Fuggers

County of Kirchberg and Weissenhorn
Grafschaft Kirchberg und Weißenhorn
State of the Holy Roman Empire
1536–1806
Coat of arms
Map of Württemberg before the French Revolutionary Wars, showing the County of Fugger, with the Danube shown running through the centre of the image and the Iller forming the border between Württemberger lands (coloured) and Bavarian lands (non-coloured)
Capital		Weißenhorn (nominally) Imp. City Augsburg (de facto)
Government		Principality
Historical era		Early modern Europe
•	Pledged non-immediate     County of Kirchberg and      of Weißenhorn	1507 1536
•	Raised to Imperial nobility	1511
•	Gained immediate     Lordship of Glött	1536
•	Fugger lands' immediacy	1541
•	Joined Swabian Circle	1563
•	Mediatised to Bavaria     and Württemberg	1806
Preceded by Succeeded by Duchy of Bavaria Duchy of Württemberg Augsburg Kingdom of Bavaria Kingdom of Württemberg

Coat of arms

The Fugger family (German pronunciation: [ˈfʊɡɐ]) is a German family that was a historically prominent group of European bankers, members of the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century mercantile patriciate of Augsburg, international mercantile bankers, and venture capitalists. Alongside the Welser family, the family controlled much of the European economy in the sixteenth century and accumulated enormous wealth.

This banking family replaced the de' Medici family, who influenced all of Europe during the Renaissance. The Fuggers took over many of the Medicis' assets and their political power and influence. They were closely affiliated with the House of Habsburg whose rise to world power they financed. Unlike the citizenry of their hometown, they never converted to the Augsburg Confession, but remained with the Catholic Church.

Jakob Fugger „the Rich“ was elevated to the nobility of the Holy Roman Empire in May 1511 and created Imperial Count of Kirchberg and Weissenhorn in 1514. The company was dissolved in 1657, however the Fuggers remained wealthy landowners and ruled the County of Kirchberg and Weissenhorn. The Babenhausen branch became Princes of the Holy Roman Empire in 1803, the Glött branch princes in the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1914.