-9 }}</ref> The Fuggers' contribution was 543,000 florins.

In 1494, the Fuggers established their first public company. Jakob's aim was to establish a copper [[monopoly]] by opening foundries in [[Hohenkirchen]] and [[Fuggerau]] (named for the family, in [[Duchy of Carinthia|Carinthia]]) and by expanding the sales organization in Europe, especially the [[Antwerp]] agency. Jakob leased the copper mines in [[Neusohl|Besztercebánya]] in the [[Kingdom of Hungary]] (today [[Banská Bystrica]], [[Slovakia]]) in 1495, eventually making them the greatest mining centre of the time.

At the height of his power Jakob Fugger was sharply criticized by his contemporaries, especially by [[Ulrich von Hutten]] and [[Martin Luther]], for selling [[indulgences]] and [[benefices]] and urging the Pope to rescind or amend the prohibition on the [[usury|levying of interest]]. The imperial fiscal and governmental authorities in [[Nuremberg]] brought action against him and other merchants in an attempt to halt their [[monopoly|monopolistic]] practices.

In 1511, Jakob deposited 15,000 florins as an endowment for some [[almshouse]]s. In 1514, he bought up part of Augsburg and in 1516 came to an agreement with the city that he would build and provide a number of almshouses for needy citizens. By 1523, 52 houses had been built, and the [[Fuggerei]] had come into existence. It is still used today.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123025158419834413 |title=In This Picturesque Village, the Rent Hasn't Been Raised Since 1520 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=26 December 2008 |first=Mike |last=Esterl |access-date=3 August 2017 |archive-date=12 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812062645/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123025158419834413 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Jakob died in 1525. He is considered to be one of the richest persons of all time,<ref>{{cite news |title=Jakob Fugger II (1459–1525) |url=http://interactive.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/mill-1-timeline-fugger.htm |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=29 November 2009 |archive-date=7 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907052111/http://interactive.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/mill-1-timeline-fugger.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and today he is well known as Jakob Fugger "the rich". At its peak his wealth is estimated to be 2% of Europe's GDP.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Steinmetz |first=Greg |title=Opinion: 7 money-making lessons from the richest man who ever lived |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/7-money-making-lessons-from-the-richest-man-who-ever-lived-2017-05-02 |access-date=2021-05-21 |website=MarketWatch |language=en-US |archive-date=21 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921035408/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/7-money-making-lessons-from-the-richest-man-who-ever-lived-2017-05-02 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Later years===
[[File:German States Fugger 1621 10 Ducats.jpg|thumb|10 ducats (1621) minted as circulating currency by the Fugger family<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tXSrLbIEDBMC |page=496 |title=Standard Catalog of World Gold Coins 1601–present |edition=6 |publisher=Krause |isbn=978-1-4402-0424-1 |editor-last=Cuhaj |editor-first=George S. |year=2009 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>]]

Jakob's successor was his nephew [[Anton Fugger]], son of his elder brother Georg. Anton was born in 1493, married Anna Rehlinger, and died in 1560.<ref name="eb11" />

In 1525, the Fuggers were granted the revenues from the Spanish orders of knighthood together with the profits from mercury and silver mines.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mindcontagion.org/banking/hb1487.html|title=History of Banking, 1487 – The Fuggers and the Archduke|access-date=3 September 2016|archive-date=15 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915202729/http://www.mindcontagion.org/banking/hb1487.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The formerly rich yield of the Tirolean and Hungarian mines decreased, but Anton established new trade ties with [[Peru]] and [[Chile]] and started mining ventures in [[Sweden]] and [[Norway]]. He was involved in the [[transatlantic slave trade|slave trade from Africa to America]], but was more successful in the spice trade and the importation of Hungarian cattle. Eventually, he was forced to renounce the [[Maestrazgo]] lease after 1542 and to give up the silver mines of [[Guadalcanal, Seville|Guadalcanal]].

In 1530 and 1531 the Fuggers held exclusive rights to trade through the [[strait of Magellan]]. While  European trade with Asia through this route was thought to be possible, the Fuggers never developed this route.<ref name=onetto>{{Cite journal |title=Geopolítica americana a escala global. El estrecho de Magallanes y su condición de “pasaje-mundo” en el siglo XVI |journal=[[Historia (history of the Americas journal)|Historia]] |last=Onetto Pavez |first=Mauricio |url=https://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0717-71942020000200521&script=sci_arttext|doi=10.4067/S0717-71942020000200521 |volume=53 |issue=2 |year=2020 |language=Spanish|doi-access=free }}</ref> Decades later the [[Manila galleon]] would inaugurate trade with Asia across the Pacific with no Fugger involvement.<ref name=onetto/>

After hard times under Anton's nephew and successor [[Johann Jakob Fugger|Johann Jakob]], Anton's oldest son, [[Markus Fugger|Markus]], carried on the business successfully, earning some 50,000,000 [[ducat]]s between 1563 and 1641 from the production of mercury at [[Almadén]] alone, but the Fugger company was completely dissolved after the [[Thirty Years' War]] when Leopold Fugger returned the mines in Tyrol to the Habsburgs in 1657.

[[File:St. Anna Augsburg Fugger Grabgelege(2).JPG|thumb|Fugger chapel of 1509 at [[St. Anne's Church, Augsburg]]]]
The burial chapel of the Fuggers in [[St. Anne's Church, Augsburg]] of 1509 is the earliest example of [[Renaissance architecture]] in Germany with its memorial relief tablets in the style of [[Albrecht Dürer|Dürer]] in the choir of the church. It became the burial place of the three brothers [[Jacob Fugger]], [[Georg Fugger]] and [[Ulrich Fugger the Elder]] and their two nephews [[Raymund Fugger]] and Hieronymus Fugger (1499–1538). When St. Anne's Church became Protestant in 1548, the Fugger Chapel remained Catholic because the Fugger Foundation continued to look after it and contributed to the upkeep of the church. Hence. part of the church is denominationally different from the rest, and that the burial place of the Fugger family, who are considered strictly Catholic, is now in a Protestant church.<ref>Website of the Evangelical Lutheran Deanery Augsburg: ''[https://www.augsburg-evangelisch.de/500-jahre-fuggerkapelle 500 Jahre Fuggerkapelle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407014203/https://www.augsburg-evangelisch.de/500-jahre-fuggerkapelle |date=7 April 2023 }}'' (500 years Fugger Chapel, 2018).</ref> Adding to the oddity is that Jacob Fugger's loans to Cardinal [[Albert of Brandenburg]] and the [[indulgence]] to repay them were [[Jakob Fugger#Religious views and Reformation|what triggered]] Martin Luther's Reformation.

[[Anselm Maria Fugger von Babenhausen]] (1766–1821) was created [[Princes of the Holy Roman Empire|Prince of the Holy Roman Empire]] in 1803.<ref name=eb11/> The present head of this branch is Prince Hubertus {{lang|de|Fugger von Babenhausen}} who owns Jakob the Rich's former business seat, the [[Fuggerhäuser]] in Augsburg, as well as nearby Wellenburg Castle and the castle at [[Babenhausen, Bavaria]] (purchased by Anton Fugger in 1539 and today housing a museum on the family history); he is also co-owner of a small private bank, the [[Fürst Fugger Privatbank]], in Augsburg.

The branch {{lang|de|Fugger von [[Glött]]}}, descendants of Johann Ernst, a great-grandson of [[Anton Fugger|Anton]], was elevated to the rank of a Bavarian prince in 1913 with [[Carl Ernst Fürst Fugger von Glött]]; the branch ended in the male line with his son [[Joseph-Ernst Graf Fugger von Glött|Joseph-Ernst Fürst Fugger von Glött]] (1895–1981), husband of Princess Stephanie of Hohenzollern (1895–1975), his estate including the castle at [[Kirchheim in Schwaben]] (acquired in 1551 by Anton Fugger) being inherited by his sister Maria's (1894–1935) son, Albert Count von [[Arco family|Arco-Zinneberg]] (b. 1932), whom he adopted, and who took on the name Fugger von Glött.

The comital branch {{lang|de|Fugger von Kirchberg und zu Weissenhorn}} is today represented by countess Maria-Elisabeth von [[Thun und Hohenstein]], née countess Fugger, heiress of Kirchberg Castle at [[Illerkirchberg]] (bought in 1507 by Jakob Fugger). She also heads the charitable family foundations including the [[Fuggerei]] in Augsburg and [[Welden]] monastery.

In Augsburg, a museum of Fugger and [[Welser]] history (Fugger und Welser Erlebnismuseum) was opened.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fugger-und-welser-museum.byseum.de/de/home|title=Home|access-date=3 September 2016|archive-date=4 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404205624/http://fugger-und-welser-museum.byseum.de/de/home|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/augsburg/Museum-fuer-die-Fugger-und-Welser-id3469031.html|title=Museum für die Fugger und Welser|first=Augsburger|last=Allgemeine|date=26 February 2008 |access-date=3 September 2016|archive-date=16 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916134423/http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/augsburg/Museum-fuer-die-Fugger-und-Welser-id3469031.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Findings ===
In April 2019, Dutch maritime investigators unearthed a 16th-century [[shipwreck]] during an exploration for container ship [[MSC Zoe]] which lost containers overboard in January 2019. Copper plates with emblem of the Fugger family were found in the ship built around 1540 in the [[Netherlands]] during the reign of [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rogers|first=James|date=2019-04-04|title=Search for lost sea containers leads to discovery of 16th-century Dutch shipwreck|url=https://www.foxnews.com/science/search-for-lost-sea-containers-leads-to-discovery-of-16th-century-dutch-shipwreck|access-date=2020-08-08|website=Fox News|language=en-US|archive-date=7 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707212944/https://www.foxnews.com/science/search-for-lost-sea-containers-leads-to-discovery-of-16th-century-dutch-shipwreck|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Dutch container search reveals rare ancient shipwreck|url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2019/04/04/dutch-container-search-reveals-rare-ancient-shipwreck.html|access-date=2020-08-08|website=The Jakarta Post|language=en|archive-date=4 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804131407/https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2019/04/04/dutch-container-search-reveals-rare-ancient-shipwreck.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-04-03|title=Dutch container search reveals rare ancient shipwreck – CNA |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/dutch-container-search-reveals-rare-ancient-shipwreck--11409990|access-date=2020-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403222306/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/dutch-container-search-reveals-rare-ancient-shipwreck--11409990|archive-date=3 April 2019}}</ref>