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Jakob Fugger
Jakob Fugger by Albrecht Dürer
Born(1459-03-06)March 6, 1459
Augsburg
DiedDecember 30, 1525(1525-12-30) (aged 66)
ParentJakob Fugger the Elder
RelativesAnton Fugger, nephew

Jakob Fugger of the Lily (German: Jakob Fugger von der Lilie) (6 March 1459 – 30 December 1525) also known as Jakob Fugger the Rich or sometimes Jakob II. Fugger was a major merchant, mining entrepreneur and banker of Europe between ca. 1495-1525. He was a descendant of the Fugger merchant family located in the Free Imperial City of Augsburg, where he was also born. Within a few decades he expanded the family firm to a business operating in all of Europe. He started his education with the age of 14 in Venice, which was also his main residence until 1487. At the same time he was a cleric and held several prebendaries, even though he never lived in a monastery.

The foundation of the family's wealth was created mainly by the textile trade with Italy. The business grew rapidly after the brothers Ulrich, Georg and Jakob began banking transactions with the House of Habsburg as well as the Roman Curia, and at the same time began mining operations in Tirol, and from 1493 on the extraction of silver and copper in the present Czech Republic and Slovakia. As of 1525 the business also had the right to mine quicksilver and cinnabar in Almadén.

After 1487 Jakob Fugger was the de facto head of the Fugger business operations which by then had an almost monopolistic hold on the European copper market.[1] Copper from Upper Hungaria was transported through Antwerp to Lisbon, and from there shipped to India. Jakob Fugger also contributed to the first and only trade expedition to India that German merchants cooperated in, a Portuguese fleet to Indian west coast (1505/06) as well as a failed Spanish trade expedition to the Maluku Islands.

With his support of the Habsburg dynasty as a banker he had a decisive influence on European politics at the time. He financed the rise of Maximilian I. and made considerable contributions to secure the election of the Spanish king Charles V to become Holy Roman Emperor. Jakob Fugger also funded the marriages which later secured Bohemia and Hungary for House Habsburg.

Jakob Fugger secured his legacy and lasting fame through his foundations in Augsburg. A Chapel funded by him and built from 1509 to 1512 is Germany's first renaissance building and contains the tombs of the brothers Ulrich, Georg and Jakob. The Fuggerei which was founded by Jakob in 1521 is the world's oldest social housing complex still in use. The Damenhof, part of the Fuggerhäuser in Augsburg, is the first secular renaissance building in Germany and was built in 1515.

With the purchase of the county Kirchberg, the lordship Weißenhorn with the city Weißenhorn as well as the lordships Wullenstetten and Pfaffenhofen south of Ulm, in the year 1507, began the rise of the Fugger "of the lily" family into nobility. In 1511 the burgher merchant Jakob Fugger became ennobled - an "event without parallel in the Empire."[2] Following in 1514 Emperor Maximilian I. granted him the title of Imperial Count. Additionaly Jakob Fugger aquired the manor Schmiechen in the eastern Lech valley and the lordship of Biberach with the castle Markt north of Augsburg.

At his death on 30 December 1525 Jakob Fugger bequeathed to his nephew Anton Fugger company assets totaling 2,032,652 guilders.[3] He is considered to be one of the richest persons of all time,[4] and today he is well known as Jakob Fugger 'the Rich'.

Life

Background, education and early years in Venice

Coat of arms of the Fugger of the lily family, granted in 1473

Jakob Fugger was born as the tenth of eleven children by Jakob Fugger the Elder (1398-1469) and his wife Barbara (1419–1497), daughter of Münzmeister Franz Bäsinger. The Fugger family members, by now second generation burghers in Augsburg had already established themselves as successful merchants in the city. Hans Fugger, grandfather of Jacob Fugger the Rich took up residence in Augsburg in 1367, became a burgher through marriage and acquired considerable wealth by trading textiles with Italy. A few years before his death his son Jakob Fugger the Elder was already one of the richest citizens of Augsburg.[5]

Jakobs older brother Ulrich (1441–1510) und Georg (1453–1506) created the basis for the rise of the business in Europe. Around 1470 they founded manufactories in Venice and Nuremberg, then important centers of trade. Jakob Fugger's older brothers Andreas and Hans both died young in Venice. His brother Markus was a cleric and from 1470 on a writer in a papal chancery in Rome where he died in 1478. His brother Peter Fugger died of an epidemic in Nuremberg in 1473.[6] Loans given to Emperor Frederick III and supplies given to his entourage by Ulrich Fugger were the reason for being granted the lily coat of arms in 1473.[7] The "of the lily" (German: von der Lilie) naming after this coat of arms distinguishes this branch of the Fugger family from the "of the doe" (German: vom Reh) branch.

Until 2009 historians assumed that Jakob Fugger, who was a minor order at the age of 12, had lived as a canon in a church located in Herrieden. A document from the Austrian state archive has now shown that Jakob Fugger was already representing his family business in Venice in 1473 at the age of 14.[8]. More recent research shows that Jakob Fugger spent the years between 1473 and 1487 mostly at the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, the house of German merchants in Venice. Venice being one of the most important centers of trade at the time proved to be an ideal environment for Jakob Fugger's education in banking and the metal trade. His long residence in Italy also helped bring the renaissance style to the German region, with him funding the construction of the first buildings of this style that originated in Italy. Legal and architectural structures of Venice also had an influence on the funding of the Fuggerei which was similar to the social housing of Venice.

Beginning of the mining and metal trade

Jakob Fugger laid the foundation of his mining business in Salzburg. He provided loans to the independent silver mine owners in the Salzburg Slate Alps which had constant need for new capital. Instead of receiving the usual documents acknowledging debt he demanded "Kuxe", essentially becoming a shareholder in the mines, and through this forcing more and more mine operators in the area of Gastein and Schladming to sell their silver directly to the Fugger family instead of intermediary traders.[9]

Jakob Fugger was responsible for his families business in Augsburg, Tyrol, Venice and Rome. Around 1485 the family also founded manufactories in Innsbruck (since 1510 in Hall, since 1539 in Schwaz). Through a small loan he there first came into contact with Archduke Sigismund, a member of the Habsburg family. The archduke had as the sole owner of the Tyrol property rights handed out permissions for mining operations to private investors which in return had to pay a share of their profits to Sigismund. Despite this income he was in constant shortage of money owed to a lavish lifestyle, several illegitimate children and his extensive construction projects. A responsibility to pay the amount of 100.000 guilders of war reparations to Venice was eventually financed by Jakob Fugger. In 1488 the total debt already amounted to more than 150.000 guilders. Notable was the form of payment: Instead of paying the Fürst directly the Fugger family paid the money to his creditors as well as providing the wages for the royal court and craftsmen. In 1517 the Fugger family financed more than half of Tyrol's public budget. As a result they were at times entitled to all the silver and copper out of Tyrol.[10].

The relationship with Maximilian I

Emperor Maximilian I., Albrecht Dürer (1519)

The expansion of high-risk, albeit very lucrative business connections to Maximilian I was undoubtedly promoted by Jakob. In his view, the House of Habsburg was bound to be the dominant power and dynasty within the German region, and as such should receive his financial and political support. Jakob Fugger met the young Roman-German king for the first time in 1489 at the Frankfurt fair. At that time, his plans for the independent Duchy of Tyrol had been agreed upon with the king's chancellor, Johann Waldner. As on 16 March 1490 Sigismund and the Tyrol Estates came together with King Maximilian also present. The archduke had to resign under the pressure from the estates, who accused him of mismanagement, and his possessions fell to the king. Maximilian then promised to repay all loans of its predecessor to Jakob Fugger.[11]

Thus the Fugger business became on of the most important financial backers of Maximilian, who since 1486 was co-regent of the Holy Roman Empire. After his father Frederick III died in 1493 he became the reigning emperor. Despite having constant financial difficulties due to an extravagant lifestyle and many failed political projects his reign saw the kingdoms of Spain, Bohemia and Hungary gained for the House of Habsburg, not by waging war but through advantageous marriage arrangements which were funded with the help of Jakob Fugger.[12]

On 15 July 1507 Maximilian I sold the County of Kirchberg, located at Ulm, the adjacent lordship Weißenhorn with the associated city, as well as the lordships Wullenstetten and Pfaffenhofen(Roth) from the Habsburg possessions in Further Austria to Jakob Fugger.[13] Maximilian I who crowned himself Holy Roman Emperor in 1508 received a payment of 50.000 guilders for these sales. More sales followed in 1508 where he sold manor Schmiechen and in 1514 where he sold the lordship Biberach to Fugger. Maximilian I elevated Jakob Fugger into nobility in 1511 and granted him the title of Imperial Count in 1514 so the former burgher could operate his business without interference from local nobility.[14][15]

Criticism from reformer Martin Luther on the Fugger business methods and novelistic portrayal from early research have lead to the notion that Jakob Fugger exercised considerable power over Maximilian I the king and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, while more recent research shows that this was only partially true.[16] Close to the end of his life Maximilian was so heavily indebted to Jakob Fugger that he had no choice but to continue his support for the emperor to still be able reclaim his outstanding debits. When Maximilians grandson Charles V stood for election to become the next Emperor Jakob Fugger raised a sum of more than 500.000 guilders, a significant portion of his wealth and of the total amount raised in his support, to ensure the Prince-elector would succeed his grandfather. Thereby he helped prevent the election of Francis I of France which would have endangered his claims and investments gravely, although it also made him highly dependent on the House of Habsurg. Much later the Fugger family lost a large portion of their wealth following three Spanish state bankruptcies(1557, 1560, 1575) under the reign of Philip II of Spain.[17][18]

The Fugger mining and metal trade

Augsburg, Schedel’sche Weltchronik (1493)

Likely at the insistence of Jakob Fugger the company became one of the first open trading companies (German: "der compagnia palese des welschen Rechts")[19] in Europe in 1494. At the same time, it was renamed into "Ulrich Fugger of Augsburg and brothers" to show the equality of the three brothers involved in business issues, even though Tyrolean sources almost universally speak of the Jakob Fugger company and central contracts of the Hungarian trade were all signed by him. At this development the greatly increased influence of Jakob within the company can be observed. Since the late 1480s Jakob Fugger more and more dominated the company's policies, although the eldest brother Ulrich still formally led the company.[20]

The enormous growth potential in the mining and ore trade was very profitably harnessed by Jakob Fugger in the following years. As collateral for loans that he had given to the Habsburgs and the King of Hungary, he demanded mine revenues of Tyrol and the transfer of mining rights in Upper Hungary to him. Through this method he eventually established a dominant and almost monopolistic hold on the copper trade in Central Europe. With his business partner Hans Thurzó he founded the Hungarian trade in 1494. Mines funded by Fugger were constructed in Neusohl, at the time part of the Hungarian Kingdom. The expansion continued with the construction of a smelting plants in Neusohl, Arnoldstein in Carinthia, Hohenkirchen in Thuringia and Moschnitz.[21] The copper was distributed through manufactories in Breslau, Leipzig, Krakau and Ofen. For transportation to the ports Danzig, Stettin und Lübeck of the Baltic Sea Fugger funded the construction of a new road across the Jablunkov Pass. From those ports the copper was shipped to the Russian region and additionally through Antwerp to Lisbon where it was an important Portuguese trade good destined for the export to India.[22][23] Part of the copper was also transported through Wiener Neustadt and the Adriatic ports Triest and Zengg to the copper market in Venice. At the time mines from both Tyrol and Hungary together provided about 80% of the total European production in copper which provided an incredibly advantageous position in the European market, albeit not a total monopoly.[24]

The Vatican as a client

Swiss Guard, 2009

The Fugger family were the first German trading house in a direct business relationship with the Roman Curia.[25] Following the death of Pope Alexander VI in August 1503 Jakob Fugger intensified his contacts to the Vatican in Rome. For the new Pope Julius II Fugger financed the recruitment of the pontifical Swiss Guard in 1505/1506, which still exists today. Early dealings in Rome are attributed to the cleric Markus Fugger and have happened in 1473. In 1477 the Fugger business was responsible for transferring church revenues in Sweden to Rome. Between 1508 an 1524 the company leased the Roman mint, the Zecca. In this time there were 66 types of coins manufactured for four different popes. After this the Fugger family was only represented by on manufactory in Rome, mostly due to the "Sacco di Roma" and the less German friendly Medici Pope Clement VII.[26]

As one of the leading bankers in Europe and because of his close relationship to the Vatican Jakob Fugger was also engaged in the sale of indulgences.[27]

For the acquisition of two archdioceses in 1515 Fugger provided a loan of 48.000 guilders to Albrecht von Brandenburg, since 1512 archbishop of Magdeburg and since 1514 also archbishop of Mainz. To repay his debt Albrecht ceded his part of the indulgence granted by Pope Leo X for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica. Regarding the total economic scale of the Fugger business however the sale of indulgences was an insignificant banking operation.[28] Nevertheless it caused considerable potential for conflict due to its moral dubiousness, and its role in the advancement of the Reformation in Germany. The conduct of the Dominican Johann Tetzel who was heavily involved in the sale of indulgences was one of the causes that motivated Martin Luther to formulate his 95 Theses. 1520 Luther wrote in his letter "To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation" (German: An den christlichen Adel deutscher Nation) "Fugger and similar people really need to be kept in check" (German: Man müsste wirklich dem Fugger und dergleichen Gesellschaft einen Zaum ins Maul legen).[29]

Jakob Fugger and the overseas trade

The commodity trade played a relatively small role compared to the two main branches of the Fugger business, banking and mining. It is only because of the associated exotic investments that Jakob Fuggers early trading expeditions take a prominent place in the history of the Fugger business.

After Vasco da Gamas discovery of the sea ​​route to India and the establishment of the Portuguese spice monopoly, Jakob Fugger took part in the spice trade and in 1503 opened a manufactory in Lisbon. He received permission to trade pepper, other spices, and luxury goods such as pearls and gemstones through Lisbon. Along with other merchant houses of Germany and Italy he contributed to a fleet of 22 Portuguese ships lead by Francisco de Almeida that sailed to India in the year 1505 and returned in 1506. Even though one third of the imported wares had to be ceded to the King of Portugal the operation still made significant profit.[30] Soon afterwards the King declared the spice trade a monopoly of the crown in order to secure his income and exclude foreign merchants from participating. However the Portuguese were still largely dependent on the copper delivered by Fugger which was an essential export good for the trade with India.

Unlike the Welser family Jakob Fuggers participation in the overseas trade was very cautious and conservative, and the only other operation of this kind he invested in was a failed trade expedition to the Maluku Islands led by the Spaniard Garcia de Loaisa.[31]

The great crisis of Jacob Fugger

Especially for mining projects in upper Hungary the Fugger company required enormous capital, which at the time it could not raise. Hence Cardinal Melchior von Meckau was the main sponsor of the Fugger business in 1496. The Prince-Bishop had secretly and unknown to the church chapter invested 150.000 guilders into the Fugger company in return for interest, thereby evading the official church ban on interest. When he died in Rome in 1509 this investment was uncovered. The Pope, the bishopric Brixen and the family of Meckau all claiming the inheritance now demanded the immediate payback of these assets which would have resulted in insolvency for Jakob Fugger. It was this situation that prompted Emperor Maximilian I to step in and assist his banker. On the condition of assisting Pope Julius II in a war against the Republic of Venice the Habsburg monarch was recognized as being the rightful heir of Cardinal Melchior von Meckau. The inheritance could now be settled by amortizing outstanding debts. Fugger also had to deliver jewels as compensation to the Pope. However in return for his support Maximilian I demanded the continuous financial support of his ongoing military campaigns.[32]

Since the death of his brothers Georg in 1506 and Ulrich in 1510 Jakob Fugger was now running the Fugger business as the sole policy and decision maker. The company was renamed into "Jakob Fugger und Gebrüder Söhne" (Jakob Fugger and Brothers Sons). In the following years up until his death Jakob Fugger managed to raise the family fortune which amounted to about 200.000 guilders in 1511 to more than two million guilders.[33]

The election of Charles V in the year 1519

Portrait of Charles V, Bernard van Orley (1519 to 1520)

Emperor Maximilian died in January of 1519 and bequeathed to his grandson Carlos I the hereditary lands of House Habsburg with adjoining Burgundian lands as well as a disputed claim to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. To secure his essential investments into House Habsburg Jakob Fugger decided to support the election of the 19 year old claimant to the throne. In addition to Carlos I, the English King Henry VIII, the French King Francois I and Frederick III, Elector of Saxony announced their candidacy. Francois I had already secured the votes of the Archdiocese of Trier and the Electoral Palatinate as well as offering a sum of 300.000 of election money. The Prince-electors consisted of the three archbishoprics of Mainz, Cologne and Trier in addition to the King of Bohemia, the Electoral Palatinate, the Margrave of Brandenburg and the Duke of Saxony.

This was a difficult situation for Carlos I who now relied on the financial capacity of Jakob Fugger to still be able to swerve the election in his favor. Fugger transferred the enormous sum of more than 850.000 guilders to the Prince-electors which ultimately resulted the unanimous election of Carlos I as Holy Roman Emperor on 28 July 1519. Out of this 850.000 guilders Fugger himself funded around 550.000 while another merchant house of Augsburg, the Welser family, contributed about 150.000 and three Italian bankers providing the rest. What today would be seen as bribery was common practice in the election of the Emperor. Exceptional however was the immense amount of money involved in this particular case mainly due to the uncertainty in the outcome of the election.[34]

A few days later the Pope granted Carlos I, now Charles V, the right to name himself Elected Emperor. It was only in 1530 when Charles V was crowned Emperor by the Pope in Bologna. He was the last Emperor to receive a papal coronation.[35]

Charles V, now reigning over a realm "where the sun never set", was now deeply indebted to Jakob Fugger. In 1521 the debts amounted to more than 600.000 guilders. The Emperor amortized 415.000 of this sum and in return granted the Fugger company the silver and copper mining operations of Tyrol. During the Imperial Diet of 1523 in Nuremberg it was debated whether to restrict trade capital and the number of trade establishments companies were allowed to maintain. Jakob Fugger intervened and reminded the Emperor that "It is known that your imperial majesty could not have claimed the Roman crown without my help,..." (German: „Es ist auch wissentlich und liegt am Tage, dass Eure Kaiserliche Majestät die römische Krone ohne mein Zutun nicht hätte erlangen können,…“)[36] The added demand of repayment of all debts eventually led to all discussions of trade restrictions and limits to monopolies being dropped. In addition to this Jakob Fugger was granted a concession to mine quicksilver and cinnabar in Almadén. The Fugger company was involved into the Spanish mining business up to the year 1645.[37]

Foundations and buildings of Jakob Fugger

The Fugger chapel in the Annakirche

The Fugger chapel in the Annakirche, Augsburg, 2007

Together with his brother Ulrich and on behalf of his deceased brother Georg, Jakob Fugger founded the Fugger chapel in the Carmelite monastery's St. Anna church located in Augsburg. It also became the burial place of the three brothers. Construction began in 1509 and was finished in 1512. The chapel was modeled after Italian burial chapels with clear influences out of Venice and Rome, thereby becoming Germany's first renaissance construction. The interior was designed with the help of many notable German artists of the time, such as Albrecht Dürer, Hans Burgkmair, Jörg Breu the Elder and Hans Daucher. The church later became protestant which is why only two other members of the Fugger family are buried there. The building is thought be built in preparation for Fugger's elevation into nobility and to distance himself from the local Patricians. Furthermore it was a medium to preserve the name and memory of Fugger in the style of the Italian "Memoria" architecture.[38]

The Fuggerhäuser in Augsburg

Fuggerscher Stadtpalast, 2006
Damenhof in the Fuggerhäuser in Augsburg.

The Fugger family already owned two houses in Augsburg in prominent locations when Jakob Fugger built the Fuggerhäuser near the wine-market (now Maximilianstraße) from 1512 to 1515. Builder of this Residence was most likely Hans Hiebe. Inside the Fuggerhäuser the Damenhof (Ladies courtyard) was modeled after the florencian style grand courtyards thus becoming Germany's first secular renaissance building. The complex was expanded once more in 1523 to accommodate the receiving of illustrious guests. The Fuggerhäuser were the private residence and administrative center of Jakob Fugger and his wife Sybille Fugger-Arzt.[39]

Later members of the Fugger family enlarged the complex several times. The complex was mostly destroyed during air raids on Augsburg in World War II and rebuilt in a simplified way in 1955. The courtyards and several other rooms however are still in their original state. The houses are still owned by the Fugger family, partly being used to house private "Fürst Fugger Bank".

The St.-Moritz-Prädikatur-Stiftung

Jakob Fugger hatte sich seit 1515 für eine bessere Predigt in der Pfarrkirche seiner Familie, der Augsburger Stiftskirche St. Moritz, eingesetzt. 1517 stellte Papst Leo X. eine Bulle aus, die Jakob Fugger und seinen Erben das Patronatsrecht für eine Predigerstelle der Kirche verlieh. Da die St.-Moritz-Prädikaturstiftung noch immer existiert, schlagen die Fugger bis heute den Pfarrer der Stadtpfarrkirche St. Moritz vor.

The Fuggerei

View into the Herrengasse of the Fuggerei.

Ab 1516 ließ Jakob Fugger eine Siedlung für bedürftige Augsburger Handwerker und Tagelöhner errichten. Bis 1523 waren 52 Häuser der Reihenhaussiedlung gebaut. "Fuckerey" wurde die heute älteste bestehende Sozialsiedlung der Welt erstmals 1531 genannt. Die Fuggerei war ursprünglich für Augsburger Mitbürger gedacht, die unverschuldet verarmt waren und die aus eigener Kraft wieder einen eigenen Hausstand außerhalb der Sozialsiedlung gründen wollten. Zahlreiche Handwerker gingen in der Fuggerei ihrer Arbeit nach. Bewohner waren häufig Familien mit zahlreichen Kindern. Die Jahresmiete betrug einen Rheinischen Gulden (der Wochenlohn eines Handwerkers), eine ideelle Gegenleistung liegt zudem in drei Gebeten (das Vaterunser, das Glaubensbekenntnis und das Ave Maria), das alle Bewohner einmal täglich für den Stifter und seine Familie sprechen sollten. Die Fuggerei wurde von Jakob Fugger ausdrücklich auch im Namen seiner bereits verstorbenen Brüder Ulrich und Georg gestiftet.

In der im Laufe der Zeit auf 67 Häuser und um eine Kirche und Verwaltungsgebäude erweiterten Fuggerei leben heute rund 150 Menschen. Gemäß dem 1521 unterzeichneten Stiftungsbrief dürfen ausschließlich bedürftige katholische Augsburger Bürger in die Fuggerei ziehen. Sie sprechen bis heute täglich die drei Gebete. Die nominal umgerechnete Jahres(kalt)miete für eine der rund 60 Quadratmeter großen Wohnungen in der Sozialsiedlung beträgt heute nur noch 0,88 Euro. Die Fuggerei wird aus der Stiftung Jakob Fuggers finanziert, die im 17. Jahrhundert glücklicherweise aus einer Kapitalstiftung in eine Anlagestiftung umgewandelt wurde. Bis vor wenigen Jahren wurde die Fuggerei lediglich aus dem Forst- und Immobilienbesitz der Stiftung finanziert, seit 2006 kommen Einnahmen aus Eintrittsgeldern hinzu. Verwaltet wird die Fuggerei von der Fuggerschen Stiftungs-Administration, deren Aufsichtsgremium das Fürstlich und Gräflich Fuggersche Familienseniorat ist. Es besteht aus Vertretern der drei Linien Fugger von Kirchberg und Weißenhorn, Fugger-Babenhausen und Fugger von Glött.

Other foundations and buildings

Jakob Fugger hat zahlreiche Kirchen und Klöster in Augsburg mit Stiftungen bedacht, so auch die Dominikanerklosterkirche St. Magdalena (heute Sitz des Römischen Museums Augsburg). Sein Stifterwappen findet man dort wie im nahen Kreuzgang des einstigen Katharinenklosters. Noch unter Jakob Fugger wurde auch die Kirche St. Blas im spanischen Almagro [40] gestiftet. Auch die ursprünglich von seinem Bruder Markus Fugger gestiftete Markuskapelle (heute: Capella del Crocefisso) in Santa Maria dell’Anima, der Kirche der deutschen Gemeinde in Rom, wurde unter Jakob Fugger von 1500 bis 1514 neu errichtet. Wohl noch zu Zeiten Jakob Fuggers entstand die Schlosskapelle von Oberkirchberg, St. Sebastian. 1513/14 ließ Fugger das Neue Schloss in Weißenhorn bauen.

Marriage, heritage and successors

Portrait of Jakob Fugger and Sibylle Artzt, around 1500
Jakob Fugger and Sybille Artzt, Miniature in the Ehrenbuch of the Fugger family, Augsburg, Workshop Jörg Breu der Jüngere, 1545-1549

1498 heiratete der fast 40-jährige Jakob Fugger Sibylle Arzt (auch: Artzt), die 18-jährige Tochter eines angesehenen Augsburger Bürgers. Durch diese Hochzeit erhielt Jakob Fugger wie schon seine Brüder Ulrich und Georg Zugang zur vornehmen Augsburger Herrentrinkstube. Wenige Jahre nach der Hochzeit kaufte Jakob Fugger zwischen 1502 und 1506 von der Stadt Basel für 40.000 Gulden für seine junge Frau Juwelen aus dem Burgunderschatz, den die Schweizer Eidgenossen 1476 in der Schlacht gegen Karl den Kühnen von Burgund erbeutet hatten. Jakob Fugger verbrachte viel Zeit in seinem Kontor sowie auf Geschäftsreisen und wenig Zeit mit seiner Frau. Die Ehe der beiden blieb kinderlos. Nach Jakob Fuggers Tod am 30. Dezember 1525 heiratete die Witwe Sybille Fugger gegen alle Konventionen nur sieben Wochen später Konrad Rehlinger, der ein Geschäftsfreund ihres Mannes gewesen war, und trat zum protestantischen Glauben über.

Jakob Fugger starb am 30. Dezember 1525 als der wohl reichste Unternehmer Europas. Die von seinen Erben durchgeführte Bilanz aus dem Jahr 1527 ergab Aktiva von 3.000.058 Gulden, Passiva von 867.797 Gulden und damit einen Überschuss von rund 2,1 Millionen Gulden. Unter den Aktiva waren allerdings 1.650.000 Gulden enthalten [41]. Eine Umrechnung dieses Vermögens in heutige Wertverhältnisse ist aufgrund der heutigen Geldumlaufmenge und anderer Parameter bestenfalls eingeschränkt möglich.

Weil er keine eigenen Nachfahren hatte, gingen die Firma und ihr Vermögen bei seinem Tod auf seine Neffen Raymund und Anton Fugger über, wobei Anton die Firma leitete. Er hat das Vermögen bis 1546 nochmals verdoppelt. Mit seinem Tod im Jahr 1560 endete das "Zeitalter Fugger".

Contemporary portraits of Dürer and others

Siehe auch Hauptartikel Jakob Fugger der Reiche (Dürer).

Im Sommer 1518 hielt sich Albrecht Dürer als Vertreter der Stadt Nürnberg auf dem Reichstag in Augsburg auf. Bei dieser Gelegenheit entstand eine Skizze mit dem Porträt Jakob Fuggers. Das Original des später von Dürer als Ölgemälde ausgeführten Bildes befindet sich heute in der Staatsgalerie Altdeutsche Meister im Schaezlerpalais in Augsburg. Dürer hat Jakob Fugger mit Sicherheit bereits in den Jahren 1505/06 als Ganzkörperporträt gezeichnet. Diese Zeichnung ging verloren. Erhalten sind dagegen Porträtzeichnungen Hans Holbeins d.Ä. und Hans Burgkmairs d.Ä. sowie ein gemaltes Porträt von Hans Maler zu Schwaz. Originell ist die Darstellung Jakob Fuggers auf einem der Orgelfügel in der Fuggerkapelle in St. Anna, die Jörg Breu d.Ä. geschaffen hat. Von einer geschnitzten Darstellung Jakob Fuggers in der Pose eines römischen Feldherrn aus dem zerstörten Chorgestühl der Fuggerkapelle sind nur Abgüsse von einer Kopie erhalten. Medaillen und Medaillons mit seinem Porträt sieht man zum Beispiel im Fuggermuseum Babenhausen.

Jakob Fugger taucht zudem auf etlichen späteren Historiengemälden auf.

Appraisal and charakter

Stamp of the German federal post(1959)

Anders als vielfach beschrieben, war Jakob Fugger weder der erste Kapitalist noch der früheste Global Player noch hat er den ersten internationalen Konzern aufgebaut. Frühkapitalismus mit Banken, Zinsnahme und bargeldlosem Zahlungsverkehr, Buchführungssysteme, Fernhandel, europaweite Filialnetze und firmeninterne Nachrichtensysteme sind Strukturen und Techniken, die italienischen Kaufleuten spätestens ab dem 13. Jahrhundert, also etliche Jahrzehnte vor Jakob Fuggers Geburt, geläufig waren. Der überseeische Handel der Firma beschränkte sich unter Jakob Fugger auf wenige, äußerst vorsichtige Beteiligungen an Handelsexpeditionen. Beeindruckend war in der Tat dagegen das Netz der Niederlassungen: Annähernd 20 Faktoreien sind bekannt: Nach denen in Venedig (1473 oder früher) und Nürnberg (spätestens ab 1474) kamen Faktoreien in Mailand (spätestens 1483), Innsbruck (1485), Antwerpen (1493), Rom (um 1500) und Lissabon (1503) hinzu. Weitere Faktoreien sind unter anderem aus Ofen (Budapest), Krakau, Neusohl, Danzig, Lübeck, Amsterdam, Breslau, Leipzig und Wien bekannt. Dazu kamen weit über 30 kleinere Niederlassungen, Bergwerke und Verarbeitungsbetriebe, die für regelmäßigen Ertrag und stete Gewinnsteigerung sorgten.

Jakob Fugger wird beschrieben als „… ein Unternehmer und Wirtschaftsführer ganz großen Stils, ein Willensmensch mit stählernen Nerven…" oder auch als "Prototyp des frühzeitlichen Kapitalisten". Solche Charakterisierungen entbehren jeder wissenschaftlichen Grundlage, da es keine Dokumente zur Persönlichkeit Jakob Fuggers gibt. Augsburger Chroniken bezeichnen ihn lediglich als "richer man" oder "gewaltiger man" [42]. Darüber hinausgehende Würdigungen oder Kritik dieser Epoche entspringen der jeweiligem politischem beziehungsweise konfessionellem Position und können daher kaum als ernstzunehmende Quellen gesehen werden. Jakob Fuggers Lebenswerk lässt jedenfalls erkennen, dass er mit einem ausgeprägten Instinkt für den wirtschaftlichen und politischen Nutzen von Innovationen ausgestattet war. Er hat selbst nichts erfunden, sondern bestehendes Wissen optimal genutzt. Der Münchner Wissenschaftler Dr. Peter Geffcken zum Beispiel sieht in Jakob Fugger einen genialen Manager und nennt ihn "Morgenröte der Moderne". Bei der Bewertung der Persönlichkeit nach heutigem Verständnis wird im Übrigen meist übersehen, dass Kaufleute seinerzeit im krassen Gegensatz zu Managern der Gegenwart dem "gemeinen Nutzen", also dem Gemeinwohl, verpflichtet waren.

Überragend war Jakob Fuggers Fähigkeit, Stiftungen, Bauten und hochrangige Kunst als Medium der Prestigebildung und der "Memoria" seiner Familie einzusetzen. Er besaß mit Sicherheit ein ausgeprägtes Gespür für das Erarbeiten von Sozialkapital und das Bilden politischer Netzwerke durch "Beziehungsarbeit" [43]. Um ein Faktoreiennetz und eine Firmenstruktur mit dem Zuschnitt der Fuggerfirma und den damals zur Verfügung stehenden Verkehrs- und Informationstechniken führen zu können, muss es Jakob Fugger gelungen sein, äußerst fähige Mitarbeiter zu gewinnen und zu binden. Dies gilt auch für die eigenen Familienmitglieder, unter denen nur die fähigsten für seine Nachfolge in Frage kamen. Das Unternehmen führte Jakob Fugger, zumindest in den letzten 15 Jahren, absolut monarchisch. Härte gegen Konkurrenten und politische Gegner, seine eigenen Verwandten, aber auch gegen sich selbst wird immer wieder erkennbar.

Jakob Fugger is among the most well know Germans and arguably the most famous citizen of Augsburg. In 1967 a bust of him was placed in the Walhalla, a "hall of fame" near Regensburg that honors laudable and distinguished Germans.

Literature

Scientific literature

  • Bruno Bushart: Die Fuggerkapelle bei St. Anna in Augsburg, Munich 1994, ISBN 978-3422061156.
  • Richard Ehrenberg: Das Zeitalter der Fugger, Geldkapital und Creditverkehr im 16. Jahrhundert (2 Vol), Jena 1896.
  • Peter Geffcken: Jakob Fuggers frühe Jahre. In: Martin Kluger (Augsburg): Jakob Fugger (1459–1525). Sein Leben in Bildern, context medien und verlag, Augsburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-939645-14-6.
  • Peter Geffcken: Jakob Fugger der Reiche (1459–1525): "Königsmacher", Stratege und Organisator". in: DAMALS 7/2004.
  • Peter Geffcken: Fugger – Geschichte einer Familie: "Die Handelsherren mit dem Dreizack". in: DAMALS 7/2004.
  • Mark Häberlein: Die Fugger. Geschichte einer Augsburger Familie (1367–1650), Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3170184725.
  • Sarah Hadry: Die Fugger in Kirchberg und Weißenhorn. Herrschaftsverfassung und Leibeigenschaft, Konfessionalisierung und Residenzbildung, Wißner, Augsburg 2007, ISBN 978-3896396136.
  • Max Jansen: Die Anfänge der Fugger, Leipzig 1907, ISBN 978-3867416146.
  • Peter Kalus: Die Fugger in der Slowakei, Augsburg 1999, ISBN 978-3896391759.
  • Franz Karg: Eines Stadtherren Profil. Jakob der Reiche, der erste Fugger in Weißenhorn, in: Weißenhorner Profile 1160-2010. Beiträge und Untersuchungen zur Stadtgeschichte (Kataloge und Schriften des Weißenhorner Heimatmuseums 5), Weißenhorn 2010.
  • Hermann Kellenbenz: Die Fugger in Spanien und Portugal bis 1560. Ein Großunternehmen des 16. Jahrhunderts (2 Vol), Munich 1990, ISBN 978-3925355608.
  • Norbert Lieb: Die Fugger und die Kunst. Band 1: Im Zeitalter der Spätgotik und der frühen Renaissance, Munich 1952.
  • Götz von Pölnitz: Jakob Fugger, in: NDB, Neue Deutsche Biographie, 5. Bd. (1961), S. 710–716.
  • Götz von Pölnitz: Die Fugger. Mohr & Siebeck, 6. Aufl. Tübingen 1999, ISBN 3-16-147013-3.
  • Götz von Pölnitz: Jakob Fugger. Mohr & Siebeck, Tübingen 1949. Preview: [1].
  • Benjamin Scheller: Memoria an der Zeitenwende. Die Stiftungen Jakob Fuggers des Reichen vor und während der Reformation (ca. 1505–1555), Berlin 2004, ISBN 978-3050040950.
  • Aloys Schulte: Die Fugger in Rom 1495–1523 (2 Vol), Leipzig 1904, ISBN 978-5874163983.
  • Marion Tietz-Strödel: Die Fuggerei in Augsburg, Tübingen 1982, ISBN 978-3168445708.
  • Eike Eberhard Unger: Die Fugger in Hall i. T., Tübingen 1967, ASIN B0000BTV29.
  • Jacob Strieder: Jacob Fugger the Rich, Washington 1931, ISBN 978-1163187043.
  • Franz Herre: Die Fugger in ihrer Zeit. Wißner-Verlag, 12. Auflage, Augsburg 2005, ISBN 3-89639-490-8.
  • Martin Kluger: Die Fugger in Augsburg. Kaufherrn, Stifter und Mäzene, context verlag, Augsburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-939645-31-3.
  • Martin Kluger: Die Fugger: Die deutschen Medici in und um Augsburg, context verlag, Augsburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-939645-13-9.
  • Martin Kluger: "Jakob Fugger (1459–1525). Sein Leben in Bildern", context medien und verlag, Augsburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-939645-14-6
  • Martin Kluger: Die Fuggerei. Ein Führer durch die älteste Sozialsiedlung der Welt. context-verlag, Augsburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-939645-16-0
  • Martin Kluger: Fugger – Italien. Geschäfte, Hochzeiten, Wissen und Kunst. Geschichte einer fruchtbaren Beziehung, context medien und verlag, Augsburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-939645-27-6.

In fiction

  • Günter Ogger: Kauf dir einen Kaiser. Die Geschichte der Fugger. Droemer Knaur, 17. Auflage, Munich 1995, ISBN 3-426-03613-4.
  • Peter Dempf: Das Amulett der Fuggerin BLT, Bergisch-Gladbach 2006, ISBN 978-3-404-92273-4.
  • Rebecca Abe: Im Labyrinth der Fugger Gmeiner 2011, ISBN 978-3-8392-1144-1.

References

  1. ^ Peter Geffcken: Fugger – Geschichte einer Familie: "Die Handelsherren mit dem Dreizack". In: DAMALS 7/2004
  2. ^ Peter Geffcken: Jakob Fugger der Reiche (1459–1525): "Königsmacher", Stratege und Organisator". In: DAMALS 7/2004
  3. ^ "Anton Fugger". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 2008-08-12. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ The Wall Street Journal http://interactive.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/mill-1-timeline-fugger.htm. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 32-33
  6. ^ Pölnitz 1999, p. 44-46
  7. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 26
  8. ^ Peter Geffcken: Jakob Fuggers frühe Jahre. In: Jakob Fugger (1459–1525). Sein Leben in Bildern, context medien und verlag, Augsburg 2009
  9. ^ Strieder 1931, p. 110-112
  10. ^ Eike Eberhard Unger: Die Fugger in Hall i.T., Tübingen 1967
  11. ^ Pölnitz: Die Fugger 1999, p. 60
  12. ^ Maximilian I. Excerpted from Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th Ed. Vol XVII. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1910. 923. Luminarium.org (2007-01-26). Retrieved on 2012-01-02.
  13. ^ Sarah Hadry: Die Fugger in Kirchberg und Weißenhorn. Herrschaftsverfassung und Leibeigenschaft, Konfessionalisierung und Residenzbildung, Augsburg 2007
  14. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 42
  15. ^ Pölnitz 1999, p. 112
  16. ^ Mark Häberlein: Die Fugger. Geschichte einer Augsburger Familie (1367–1650), Stuttgart 2006
  17. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 122
  18. ^ Pölnitz 1999, p. 255
  19. ^ Jahresbericht für Deutsche Geschichte http://pom.bbaw.de/exist/servlet/db/JDG/scripts/browse.xql?id=JRE0264AII&year=1926. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ^ Peter Geffcken: Jakob Fugger der Reiche (1459–1525): "Königsmacher", Stratege und Organisator". In: DAMALS 7/2004
  21. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 46
  22. ^ Pölnitz 1999, p. 291
  23. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 80
  24. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 54-55
  25. ^ Fugger – Geschichte einer Familie: "Die Handelsherren mit dem Dreizack". In: DAMALS 7/2004
  26. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 50
  27. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 70
  28. ^ Aloys Schulte: Die Fugger in Rom 1495–1523, 2 Vol, Leipzig 1904
  29. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 171
  30. ^ Franz Hümmerich: Die erste deutsche Handelsfahrt nach Indien 1922 http://www.archive.org/stream/dieerstedeutsche00hmuoft#page/n5/mode/2up. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 66
  32. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 80 et seq.
  33. ^ Richard Ehrenberg: Das Zeitalter der Fugger, Geldkapital und Creditverkehr im 16. Jahrhundert (2 Bde), Jena 1896
  34. ^ Strieder 1931, p. 151
  35. ^ Maltby, William, The Reign of Charles V,St. Martin's Press, 2002
  36. ^ Franz Herre: Die Fugger in ihrer Zeit, Augsburg, 2000
  37. ^ Pölnitz 1999, p. 149
  38. ^ Benjamin Scheller: Memoria an der Zeitenwende. Die Stiftungen Jakob Fuggers des Reichen vor und während der Reformation (ca. 1505–1555), Berlin 2004
  39. ^ Häberlein 2006, p. 143
  40. ^ Norbert Lieb: Die Fugger und die Kunst. Band 1: Im Zeitalter der Spätgotik und der frühen Renaissance, München 1952
  41. ^ Richard Ehrenberg: Das Zeitalter der Fugger, Geldkapital und Creditverkehr im 16. Jahrhundert (2 Bde), Jena 1896
  42. ^ Jakob Fugger der Reiche (1459–1525): "Königsmacher", Stratege und Organisator". In: DAMALS 7/2004
  43. ^ Mark Häberlein: Die Fugger. Geschichte einer Augsburger Familie (1367 – 1650), Stuttgart 2006


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