Editing Venezuela (section)

==== German colonization ====
In the 16th century, the king of Spain granted a concession to the German [[Welser family]]. [[Klein-Venedig]]{{Refn|"Little Venice"; additionally the etymology of the name "Venezuela"}} became the most extensive initiative in the [[German colonization of the Americas]] from 1528 to 1546. The Welsers were bankers to the Habsburgs and financiers of [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]], [[Holy Roman Emperor]], who was King of Spain and had borrowed heavily from them to pay bribes for his [[Imperial election, 1519|Imperial election]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cachero |first=Montserrat |title=The Court and the Jungle: Integrating Narratives of Privilege |url=https://www.academia.edu/24787883 |access-date=4 November 2022 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405075103/https://www.academia.edu/24787883 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1528, Charles V granted the Welsers the right to explore, rule and colonize the territory, as well as to seek the mythical golden town of [[El Dorado]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ulrich Zwack |first=Bayerischer Rundfunk |date=5 August 2015 |title=Albtraum von Eldorado: Als die Welser über Venezuela herrschten |url=https://www.br.de/radio/bayern2/sendungen/land-und-leute/schwaebisches-eldorado-welser-in-venezuela-zwack100.html |language=de |access-date=4 November 2022 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405031832/https://www.br.de/radio/bayern2/sendungen/land-und-leute/schwaebisches-eldorado-welser-in-venezuela-zwack100.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Routledge Library Editions: World Empires (2021). United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.</ref><ref>South American Explorer. (1979). Perù: South American Explorers, p.27. University of Texas.</ref> The first expedition was led by [[Ambrosius Ehinger]], who established [[Maracaibo]] in 1529. After the deaths of first Ehinger (1533), then [[Nikolaus Federmann]], and [[Georg von Speyer]] (1540), [[Philipp von Hutten]] persisted in exploring the interior. In absence of von Hutten from the capital of the province, the crown of Spain claimed the right to appoint a governor. On Hutten's return to the capital, [[Santa Ana de Coro]], in 1546, the Spanish governor [[Juan de Carvajal]] had Hutten and [[Bartholomeus VI. Welser]] executed. Subsequently, [[Emperor Charles V|Charles V]] revoked Welser's concession. The Welsers transported German miners to the colony, in addition to 4,000 African [[slaves]] to plant [[sugar cane]] plantations. Many German colonists died from tropical diseases, to which they had no [[Immunity (medical)|immunity]], or through wars with the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous inhabitants]].