Earrings of Maria Hummel married Socin (1635-1681)

Abel Socin (born 1632 in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, died 1695 in Basel) was a Swiss merchant, politician, law lord (Gerichtsherr) and

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

from Basel. He was a member of the Grand Council of Basel and served as the

envoy Envoy or Envoys may refer to: Diplomacy * Diplomacy, in general * Envoy (title) * Special envoy, a type of diplomatic rank Brands *Airspeed Envoy, a 1930s British light transport aircraft *Envoy (automobile), an automobile brand used to sell Br ...

of the

Swiss Confederation ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

to the French court (Swiss ambassador to France) from 1679. In the

Basel Minster Basel Minster (German: ''Basler Münster'') is a religious building in the Swiss city of Basel, originally a Catholic cathedral and today a Reformed Protestant church. The original cathedral was built between 1019 and 1500 in Romanesque and ...

there is a Latin inscription in memory of Abel Socin; it recounts his life and praises him for his "innate eloquence and thoughtful wisdom."

Life

He was a member of the noble Italian

Socin Sozzini, Sozini, Socini or Socin is an Italian noble family originally from Siena in Tuscany, where the family were noted as bankers and merchants, jurists and humanist scholars. The family has been described as "the most famous legal dynasty of t ...

family, one of Basel's leading families. The Socin (Sozini) family had arrived in Basel in the 16th century from the Italian-speaking Swiss city of

Bellinzona Bellinzona ( , , Ticinese ; french: Bellinzone ; german: Bellenz ; rm, Blizuna )is a municipality, a historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebell ...

, which had formerly been part of the Duchy of Milan, and established themselves as wealthy merchants in Italian goods. While resident in Bellinzona in 1551, the family received a confirmation of

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

from the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

. Abel Socin was a brother of burgomaster of Basel Emanuel Socin (1628–1717) and the great-grandfather of

Abel Seyler Abel Seyler (23 August 1730, Liestal – 25 April 1800, Rellingen) was a Swiss-born theatre director and former merchant banker, who was regarded as one of the great theatre principals of 18th century Europe. He played a pivotal role in the dev ...

, one of the preeminent theatre principals of 18th century Europe, who was named after him. He was married three times; the remains of his second wife Maria Hummel (1635–1681) were discovered in front of the

in 2009, in what was Abel Socin's family grave, along with elaborate jewelry described by archaeologists as masterpieces from the era.Archäologen sprechen von Meisterstücken der Goldschmiedekunst: Grab mit Goldschmuck vor Basler Münster entdeckt
'' Neue Zürcher Zeitung'', 19 August 2009

References

Swiss diplomats Businesspeople from Basel-Stadt Swiss people of Italian descent 1632 births 1695 deaths

Abel Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd ...

Patriciate of Basel Politicians from Basel-Stadt {{Switzerland-diplomat-stub