The New International Encyclopædia/Fugger
FUGGER, fụg'gẽr. A German family of
Augsburg, important in Continental financial history.
The founder of the family was ,
master-weaver in Graben, near Augsburg, about
the middle of the fourteenth century, who
married Marie Meissner of Kirchheim. His eldest
son, Johann, acquired by marriage in 1370
the freedom of Augsburg, and began to carry
on a trade in linen together with weaving. By
a second marriage in 1382, with the daughter
of a councilor, he had two sons and four daughters.
This Johann Fugger was one of the council
of twelve (Die Zwölfer), in the weaving
guild, and an assessor of the famous Vehmgericht
or secret tribunal of Westphalia. He died in
1409, and left a considerable fortune. His eldest
son, , made such good use of his share of
the inheritance that he was known as ‘the rich
Fugger.’ He founded a noble line, which died out
in 1586. Johann's second son, , who died
in 1469, was the first of the Fuggers who had a
house in Augsburg, and carried on an extensive
commerce. Of his seven sons, three, ,
, and , by industry, ability, and
integrity, laid the foundation of the princely
prosperity of the family. Its members married
into the noblest houses, and were raised by the
Emperor Maximilian to the rank of nobles. The
Emperor mortgaged to them, for 70,000 gulden,
the county of Kirchberg and the lordship of
Weissenhorn, and received from them afterwards,
through the mediation of Pope Julius II., 170,000
ducats, to assist him in carrying on the war against
Venice.  (1441-1510) devoted himself
specially to commerce with Austria, and there was
hardly an object that did not enter into his
speculations.  (1459-1525) engaged in mining;
he farmed the mines in Tyrol, and accumulated
immense wealth; he lent to the Archduke of
Austria 150,000 gulden, and built the magnificent
castle of Fuggerau, in Carinthia. Under Charles V.
the house attained its greatest splendor. Jakob
having died childless, and the family of Ulrich
being also extinct, the fortune of the house rested
with the sons of Georg (died 1506), one of whom,
, entered, the Church. The two younger,
 and , carried on the business,
and became the founders of the two chief and still
flourishing lines of the House of Fugger. The
two brothers were zealous Catholics, and with
their wealth supported Eck in his opposition to
Luther. During the Diet held by Charles V. at
Augsburg, in 1530, the Emperor lived in
Antonius Fugger's splendid house on the Weinmarkt.
On this occasion he raised both brothers to the
rank of counts, and invested them with the still
mortgaged properties of Kirchberg and
Weissenhorn;
and a letter under the Imperial seal
conferred on them the rights of princes. In 1535 they
received the right of coining money. Antonius, at
his death (1500), left 6,000,000 gold crowns in
ready money, besides jewels and possessions in all
parts of Europe and in both Indies. Ferdinand
II. confirmed the Imperial letter of Charles V.,
and conferred additional privileges on the family.
The Fuggers continued to carry on commerce,
attained the highest posts in the Empire, and
several princely houses prided themselves on
their alliance with the House of Fugger. They
possessed the most extensive libraries and collections
of art, maintained painters and musicians,
and liberally encouraged art and science. Ulrich,
Georg, and Jakob, the sons of the first Jakob,
bought houses in one of the suburbs of Augsburg,
pulled them down, and built 108 smaller houses,
which they let to poor citizens at a low rent.
This was the origin of the ‘Fuggerei,’ which still
remains under the same name, with its own walls
and gates. Many other benevolent institutions
were set on foot by Antonius and his sons. The
race is continued in the two principal lines of
Raimund and Antonius, besides collateral branches.
The domains are chiefly in Bavaria. A collection
of portraits of the most important
members of this great house, executed by Dominicus
Custos, of Antwerp, appeared at Augsburg (1593,
et seq.). This collection, increased to 127, with
genealogies written in Latin, was republished
by the brothers Kilian (Augsburg, 1618), and
in 1754 a new edition of the work, still
further improved, and containing 139 portraits, was
published at Ulm, under the title Pinacotheca
Fuggerorum. Consult Stauber, Das Haus
Fugger von seinen Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart
(Augsburg, 1900).