Entrepreneurs Who Changed History

g TRADE AND EXPLORATION g Contents

JAKOB FUGGER

1459–1525

Jakob Fugger played a pivotal role in his family’s domination of European banking and commerce during the 15th and 16th centuries. A successful financier and one of the first to lend money in exchange for shares in profits, he wielded more influence and power than some monarchs. He aptly came to be known as “Jakob the Rich.”

The 10th of 11 children, Jakob Fugger was born in Augsburg, Germany, where his family had established themselves as successful textile merchants. As a young man, Fugger went to work in Venice and learned bookkeeping. He remained in Italy for seven years, then moved ...