“ Johann Fugger’s son, Jakob, died in 1469, and three of his seven sons, Ulrich (1441–1510) , Georg (1453–1506) and Jakob (1459–1525) , men of great resource and industry, inherited the family business and added enormously to the family wealth. In 1473 Ulrich obtained from the emperor Frederick III. the right to bear arms for himself and his brothers, and about the same time he began to act as the banker of the Habsburgs, a connexion destined to bring fame and fortune to his house. ”

“ Jakob built the castle of Fuggerau in Tirol, and erected the Fuggerei at Augsburg, a collection of 106 dwellings, which were let at low rents to poor people and which still exist. Jakob Fugger and his two nephews, Ulrich (d. 1525) and Hieronymus (d. 1536) , the sons of Ulrich, died without direct heirs, and the family was continued by Georg’s sons, Raimund (1489–1535) and Anton (1493–1560) , under whom the Fuggers attained the summit of their wealth and influence. ”

“ The founder of the family was Johann Fugger, a weaver at Graben, near Augsburg, whose son, Johann, settled in Augsburg probably in 1367. The younger Johann added the business of a merchant to that of a weaver, and through his marriage with Clara Widolph became a citizen of Augsburg. After a successful career he died in 1408, leaving two sons, Andreas and Jakob, who greatly extended the business which they inherited from their father. ”