Balthasar Eggenberger
Encyclopedia
Balthasar Eggenberger was an Austrian entrepreneur in the early days of mercantilism
. He was master of the imperial mint at Graz
in the Duchy of Styria
and financier to Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
. He was a man cut of the same cloth as the likes of the Burgundian chancellor Nicolas Rolin
, French merchant Jacques Coeur and the Medici
of Italy, whose cunning, ambition and skills allowed them to advance into the ranks of the nobility from mere common ancestry in the late Middle Ages
and early modern era. His activities laid an important foundation stone for the ascension of the House of Eggenberg
. Although Corvinus was an arch-rival of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
, Balthasar also succeeded in the court of the emperor as his chief financier and master of the imperial mint. In 1460 Balthasar bought land on the western outskirts of the town of Graz and established the family residence there with the minting business as well as dedicating a Gothic
chapel to the Virgin Mary which was recognized in a papal indulgence
dated 30 May 1470. But,like Jacques Coeur, Eggenberger's fall from power when he lost favor with the emperor was as dramatic as his rise through his friendship with Matthias Corvinus had been.
for the House of Eggenberg
can be traced back to 1479. The coat-of-arms consists of a shield with three crowned ravens bearing a crown in their beaks. The ravens are thought to have been included as a reference to the King of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus
, whose last name in Latin translates as "raven" and who likely granted the merchant the already noble coat of arms. The coat of arms appears at various sites throughout central Europe that once were in the possession of the Eggenberg’s. This includes on Balthasar’s tombstone, contrary to all convention of the time for those not born into the nobility. This tombstone can be seen today in the Gothic
chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary at the heart of Schloss Eggenberg
alongside the over 500 year old Eggenberger altarpiece which Balthasar commissioned for his private chapel.
finally establishing the family business and residence at the "Castrum Eckenperg" on the western outskirts of Graz in 1460. As a private entrepreneur leasing the business of minting the imperial currency from the emperor, Eggenberg made a profit only if the value of the coins as currency was higher than the cost of production. When the emperor raised taxes or prices or the cost of the lease, this cut into Eggenberger’s profits. Therefore, around 1459, as a profit oriented business man in the days of protocapitalism, he reduced the amount of silver in the coins to such a low level that the coins became nearly worthless; all the while Eggenberger managed to amass a large private fortune. The people took to calling the worthless coins "Schinderling
" and farmers would no longer accept them as currency. This precipitated a financial collapse and forced the emperor to attempt to seize Eggenberger, who had heard about the warrant and fled with very large sums of money in that time, nearly 40,000 pound, to Venice
in the early part of 1460. However, Eggenberger and the emperor came to some sort of arrangement, the exact details of which have been lost to history, and in May of 1460 Eggenberger returned to the family residence in Graz. He once again took up operations as the master of the mint for the emperor. He was, however, not able to stay within the good graces of the emperor for reasons that remain a mystery even today and died in the dungeons of the Schlossberg in 1493.
, built by Eggenberger’s great-grandson, Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg
. The former rooms of Balthasar now fittingly house the numismatic collections of the Styrian Universalmuseum Joanneum which now operates Eggenberg Palace
as a park and museum.
Mercantilism
Mercantilism is the economic doctrine in which government control of foreign trade is of paramount importance for ensuring the prosperity and security of the state. In particular, it demands a positive balance of trade. Mercantilism dominated Western European economic policy and discourse from...
. He was master of the imperial mint at Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
in the Duchy of Styria
Duchy of Styria
The history of Styria concerns the region roughly corresponding to the modern Austrian state of Styria and the Slovene region of Styria from its settlement by Germans and Slavs in the Dark Ages until the present...
and financier to Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
. He was a man cut of the same cloth as the likes of the Burgundian chancellor Nicolas Rolin
Nicolas Rolin
Nicolas Rolin was a leading figure in the history of Burgundy and France, becoming chancellor to Philip the Good .-Biography:...
, French merchant Jacques Coeur and the Medici
Medici
The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...
of Italy, whose cunning, ambition and skills allowed them to advance into the ranks of the nobility from mere common ancestry in the late Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and early modern era. His activities laid an important foundation stone for the ascension of the House of Eggenberg
House of Eggenberg
Eggenberg is the name of an Austrian noble family from Styria whose last male heir died in 1717 bringing an end to the House of Eggenberg.- History :The origin of the Austrian noble house of Eggenberg is shrouded in darkness...
Biography
The exact date of birth of Balthasar Eggenberger has been lost but he was born the son of Ulrich Eggenberger sometime in the early to mid-15th century. Like most successful men of the era, Balthasar displayed the contrary character of being, on the one hand, an unscrupulous and ambitious merchant, while on the other, being extremely pious. In 1451, to help secure the salvation of his immortal soul, he established the Eckennperger Stift. This was a hospital for the poor to which he later funded the addition of a small Chapel of All Saints and a family crypt. He was a cunning businessman who laid the foundations for the ascension of the merchant house to a noble house through his friendship with king Matthias Corvinus of HungaryMatthias Corvinus of Hungary
Matthias Corvinus , also called the Just in folk tales, was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458, at the age of 14 until his death...
. Although Corvinus was an arch-rival of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
, Balthasar also succeeded in the court of the emperor as his chief financier and master of the imperial mint. In 1460 Balthasar bought land on the western outskirts of the town of Graz and established the family residence there with the minting business as well as dedicating a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
chapel to the Virgin Mary which was recognized in a papal indulgence
Indulgence
In Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution...
dated 30 May 1470. But,like Jacques Coeur, Eggenberger's fall from power when he lost favor with the emperor was as dramatic as his rise through his friendship with Matthias Corvinus had been.
Origin of the Eggenberg Coat of arms
The earliest known references to a coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
for the House of Eggenberg
House of Eggenberg
Eggenberg is the name of an Austrian noble family from Styria whose last male heir died in 1717 bringing an end to the House of Eggenberg.- History :The origin of the Austrian noble house of Eggenberg is shrouded in darkness...
can be traced back to 1479. The coat-of-arms consists of a shield with three crowned ravens bearing a crown in their beaks. The ravens are thought to have been included as a reference to the King of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary
Matthias Corvinus , also called the Just in folk tales, was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458, at the age of 14 until his death...
, whose last name in Latin translates as "raven" and who likely granted the merchant the already noble coat of arms. The coat of arms appears at various sites throughout central Europe that once were in the possession of the Eggenberg’s. This includes on Balthasar’s tombstone, contrary to all convention of the time for those not born into the nobility. This tombstone can be seen today in the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary at the heart of Schloss Eggenberg
Schloss Eggenberg (Graz)
Eggenberg Palace in Graz is the most significant Baroque palace complex in Styria. With its preserved accouterments, the extensive scenic gardens as well as some additional collections from the Universalmuseum Joanneum housed in the palace and park, Schloss Eggenberg counts among the most valuable...
alongside the over 500 year old Eggenberger altarpiece which Balthasar commissioned for his private chapel.
Mint master and financier to the emperor
In the 1450s Balthasar became financier to Frederick IIIFrederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
finally establishing the family business and residence at the "Castrum Eckenperg" on the western outskirts of Graz in 1460. As a private entrepreneur leasing the business of minting the imperial currency from the emperor, Eggenberg made a profit only if the value of the coins as currency was higher than the cost of production. When the emperor raised taxes or prices or the cost of the lease, this cut into Eggenberger’s profits. Therefore, around 1459, as a profit oriented business man in the days of protocapitalism, he reduced the amount of silver in the coins to such a low level that the coins became nearly worthless; all the while Eggenberger managed to amass a large private fortune. The people took to calling the worthless coins "Schinderling
Schinderling
Schinderling was a popular name for the pfennigs with a sharply decreased content of fine silver from the time around 1457 to 1460, which were in circulation mostly in the region of Inner Austria.-History:...
" and farmers would no longer accept them as currency. This precipitated a financial collapse and forced the emperor to attempt to seize Eggenberger, who had heard about the warrant and fled with very large sums of money in that time, nearly 40,000 pound, to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in the early part of 1460. However, Eggenberger and the emperor came to some sort of arrangement, the exact details of which have been lost to history, and in May of 1460 Eggenberger returned to the family residence in Graz. He once again took up operations as the master of the mint for the emperor. He was, however, not able to stay within the good graces of the emperor for reasons that remain a mystery even today and died in the dungeons of the Schlossberg in 1493.
Balthasar Eggenberger’s residence
The medieval residence of Balthasar Eggenberger went on to become the core of the 17th century palace, Schloss EggenbergSchloss Eggenberg (Graz)
Eggenberg Palace in Graz is the most significant Baroque palace complex in Styria. With its preserved accouterments, the extensive scenic gardens as well as some additional collections from the Universalmuseum Joanneum housed in the palace and park, Schloss Eggenberg counts among the most valuable...
, built by Eggenberger’s great-grandson, Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg
Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg
Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg was an Austrian statesman, a son of Seyfried von Eggenberg and great-grandson of Balthasar Eggenberger of the House of Eggenberg.- Biography :...
. The former rooms of Balthasar now fittingly house the numismatic collections of the Styrian Universalmuseum Joanneum which now operates Eggenberg Palace
Schloss Eggenberg (Graz)
Eggenberg Palace in Graz is the most significant Baroque palace complex in Styria. With its preserved accouterments, the extensive scenic gardens as well as some additional collections from the Universalmuseum Joanneum housed in the palace and park, Schloss Eggenberg counts among the most valuable...
as a park and museum.
Sources
- Die Fürsten und Freiherren zu Eggenberg und ihre Vorfahren. By Walther Ernest Heydendorff. Graz: Verlag Styria, 1965.
- Schloss Eggenberg. By Barbara Kaiser. Graz: Christian Brandstätter Verlag, 2006. ISBN 3-902510-80-3 (English Edition) or ISBN 3-902510-96-X (German Edition) (available in German or English editions through the Universal Museum JoanneumLandesmuseum JoanneumThe Universalmuseum Joanneum is a multidisciplinary museum in Styria, Austria. It has galleries and collections in many subject areas including Archaeology, Geology, Palaeontology, Mineralogy, Botany, Zoology, History, Art and Folk Culture...
- Das Joanneum – Österreichs Universalmuseum [documentary film DVD] By Günther Schilhan (director) & Helmut Gesslbauer (producer), Austria: ORF Steiermark, 2006.
- Planet Eggenberg. By Hermann Götz. Graz: Landesmuseum Joanneum / Leykam Medien AG, 2005.
External links
- Universal Museum Joanneum http://www.museum-joanneum.at/
- Graztourismus http://cms.graztourismus.at/cms/beitrag/10004638/1391052/
- Kleine Zeitung http://www.kleinezeitung.at/steiermark/graz/graz/ausfluege.do?action=showEventLocation_Detail&id=31590
- CUSOON http://www.cusoon.at/schloss-eggenberg