Bartholomeus Welser V
A Fugger-rivaling financier who briefly ruled a private colony in Venezuela, turning a banking fortune into a disastrous New World gamble.
1484–1561 (age 77)·German banker·Birthday: June 25
Biography
Bartholomeus Welser V was at the zenith of 16th-century power, a scion of the mighty Welser banking house of Augsburg, whose wealth rivaled kings. His family's loans bankrolled the ambitions of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, and in 1528, Welser secured an extraordinary return on investment: a charter to develop and rule a vast territory in modern-day Venezuela. This colony, dubbed 'Klein-Venedig' (Little Venice), was meant to be a source of immense wealth from gold and sugar. Welser dispatched German colonists and explorers, including the ruthless Ambrosius Ehinger, to conquer the territory. The venture quickly became a brutal failure, marked by violent conflicts with indigenous peoples, internal strife, and a failure to find the promised riches. After 18 years of chaos and mounting debts, Charles V revoked the charter in 1546, ending Europe's most ambitious attempt at German colonization in the Americas and significantly diminishing the Welser fortune.
#1 When Bartholomeus Was Born
The biggest hits of 1484
Bartholomeus's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1484Born
1489Started school
1497Became a teenager
1500Could drive
1502Could vote
1505Turned 21
1514Turned 30
1524Turned 40
1534Turned 50
1544Turned 60
1554Turned 70
1561Died at 77
Key Achievements
- Secured a royal charter from Emperor Charles V in 1528 granting his family the right to colonize and govern the Province of Venezuela.
- Led the Welser banking family during its peak of influence as financiers to the Habsburg monarchy.
- Organized and funded major expeditions, including those led by Ambrosius Ehinger and Georg von Speyer, into the South American interior.
Did You Know?
The Welser colony sent the first German settlers to the New World.
He was named a Prince of the Empire in 1532.
The colony's governor, Ambrosius Ehinger, is infamous for founding the city of Maracaibo and for his extreme cruelty.
The Welser family's involvement in the slave trade was a key part of their colonial enterprise.
“Our ledgers finance crowns, and our ships claim continents.”
