Fugger

Fugger, also known as the Fuggers, was a German family of merchants, bankers, and mining magnates based in Augsburg. The family rose to prominence in the 15th century through long-distance trade and financing, becoming one of Europe’s wealthiest and most influential dynasties. Its best-known members include Jakob Fugger the Elder and his nephew Jakob Fugger the Rich, whose activities helped reshape European economics and politics.

Their wealth derived from mining and trade, notably copper and silver from the Tyrol, and from arranging loans for princes and rulers. They financed Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and, later, Charles V, building a network of agents and banking houses across Europe, including in Augsburg, Nuremberg, and Antwerp.

Beyond finance, the Fuggers left a social and cultural imprint. They endowed charitable and public works, most famously the Fuggerei, a residential complex in Augsburg founded in 1516 for needy citizens; it remains in operation today. The German banking house declined in the mid-16th century after the deaths of key figures, and its assets were dispersed, marking the end of the Fuggers’ political and economic empire.