HOME | DD

Description
The Fuggers (more specificaly the Fuggers of the Lily, seen on the right) were one of the most powerful families of Europe during the first half of the 16th century and are to this day considered one of, if not THE, most wealthy dynasties to have ever existed. Originaly hailing from Graben in modern day Bavaria, the ancestor of the two families moved to the Free City of Augsburg in 1367. The two sons of Hans Fugger created the two major lines of the House (one being the Fugger of the Deer, the other being the Fugger of the Lily). The former soon dwelled an existence in the shadow of the latter, due to ONE bad buisness decision. Lukas Fugger (1438 - 1512-ish, exact date of death unknown) granted an enormous loan of 10.000 Gulden to Archduke Maximilan I. of the House of Habsburg that he could not repay. He instead made the Belgian city of Löwen to stand surety to the Fuggers of the Deer, but the town was neither able nor willing to repay Maximilian's debt, and when most of the family's creditors withdrew their investments, the family went bancrupt. At one point Lukas' own son apparently demanded the return of his money from his father and even threatened him with a knife. Jakob Fugger, the to this day (in)famous leader of the Fuggers of the Lily then bought nearly all remaining Fugger of the Deer assets and thus his part of the family came do dominate for time to come.

Credits: Elements taken from wikimedia commons.

Description
The Fuggers (more specificaly the Fuggers of the Lily, seen on the right) were one of the most powerful families of Europe during the first half of the 16th century and are to this day considered one of, if not THE, most wealthy dynasties to have ever existed. Originaly hailing from Graben in modern day Bavaria, the ancestor of the two families moved to the Free City of Augsburg in 1367. The two sons of Hans Fugger created the two major lines of the House (one being the Fugger of the Deer, the other being the Fugger of the Lily). The former soon dwelled an existence in the shadow of the latter, due to ONE bad buisness decision. Lukas Fugger (1438 - 1512-ish, exact date of death unknown) granted an enormous loan of 10.000 Gulden to Archduke Maximilan I. of the House of Habsburg that he could not repay. He instead made the Belgian city of Löwen to stand surety to the Fuggers of the Deer, but the town was neither able nor willing to repay Maximilian's debt, and when most of the family's creditors withdrew their investments, the family went bancrupt. At one point Lukas' own son apparently demanded the return of his money from his father and even threatened him with a knife. Jakob Fugger, the to this day (in)famous leader of the Fuggers of the Lily then bought nearly all remaining Fugger of the Deer assets and thus his part of the family came do dominate for time to come.

Credits: Elements taken from wikimedia commons.