The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: The Life and Times of Jacob

The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: The Life and Times of Jacob Fugger

â€œA colorful introduction to one of the most influential businessmen in historyâ€ (The New York Times Book Review), Jacob Fuggerâ€”the Renaissance banker â€œwho wrote the playbook for everyone who keeps score with moneyâ€ (Bryan Burrough, author of Days of Rage).

In the days when Columbus sailed the ocean and Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa, a German banker named Jacob Fugger became the richest man in history.

Fugger lived in Germany at the turn of the sixteenth century, the grandson of a peasant. By the time he died, his fortune amounted to nearly two percent of European GDP. In an era when kings had unlimited power, Fugger dared to stare down heads of state and ask them to pay back their loansâ€”with interest. It was this coolness and self-assurance, along with his inexhaustible ambition, that made him not only the richest man ever, but a force of history as well. Before Fugger came along it was illegal under church law to charge interest on loans, but he got the Pope to change that. He also helped trigger the Reformation and likely funded Magellanâ€™s circumnavigation of the globe. His creation of a news service gave him an information edge over his rivals and customers and earned Fugger a footnote in the history of journalism. And he took Austriaâ€™s Habsburg family from being second-tier sovereigns to rulers of the first empire where the sun never set.

â€œEnjoyableâ€¦readable and fast-pacedâ€ (The Wall Street Journal), The Richest Man Who Ever Lived is more than a tale about the most influential businessman of all time. It is a story about palace intrigue, knights in battle, family tragedy and triumph, and a violent clash between the one percent and everybody else. â€œThe tale of Fuggerâ€™s aspiration, ruthlessness, and greed is rivetingâ€ (The Economist).
Country USA
Manufacturer Simon & Schuster
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2015-08-04
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Simon & Schuster
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2015-08-04
Format	Kindle eBook

The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: The Life and Times of Jacob Fugger

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