The Berenberg family (
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
for "bear mountain") was a
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
-origined
Hanseatic
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...
family of
merchant
A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...
s,
bankers
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Because ...
and
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
s in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, with branches in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
and other European cities. The family was descended from the brothers Hans and Paul Berenberg from
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, , who came as Protestant refugees to the
city-republic of Hamburg following the Fall of Antwerp in 1585 and who established what is now
Berenberg Bank
Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG, commonly known as Berenberg Bank and also branded as simply Berenberg, is a multinational full-service investment bank based in Hamburg, Germany.
It was founded by the Flemish Berenberg family in 1590 () and ...
in Hamburg in 1590. The Berenbergs were originally
cloth merchant
In the Middle Ages or 16th and 17th centuries, a cloth merchant was one who owned or ran a cloth (often wool) manufacturing or wholesale import or export business. A cloth merchant might additionally own a number of draper's shops. Cloth was ext ...
s and became involved in
merchant banking
A merchant bank is historically a bank dealing in commercial loans and investment. In modern British usage it is the same as an investment bank. Merchant banks were the first modern banks and evolved from medieval merchants who traded in commodi ...
in the 17th century. Having existed continuously since 1590, Berenberg Bank is the world's oldest surviving merchant bank.
The Berenberg banking family became extinct in the male line with
Elisabeth Berenberg
Elisabeth Berenberg (2 December 1749 – 16 January 1822) was a Hamburg heiress, merchant banker and a member of the Berenberg family. She was the last male line member of the Flemish-origined Hanseatic Berenberg banking family in Hamburg, and anc ...
(1749–1822); she was married to
Johann Hinrich Gossler
Johann Hinrich Gossler (born 18 August 1738 in Hamburg, died 31 August 1790 in Hamburg) was a German banker and grand burgher of Hamburg, a member of the Hanseatic Berenberg/Gossler banking dynasty and the owner and head of the firm Joh. Berenb ...
, who became a co-owner of the bank in 1769. From the late 18th century, the
Gossler family
The Gossler family (also spelled Goßler, historically also Gosler), including the Berenberg-Gossler branch, is a Hanseatic and partially noble banking family from Hamburg.
The family is descended from weavers and burghers in the city-republic ...
, as owners of Berenberg Bank, rose to great prominence in Hamburg, and was widely considered one of Hamburg's two most prominent families, along with the related
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
family. A branch of the family was later ennobled by
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
as
Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
s of Berenberg-Gossler (Hamburg was a republic and had no nobility). Several members of the Berenberg and Gossler families served in the
Senate of Hamburg
The government of Hamburg is divided into executive, legislative and judicial branches. Hamburg is a city-state and municipality, and thus its governance deals with several details of both state and local community politics. It takes place in two ...
from 1735, and Elisabeth Berenberg's grandson
Hermann Gossler
Hermann Gossler (born 21 August 1802 in Hamburg, died 10 May 1877 in Hamburg) was a Hamburg lawyer, senator (1842–77) and First Mayor and President of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (i.e. the city republic's head of state ...
became
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
of the city-republic.
Richard J. Evans
Sir Richard John Evans (born 29 September 1947) is a British historian of 19th- and 20th-century Europe with a focus on Germany. He is the author of eighteen books, including his three-volume ''The Third Reich Trilogy'' (2003–2008). Evans was ...
describes the family as one of Hamburg's "great business families." The
Gossler Islands
Gossler Islands () are a group of north–south trending islands in extent, lying west of Cape Monaco, Anvers Island, in the Palmer Archipelago off Antarctica.
They were discovered and named by a German expedition under Eduard Dallmann, 1873â ...
in
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
are named for the family. Elisabeth Berenberg and Johann Hinrich Gossler presently have descendants with names including (Berenberg-)
Gossler,
Paus
The Paus family () is a Norwegian family that first appeared as members of the elite of 16th-century Oslo and that for centuries belonged to Norway's "aristocracy of officials" as priests of the state church, judges and other higher government of ...
,
Bernstorff
Bernstorff is an old and distinguished German-Danish noble family of Mecklenburgian origin. Members of the family held the title of Count/Countess, granted to them on 14.12.1767 by King Christian VII of Denmark.
Notable members
* Andreas Gott ...
and other names.
Members of the Berenberg family have founded several other companies. A
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
branch of the Berenberg family were prominent merchants in the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
trade from the 17th century and co-founded the London firm
Meyer & Berenberg.
Berenberg-Gossler & Partner was Hamburg's leading corporate law firm and later merged into the current law firm
Taylor Wessing
Taylor Wessing LLP is an international law firm with 28 offices internationally. The firm has over 300 partners and over 1000 lawyers worldwide. The company was formed as a result of a merger of the British law firm ''Taylor Joynson Garrett'' a ...
.
History
The Berenbergs in Berg and Brabant
The Berenberg family originates from the
Bergisches Land
The Bergisches Land (, ''Berg Country'') is a low mountain range region within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, east of Rhine river, south of the Ruhr. The landscape is shaped by woods, meadows, rivers and creeks and contains over ...
region in the
Duchy of Berg
Berg was a state—originally a county, later a duchy—in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed as a distinct political entity from the early 12th to the 19th centuries.
The name of the county lives on in the modern ...
. Its earliest known ancestor, Thillmann Berenberg, was born on the Groß-Berenberg estate in 1465, and was a
cloth merchant
In the Middle Ages or 16th and 17th centuries, a cloth merchant was one who owned or ran a cloth (often wool) manufacturing or wholesale import or export business. A cloth merchant might additionally own a number of draper's shops. Cloth was ext ...
.
The growing
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
industry of
Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to:
Place names in Europe
* London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany
Belgium
* Province of Bra ...
led Thillmann's son, Jan Berenberg (born 1490 in
Gummersbach
Gummersbach (; ksh, Jummersbach) is a town in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, being the district seat of the Oberbergischer Kreis. It is located east of Cologne.
History
In 1109 Gummersbach was mentioned in offic ...
, died 1549 in
Lier, Belgium
Lier (; french: Lierre, ) is a municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. It is composed of the city of Lier proper and the village of Koningshooikt. The city centre is surrounded by the river ''Nete'', a ...
), to take his family to
Lier in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, , where he became a
burgher
Burgher may refer to:
* Burgher (social class), a medieval, early modern European title of a citizen of a town, and a social class from which city officials could be drawn
** Burgess (title), a resident of a burgh in northern Britain
** Grand Bu ...
in 1515. He was married to Engele Segers, and they were the parents of Paul Berenberg (born ca. 1533 in Lier, died 1623 in Antwerp), who was a cloth merchant in Antwerp and who married Anna Kriekart from Everbroek. Paul Berenberg was the father of Hans (1561–1626) and Paul Berenberg (1566–1645). The two brothers married sisters Anna (1557–1635) and Francina Snellinck (1559–1642), daughters of the Antwerp merchant Andries Snellinck (1531–1606) and Françoise (Francina) de Rénialme (1539–1610).
The Berenbergs were one of 130 Dutch families that had become
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
during the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
. During the
Eighty Years' War
The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...
, the family fled Lier and settled in the nearby
city of Antwerp (Stade). The family left Antwerp in 1585 as a result of the
Fall of Antwerp
The Fall of Antwerp on 17 August 1585 took place during the Eighty Years' War, after a siege lasting over a year from July 1584 until August 1585. The city of Antwerp was the focal point of the Protestant-dominated Dutch Revolt, but was force ...
, when the city was conquered by
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese ( it, Alessandro Farnese, es, Alejandro Farnesio; 27 August 1545 – 3 December 1592) was an Italian noble and condottiero and later a general of the Spanish army, who was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1586 to 1592 ...
. The strongly fortified city, Europe's leading commercial centre at the time, was defended with resolute determination and courage by its citizens, but ultimately fell, and around 60% of the city's pre-siege population fled the city, fearing Spanish massacres or
forced conversion
Forced conversion is the adoption of a different religion or the adoption of irreligion under duress. Someone who has been forced to convert to a different religion or irreligion may continue, covertly, to adhere to the beliefs and practices which ...
to Catholicism.
Grand burghers of Hamburg
Many Dutch refugees settled in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, among them the brothers Hans and Paul Berenberg. In 1590, they founded the merchant house now known as
Berenberg Bank
Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG, commonly known as Berenberg Bank and also branded as simply Berenberg, is a multinational full-service investment bank based in Hamburg, Germany.
It was founded by the Flemish Berenberg family in 1590 () and ...
. They were originally
cloth merchant
In the Middle Ages or 16th and 17th centuries, a cloth merchant was one who owned or ran a cloth (often wool) manufacturing or wholesale import or export business. A cloth merchant might additionally own a number of draper's shops. Cloth was ext ...
s and active in the
import-export business. In Hamburg, the Berenbergs initially formed part of a Dutch colony and intermarried with the city's leading Hanseatic families, several of which were also of Dutch descent (e.g.
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
). While a number of Dutch refugees became Hamburg citizens, Hans and Paul Berenberg were not prepared to take that step. In 1605, the Hamburg council issued a decree that gave the Dutch merchants the same rights as the burghers of Hamburg.
Hans Berenberg's son was also named Hans Berenberg (1593–1640), and was married to Adelheid Ruhlant (1611–1684), daughter of the
advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...
Rütger Ruhlant (1568–1630) who was ennobled by 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 ...
in 1622, and Catarina de Greve (1582–1655). Their son,
Cornelius Berenberg
Cornelius Berenberg (1634 – 1711) was a Hamburg grand burgher, merchant banker, a member of the Berenberg family, and owner of Berenberg Bank. His grandfather Hans Berenberg (1561–1626) had fled from Antwerp with his brother Paul Berenberg ( ...
(1634–1711), was the first to engage in
merchant banking
A merchant bank is historically a bank dealing in commercial loans and investment. In modern British usage it is the same as an investment bank. Merchant banks were the first modern banks and evolved from medieval merchants who traded in commodi ...
and developed the company into a very successful merchant house and merchant bank. He forged trade links with France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Scandinavia and Russia. Family connections of the Berenbergs were instrumental to the development, especially in Livorno and Lisbon with its colonies of wealthy Dutch merchants. Cornelius Berenberg was also the first Berenberg to take the oath as a Hamburg burgher in 1684; the family thus became part of Hamburg's ruling class of
Grand Burgher
Grand Burgher aleor Grand Burgheress emale(from German: Großbürger ale Großbürgerin emale is a specific conferred or inherited title of medieval German origin and legally defined preeminent status granting exclusive constitutional privile ...
s.
Cornelius Berenberg's son,
Rudolf Berenberg (1680–1746), was elected a
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
in 1735. By the mid 18th century,
investment banking
Investment banking pertains to certain activities of a financial services company or a corporate division that consist in advisory-based financial transactions on behalf of individuals, corporations, and governments. Traditionally associated wit ...
and
acceptance credit
An acceptance credit is a type of letter of credit that is paid by a time draft authorizing payment on or after a specific date, if the terms of the letter of credit have been complied with. The bank "accepts" bills of exchange drawn on the bank by ...
s comprised a significant part of the firm's activities. Rudolf Berenberg was married to Anna Elisabeth
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
(1690–1748), the daughter of Paul Amsinck (1649–1706), a merchant of Hamburg and Lisbon, who was descended from the
Welser
Welser was a Germans, German banking and merchant family, originally a patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family based in Augsburg and Nuremberg, that rose to great prominence in international high finance in the 16th century as bankers t ...
family. They were the parents of Rudolf Berenberg (1712–61), a merchant in Hamburg, Cornelius Berenberg (1714–73), a merchant in
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
, Senator
Paul Berenberg (1716–1768) and of
Johann Berenberg
Johann Berenberg (born 12 March 1718 in Hamburg, died 2 March 1772 in Hamburg) was a Hamburg merchant banker. He was a co-owner of Berenberg Bank from 1748, with his brother, senator Paul Berenberg, and after the latter's death in 1768 the sole o ...
(1718–1772), a co-owner and later sole owner of the Berenberg company.
The Gossler and Seyler families
The Berenberg family were merchants, bankers and
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
s in Hamburg for almost two centuries until the banking branch of the Berenberg family became extinct in the
male line
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritan ...
. However, Berenberg Bank was passed on to the descendants of Johann Berenberg (1718–1772) in the female line. After Senator Paul Berenberg died childless in 1768, his brother Johann Berenberg took on his son-in-law
Johann Hinrich Gossler
Johann Hinrich Gossler (born 18 August 1738 in Hamburg, died 31 August 1790 in Hamburg) was a German banker and grand burgher of Hamburg, a member of the Hanseatic Berenberg/Gossler banking dynasty and the owner and head of the firm Joh. Berenb ...
(1738–90) as a partner and eventually sole heir, as he was married to Johann Berenberg's only surviving child,
Elisabeth Berenberg
Elisabeth Berenberg (2 December 1749 – 16 January 1822) was a Hamburg heiress, merchant banker and a member of the Berenberg family. She was the last male line member of the Flemish-origined Hanseatic Berenberg banking family in Hamburg, and anc ...
(1749–1822). The Gossler family is known in Hamburg since the 17th century, when Johann Hinrich Gossler's great-grandfather Claus Gossler (1630–1713) was a Hamburg burgher.
The historian
Percy Ernst Schramm
Percy Ernst Schramm (14 October 1894 – 21 November 1970) was a German historian who specialized in art history and medieval history. Schramm was a Chair and Professor of History at the University of Göttingen from 1929 to 1963.
Early lif ...
describes their marriage as a
marriage of convenience
A marriage of convenience is a marriage contracted for reasons other than that of love and commitment. Instead, such a marriage is entered into for personal gain, or some other sort of strategic purpose, such as a political marriage. There are ...
; she was not considered beautiful, but was intelligent, cultivated, kind, spoke many languages (including Latin) and became an exemplary wife and mother. She survived her husband by 32 years and after his death managed the firm together with her son-in-law.
[Percy Ernst Schramm, Neun Generationen: Dreihundert Jahre deutscher "Kulturgeschichte" im Lichte der Schicksale einer Hamburger Bürgerfamilie (1648–1948). Vol. I and II, Göttingen 1963/64.]
In 1788, Johann Hinrich Gossler bought the
Mortzenhaus
The Mortzenhaus was one of the largest and most well known city palaces in Hamburg. It was built in 1621 by the brothers and arms dealers Jacob and Hans Moers, who were among the wealthiest people in Hamburg in their lifetime.
History Overview
...
palace in Alter Wandrahm 101 (later 21). Built in 1621 with a renaissance facade, it was one of the largest and most well known palaces in Hamburg. The building was owned by the Gossler family until the 1880s, when it was demolished to make room for the ''
Speicherstadt
The Speicherstadt (, literally: 'City of Warehouses', meaning warehouse district) in Hamburg, Germany is the largest warehouse district in the world where the buildings stand on timber-pile foundations, oak logs, in this particular case. It is ...
''.
Johann Hinrich Gossler and Elisabeth Berenberg's eldest daughter,
Anna Henriette Gossler, was married to
Ludwig Erdwin Seyler
Ludwig Erdwin Seyler (15 May 1758 – 26 October 1836; often known as ''L.E. Seyler'') was a German banker, merchant and politician. He was by marriage a member of the Hanseaten (class), Hanseatic Berenberg family, Berenberg banking dynasty, and wa ...
, a son of the famous theatre director
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 deve ...
. In 1788, Johann Hinrich Gossler took on his son-in-law as a partner in the firm, and after Gossler's death in 1790, Seyler became head of the firm, which was renamed ''Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co.'' in 1791. He held several public offices in Hamburg and served as President of the
Commerz-Deputation
The Hamburg Chamber of Commerce (''Handelskammer Hamburg''), originally named the Commercial Deputation (''Commerz-Deputation''), is the chamber of commerce for the city state of Hamburg, and was founded in 1665. Hamburg has for centuries bee ...
1817–1818. During the
Napoleonic War
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, Seyler temporarily moved the headquarters of the Berenberg company to the house of his son-in-law,
Gerhard von Hosstrup
Gerhard Carsten Jakob von Hosstrup (or Hoßtrup) (born 23 April 1771 in Hamburg, died 7 September 1851) was a Hamburg businessman and the founder of the Hamburg Stock Exchange building (Hamburger Börsenhalle). He became ''Oberalter'' in 1843.
...
. L.E. Seyler and Anna Henriette Gossler's children were briefly co-owners of Berenberg Bank, and they have many prominent descendants in Hamburg and Norway with family names such as von Hosstrup,
Wegner and
Paus
The Paus family () is a Norwegian family that first appeared as members of the elite of 16th-century Oslo and that for centuries belonged to Norway's "aristocracy of officials" as priests of the state church, judges and other higher government of ...
.
Anna Henriette Gossler's younger brother
Johann Heinrich Gossler
Johann Heinrich Gossler (born 28 March 1775, died 3 April 1842) was a Hamburg banker and grand burgher, a member of the Berenberg-Gossler-Seyler banking dynasty, a co-owner (from 1798) of the Berenberg Bank and a senator of Hamburg from 1821. He ...
became a partner in 1798, and was elected a
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
of Hamburg in 1821. Several other family members also served as senators, with
Hermann Gossler
Hermann Gossler (born 21 August 1802 in Hamburg, died 10 May 1877 in Hamburg) was a Hamburg lawyer, senator (1842–77) and First Mayor and President of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (i.e. the city republic's head of state ...
becoming
First Mayor (a position equal to the federal princes, ''Bundesfürsten''). In 1880,
Johann Berenberg Gossler (who had Berenberg as a
middle name
In various cultures, a middle name is a portion of a personal name that is written between the person's first given name and their surname.
A middle name is often abbreviated and is then called middle initial or just initial.
A person may be ...
) and his descendants were granted the name Berenberg-Gossler by the Hamburg Senate. The Berenberg-Gosslers were ennobled in the
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...
(which was technically a foreign country) in 1888 and raised to
Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
ial rank in 1910. The Prussian ennoblement was somewhat controversial in the family and in Hamburg, as the grand burghers of Hamburg mostly considered the nobility inferior to Hanseatic families.
[
Renate Hauschild-Thiessen: "Adel und Bürgertum in Hamburg." In: ''Hamburgisches Geschlechterbuch''. 14, 1997, p. 30.] According to Richard J. Evans, "the wealthy of nineteenth-century Hamburg were for the most part stern republicans, abhorring titles, refusing to accord any deference to the Prussian nobility, and determinedly loyal to their urban background and mercantile heritage." As Johann Berenberg-Gossler was ennobled, his sister Susanne (married name
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
), exclaimed "Aber John, unser guter Name!" (But John, our good name!)
In the 19th century, the Berenberg-Gosslers were strongly involved in the
industrialisation
Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...
process in northern Germany and in the North American trade and its finance. In 1847, the Berenberg-Gosslers were the main founders of the
Hamburg America Line
The Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Aktien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), known in English as the Hamburg America Line, was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, in 1847. Among those involved in its development were prominent citi ...
(HAPAG) together with the merchant house
H.J. Merck & Co., and in 1857 they were among the main founders of the
Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL; North German Lloyd) was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on 20 February 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of th ...
. They also financed the
ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''.
Ironworks succeeded bloomeri ...
of
Ilseder Hütte
The Ilseder Hütte is a former ironworks in Ilsede ( district of Peine) in Lower Saxony, Germany
History
Funded by the bank Ephraim Meyer & Sohn. Carl Hostmann founded an Ironworks based on supposed both coal- and orefields in this area ...
. The houses of Berenberg-Gossler, H.J. Merck and
Salomon Heine
Salomon Heine (19 October 1767 – 23 December 1844) was a merchant and banker in Hamburg. Heine was born in Hanover. Penniless, he came to Hamburg in 1784 and in the following years acquired sizeable assets. It was common knowledge at the t ...
were also the main founders of the
Norddeutsche Bank The Norddeutsche Bank was a German bank that existed from 1856 to 1929. It was established by Berenberg Bank, H.J. Merck & Co. and the bank house of Salomon Heine and private founders such as Robert Kayser as the first joint-stock bank in norther ...
in 1856, the first joint-stock bank in northern Germany and one of the predecessors of
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...
.
Since the early 19th century, Berenberg Bank had a close cooperation with
Barings Bank
Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London, and one of England's List of oldest banks in continuous operation, oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 ...
of London, and its owners a close personal relationship with the
Baring family
The Baring family is a German and British family of merchants and bankers. In Germany, the family belongs to the ''Bildungsbürgertum'', and in England, it belongs to the aristocracy.
History
The family's earliest known ancestor is Peter Baring ...
.
During the
Nazi era
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, the Berenberg-Gossler family—themselves descended from religious refugees—especially Baron
Cornelius von Berenberg-Gossler Baron Cornelius von Berenberg-Gossler (2 March 1874 – 29 September 1953) was a German banker, a member of the illustrious Berenberg-Gossler banking dynasty, and owner and head of Berenberg Bank from 1913. He withdrew from active management of th ...
, were strongly involved in helping Jewish-origined friends and associates in Hamburg who faced persecution, securing the release of Fritz
Warburg
Warburg (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Warberich'' or ''Warborg'') is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, central Germany on the river Diemel near the three-state point shared by Hessen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. It ...
in 1939.
Heinrich von Berenberg-Gossler was the last family member to serve as a personally liable partner (until 1979).
In Hamburg, the
Gossler Park
Gossler's Park (German: ''Goßlers Park'') is a public park in Blankenese in Hamburg. It is located north of ''Blankeneser Landstraße'' and near Blankenese station
Blankenese is a railway station on the Altona-Blankenese line, part of the Hambu ...
in
Blankenese
Blankenese () is a suburban quarter in the borough of Altona in the western part of Hamburg, Germany; until 1938 it was an independent municipality in Holstein. It is located on the right bank of the Elbe river. With a population of 13,637 as of ...
is named after the family.
In 18th and 19th century Hamburg, a marriage to a Berenberg/Gossler or the closely related
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
family could greatly advance one's social position, as was the case with Hamburg head of state
Max Predöhl
Max Garlieb August Predöhl (29 March 1854 in Hamburg – 11 March 1923 in Hamburg) was a Hamburg lawyer and politician. He served as Senator and First Mayor of Hamburg (head of state and head of government).
The son of a Hamburg merchant, he ...
.
Wilhelm Gossler (1811–1895) was the grandfather of the painter and sculptor
Mary Warburg
Mary Whelan Warburg (née Prue; December 6, 1908 – March 8, 2009) was a philanthropist, member (by marriage) of the Warburg banking family, and younger sister to Edwina d'Erlanger, wife of Baron Leo Frédéric Alfred d'Erlanger (son of ...
, who was married to the art historian and cultural theorist
Aby Warburg
Aby Moritz Warburg, better known as Aby Warburg, (June 13, 1866 – October 26, 1929) was a German art historian and cultural theorist who founded the Kulturwissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg (Library for Cultural Studies), a private library, ...
, a member of the Warburg banking family.
Joachim von Berenberg-Consbruch (né Consbruch) and other people named Berenberg-Consbruch are not descended from the Berenberg family; he acquired the name by civil name change in Hamburg in 1976. He worked for the bank and his stepfather was a Berenberg-Gossler.
Properties
File:HH-Riefesell-32-Alte-Gröningerstraße--20-20-07-1884.JPG, The large building in Alte Gröningerstraße 20, bought in 1755 by Paul Berenberg as seat of the Berenberg company
File:Mortzenhaus 2.jpg, The Mortzenhaus
The Mortzenhaus was one of the largest and most well known city palaces in Hamburg. It was built in 1621 by the brothers and arms dealers Jacob and Hans Moers, who were among the wealthiest people in Hamburg in their lifetime.
History Overview
...
, city residence of Johann Hinrich Gossler
Johann Hinrich Gossler (born 18 August 1738 in Hamburg, died 31 August 1790 in Hamburg) was a German banker and grand burgher of Hamburg, a member of the Hanseatic Berenberg/Gossler banking dynasty and the owner and head of the firm Joh. Berenb ...
and his family and seat of Berenberg Bank from 1788. During the summer, the family lived on a property outside the city.
File:Stavenhagenhaus - panoramio.jpg, Frustberg House
The Frustberg House, also known as the Tiefbrunn House, is a former property and a baroque brick manor house at Frustberg in the Hamburg borough of Groß Borstel. The property became a summer residence for wealthy Hamburg citizens from 1651. The ...
served as summer residence of Elisabeth Gossler née Berenberg from 1793 to 1822. It was built by Johann Hinrich Gossler's great-grandfather, cloth merchant Eybert Tiefbrunn, in 1703
File:Goßlerhaus.JPG, Goßlerhaus, a manor house in Blankenese
Blankenese () is a suburban quarter in the borough of Altona in the western part of Hamburg, Germany; until 1938 it was an independent municipality in Holstein. It is located on the right bank of the Elbe river. With a population of 13,637 as of ...
, built for John Henry Gossler
Gallery
File:Emilie Gossler married Amsinck painted by Friedrich Carl Gröger.png, Emilie Gossler (1799–1875), daughter of Senator Johann Heinrich Gossler and wife of business magnate Johannes Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
(1792–1879), who earned a fortune trading with South American countries. Painted in 1818 by Friedrich Carl Gröger
Friedrich Carl Gröger (14 October 1766 in Plön – 9 November 1838 in Hamburg) was a north-German portrait painter and lithographer. One of the most respected portraitists of his time in northern Germany, his works are to be found in sever ...
.
File:Henriette Seyler drawn by her sister Molly Seyler in 1827 (cropped).jpeg, Henriette Seyler (1805–75), daughter of Berenberg Bank head and co-owner L.E. Seyler and Anna Henriette Gossler, and wife of the Norwegian industrialist Benjamin Wegner
Jacob Benjamin Wegner (21 February 1795 – 9 June 1864) was a Norwegian business magnate, estate owner and timber merchant.
Born in Königsberg, East Prussia, he moved to London in 1819 and to Berlin in 1820, where he established an independ ...
. Drawn by her sister Molly in 1827.
Coat of arms
The Berenbergs used as their coat of arms a
bear
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...
(''im goldenen Felde auf einem grünen Schildfuß ein nach rechts aufgerichteter schwarzer Bär mit goldenem Halsband, in den Vorderpranken einen grünen Zweig haltend''). The coat of arms is known since the 17th century and was most likely adopted no later than the 16th century in
Lier, Belgium
Lier (; french: Lierre, ) is a municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. It is composed of the city of Lier proper and the village of Koningshooikt. The city centre is surrounded by the river ''Nete'', a ...
. As of 1699, the Berenberg coat of arms was still visible in the church windows in Lier.
[Die Berenberg-Gossler]
" in: ''Vierteljahrsschrift für Heraldik, Sphragistik und Genealogie'', Vol. 9, 1881
In 1773,
Johann Hinrich Gossler
Johann Hinrich Gossler (born 18 August 1738 in Hamburg, died 31 August 1790 in Hamburg) was a German banker and grand burgher of Hamburg, a member of the Hanseatic Berenberg/Gossler banking dynasty and the owner and head of the firm Joh. Berenb ...
adopted as his coat of arms a goose foot. From 1832, the family used a more complicated coat of arms.
Upon being ennobled by Prussia in 1889, the family was granted a coat of arms combining the Berenberg and 1773 Gossler coats of arms.
[Marcelli Janecki, ''Handbuch des preussischen Adels: Hrsg. Unter Förderung des Königlichen Herolds-Amtes'', Vol 1, E. S. Mittler, 1892] This coat of arms is also used as the
logo
A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...
of
Berenberg Bank
Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG, commonly known as Berenberg Bank and also branded as simply Berenberg, is a multinational full-service investment bank based in Hamburg, Germany.
It was founded by the Flemish Berenberg family in 1590 () and ...
.
File:Berenberg COA.svg, Berenberg coat of arms, used since the 16th century
File:Goßler Wappen.jpg, Coat of arms of the Gossler family, as used from 1832. The goose foot was adopted as the Gossler arms by Johann Hinrich Gossler in 1773
File:Barons_of_Berenberg-Gossler_COA.svg, The coat of arms of the Barons of Berenberg-Gossler, combining the Berenberg and Gossler arms
Image:Berenberg coat of arms.svg, A highly stylized version of the combined Berenberg/Gossler coat of arms, used as a logo by Berenberg Bank
Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG, commonly known as Berenberg Bank and also branded as simply Berenberg, is a multinational full-service investment bank based in Hamburg, Germany.
It was founded by the Flemish Berenberg family in 1590 () and ...
File:1727 grave of Sir Peter Meyer, merchant, at St. Andrew, Totteridge, Barnet, London, detail.jpeg, A 1727 variant of the Berenberg arms (a bear sitting under a tree holding a palm branch in his paws ppr.) on the grave of Sarah Anna Berenberg and her husband, Sir Peter Meyer, in London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
Lineage
Berenberg Bank partners in bold.
The Berenberg family
The following is the male line Berenberg family, that became extinct in the male line with Elisabeth Berenberg in 1822.
*1. Jan Berenberg (1490–1549), burgher of
Lier, married Engele Segers
**2. Paul Berenberg (1533–1603), merchant in Antwerp, married Anna Kriekhart (1537–)
***3. Hans Berenberg (1561–1626), merchant in Hamburg, married Anna Snellinck (1557–1635), daughter of Andries Snellinck (1531–1606) and Françoise (Francina) de Rénialme (1539–1610)
****4. Francina Berenberg (1591–1628), married Arnold
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
(1579–1656)
****4. Hans Berenberg (1593–1640), merchant, married 1) Elisabeth
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
(1602–1630) and 2) Adelheid Ruhlant (1611–1684), daughter of Rütger Ruhlant (1568–1630, ennobled 1622) and Catarina de Greve (1582–1655)
*****5. (of father's first marriage) Johann (John) Berenberg (1622–1699), merchant, married Magdalene de Hertoghe (1619–1694)
*****5. Rudolf Berenberg (1623–1672), merchant, married Susanna de Hertoghe (1617–1674)
*****5. (of father's second marriage)
Cornelius Berenberg
Cornelius Berenberg (1634 – 1711) was a Hamburg grand burgher, merchant banker, a member of the Berenberg family, and owner of Berenberg Bank. His grandfather Hans Berenberg (1561–1626) had fled from Antwerp with his brother Paul Berenberg ( ...
(1634–1711), merchant, married Anna Margaretha Colin (1649–1684), daughter of Daniel Colin (1615–1660) and Elisabeth Adelheid Engels (1620–1659)
******6.
Rudolf Berenberg (1680–1746), merchant, President of the
Commerz-Deputation
The Hamburg Chamber of Commerce (''Handelskammer Hamburg''), originally named the Commercial Deputation (''Commerz-Deputation''), is the chamber of commerce for the city state of Hamburg, and was founded in 1665. Hamburg has for centuries bee ...
1728–1729 and Senator from 1735, married Anna Elisabeth
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
(1690–1748), daughter of Paul Amsinck (1649–1706) and Christina Adelheid Capelle (1663–1730)
*******7. Rudolf Berenberg (1712–1761), merchant in Hamburg
*******7. Cornelius Berenberg (1714–1773), merchant in Livorno
*******7.
Paul Berenberg (1716–1768), Senator, co-owner of Berenberg Bank
*******7.
Johann Berenberg
Johann Berenberg (born 12 March 1718 in Hamburg, died 2 March 1772 in Hamburg) was a Hamburg merchant banker. He was a co-owner of Berenberg Bank from 1748, with his brother, senator Paul Berenberg, and after the latter's death in 1768 the sole o ...
(1718–1772), sole owner of Berenberg Bank, married Anna Maria Lastrop (1723–1761)
********8. Rudolf Berenberg (1748–1768)
********8.
Elisabeth Berenberg
Elisabeth Berenberg (2 December 1749 – 16 January 1822) was a Hamburg heiress, merchant banker and a member of the Berenberg family. She was the last male line member of the Flemish-origined Hanseatic Berenberg banking family in Hamburg, and anc ...
(1749–1822), married
Johann Hinrich Gossler
Johann Hinrich Gossler (born 18 August 1738 in Hamburg, died 31 August 1790 in Hamburg) was a German banker and grand burgher of Hamburg, a member of the Hanseatic Berenberg/Gossler banking dynasty and the owner and head of the firm Joh. Berenb ...
(1738–90), sole owner of Berenberg Bank
*********for descendants of Elisabeth Berenberg and Johann Hinrich Gossler, see section below
*****5. Anna Berenberg (1639–1669), married Rudolf Capelle (1635–1684)
******6. Christina Adelheid Capelle (1663–1730), married Paul
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
(see above)
****4. Andreas Berenberg (1595–1661), merchant in Hamburg, married Sara de Hertoghe (1605–1678)
*****5. Hans Heinrich Berenberg (1623–1701)
******6. Paul Berenberg (1659–1712), merchant in London
******6. John Henry Berenberg (1663–1701), merchant in London, English citizen 1693, married Elizabeth Lisette, daughter of Sir Richard Lisette
******6. Sarah Anna Berenberg (1665–), married Sir
Peter Meyer, merchant in London
****4. Anna Berenberg (1599–1639), married Senator Hermann Langenbeck (1596–1668)
***3. Paul Berenberg (1566–1645), married Francina Snellinck (1559–1642)
****4. Francina Berenberg (1601–1641), married Johan van Uffelen (1589–1657), whose descendants include King
Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following Beatrix of the Netherlands, his mother's abdication in 2013.
Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the old ...
The Berenberg/Gossler family
The following are the descendants of
Elisabeth Berenberg
Elisabeth Berenberg (2 December 1749 – 16 January 1822) was a Hamburg heiress, merchant banker and a member of the Berenberg family. She was the last male line member of the Flemish-origined Hanseatic Berenberg banking family in Hamburg, and anc ...
and
Johann Hinrich Gossler
Johann Hinrich Gossler (born 18 August 1738 in Hamburg, died 31 August 1790 in Hamburg) was a German banker and grand burgher of Hamburg, a member of the Hanseatic Berenberg/Gossler banking dynasty and the owner and head of the firm Joh. Berenb ...
, the founders of the Berenberg-Gossler family. The numbers are continued from the section above.
*8.
Elisabeth Berenberg
Elisabeth Berenberg (2 December 1749 – 16 January 1822) was a Hamburg heiress, merchant banker and a member of the Berenberg family. She was the last male line member of the Flemish-origined Hanseatic Berenberg banking family in Hamburg, and anc ...
(1749–1822), co-owner of Berenberg Bank, married
Johann Hinrich Gossler
Johann Hinrich Gossler (born 18 August 1738 in Hamburg, died 31 August 1790 in Hamburg) was a German banker and grand burgher of Hamburg, a member of the Hanseatic Berenberg/Gossler banking dynasty and the owner and head of the firm Joh. Berenb ...
(1738–90), sole owner and head of Berenberg Bank
**9.
Anna Henriette Gossler (1771–1836), married
Ludwig Erdwin Seyler
Ludwig Erdwin Seyler (15 May 1758 – 26 October 1836; often known as ''L.E. Seyler'') was a German banker, merchant and politician. He was by marriage a member of the Hanseaten (class), Hanseatic Berenberg family, Berenberg banking dynasty, and wa ...
(1758–1836), co-owner and head of Berenberg Bank, President of the
Commerz-Deputation
The Hamburg Chamber of Commerce (''Handelskammer Hamburg''), originally named the Commercial Deputation (''Commerz-Deputation''), is the chamber of commerce for the city state of Hamburg, and was founded in 1665. Hamburg has for centuries bee ...
1817–1818
***10. Sophie Henriette Elisabeth ("Betty") Seyler (1789–1837), co-owner of Berenberg Bank (1836), married
Gerhard von Hosstrup
Gerhard Carsten Jakob von Hosstrup (or Hoßtrup) (born 23 April 1771 in Hamburg, died 7 September 1851) was a Hamburg businessman and the founder of the Hamburg Stock Exchange building (Hamburger Börsenhalle). He became ''Oberalter'' in 1843.
...
(1771–1851)
****11.
Egmont von Hosstrup
Egmont von Hosstrup (born 1 October 1813 in Hamburg, died 1876) was a German publisher, theatre director and head of the Hamburger Börsenhalle.
He was the son of Gerhard von Hosstrup (1771–1851) and Sophie Henriette Elisabeth (Betty) Seyler ...
(1813–1876)
****11. Bertha von Hosstrup (1814–1902), married
Albert Hänel
Albert Hänel (10 June 1833, in Leipzig – 12 May 1918, in Kiel) was a German jurist, legal historian and liberal politician. He was one of the leaders of the German Progress Party, and served as Rector of the University of Kiel. He served as a ...
****11. Elisabeth von Hosstrup
***10. Johann Heinrich Seyler, co-owner of Berenberg Bank (1836)
***10. Emilie ("Emmy") Seyler, co-owner of Berenberg Bank (1836), married Homann
***10. Louise Auguste Seyler, co-owner of Berenberg Bank (1836), married
Gerhard von Hosstrup
Gerhard Carsten Jakob von Hosstrup (or Hoßtrup) (born 23 April 1771 in Hamburg, died 7 September 1851) was a Hamburg businessman and the founder of the Hamburg Stock Exchange building (Hamburger Börsenhalle). He became ''Oberalter'' in 1843.
...
(1771–1851)
***10. Maria ("Molly") Seyler, co-owner of Berenberg Bank (1836)
***10. Louise ("Wischen") Seyler (1799–1849), co-owner of Berenberg Bank (1836), married
Ernst Friedrich Pinckernelle (1787–1868)
***10.
Henriette Seyler (1805–1875), co-owner of Berenberg Bank (1836), married Norwegian industrialist
Benjamin Wegner
Jacob Benjamin Wegner (21 February 1795 – 9 June 1864) was a Norwegian business magnate, estate owner and timber merchant.
Born in Königsberg, East Prussia, he moved to London in 1819 and to Berlin in 1820, where he established an independ ...
(1795–1864)
****11. Johan Ludwig Wegner (1830–1893), judge in Norway, married Blanca Bretteville, daughter of Prime Minister
Christian Zetlitz Bretteville
Christian Zetlitz Bretteville (17 November 1800 – 24 February 1871) was a Norway, Norwegian politician who served as Heads of government of Norway, Prime Minister 1858–1859 and in 1861 and who held several other cabinet positions between 1850 ...
*****12. Olga Wegner (1858–1943), married supreme court justice
Karenus Kristofer Thinn
****11. Heinrich Benjamin Wegner (1833–1911), timber merchant, married Henriette Vibe, daughter of classical philologist
Frederik Ludvig Vibe
****11. Elisabeth Sophie Dorothea Henriette Wegner (1838–1906), married colonel and aide-de-camp to King Charles
Hans Jacob Nørregaard Hans Jacob Nørregaard (born 13 June 1832 in Christiania, died 30 March 1900) was a Norwegian colonel, aide-de-camp to king Charles and chairman of the Christiania Military Society.
He studied at the Norwegian Military Academy and the Norwegian ...
*****12.
Benjamin Wegner Nørregaard
Benjamin Wegner Nørregaard (3 October 1861 – 24 April 1935) was a Norwegian military officer, railway engineer, adventurer, journalist, diplomat and internationally renowned war correspondent. He spent several years in China and served as Min ...
(1861–1935), war correspondent and government minister in China
*****12. Ludvig Paul Rudolf Nørregaard (1863–1928), wine merchant and Norwegian consul in Tarragona
*****12.
Harald Nørregaard (1864–1938), barrister and Chairman of the Norwegian Bar Association
****11.
Anna Henriette Wegner (1841–1918), married private school owner
Bernhard Cathrinus Pauss
Bernhard Cathrinus Pauss (born 6 April 1839 at Tangen, Drammen, died 9 November 1907 in Christiania) was a Norwegian theologian, educator, author and humanitarian and missionary leader, who was a major figure in girls' education in Norway in his ...
*****12.
Nikolai Nissen Paus
Nikolai Nissen Paus (4 June 1877, in Christiania – 23 December 1956, in Tønsberg) was a Norwegian surgeon, hospital director and humanitarian. He served as President of the Norwegian Red Cross 1945–1947, and as Vice President 1930–1945 an ...
(1877–1956), surgeon and President of the Norwegian Red Cross
*****12. Henriette Wegner Paus (1879–1942), married to private school owner
Theodor Haagaas
*****12.
Augustin Thoresen Paus (1881–1945), hydropower executive
*****12.
George Wegner Paus
George Wegner Paus (14 October 1882 – 22 December 1923), often known as ''George Paus'', was a Norwegian lawyer, mountaineer, skiing pioneer and business executive. He was Director at the Norwegian Employers' Confederation. As such, he played a ...
(1882–1923), barrister and Director at the Norwegian Employers' Confederation
*****12. Karoline Louise Paus (1884–1967), married to barrister Thorleif Ellestad
****11. George Mygind Wegner (1847–1881), barrister
**9. Johann Nicolaus Gossler (1774-1848)
**9.
Johann Heinrich Gossler
Johann Heinrich Gossler (born 28 March 1775, died 3 April 1842) was a Hamburg banker and grand burgher, a member of the Berenberg-Gossler-Seyler banking dynasty, a co-owner (from 1798) of the Berenberg Bank and a senator of Hamburg from 1821. He ...
II (1775–1842) (birth year reported as 1772 by some sources), Senator, co-owner of Berenberg Bank
***10. Emilie Gossler (1799-1875), married Johannes
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
(1792–1879)
***10.
Hermann Gossler
Hermann Gossler (born 21 August 1802 in Hamburg, died 10 May 1877 in Hamburg) was a Hamburg lawyer, senator (1842–77) and First Mayor and President of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (i.e. the city republic's head of state ...
(1802–1877), Senator and First Mayor
****11. Johann Heinrich Gossler (1834–1876), merchant, Hamburg Consul in Boston from 1864, later representative of the North German Confederation and the German Empire until 1872
****11. Hermann Gossler (1845–1908), lawyer and judge in Hamburg
***10. Johann Heinrich Gossler III (1805-1879), co-owner of Berenberg Bank, consul-general of
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, married Mary Elizabeth Bray (1810–1886), a granddaughter of
Samuel Eliot
****11. Marianne Gossler (1830–1908), married Friedrich Wilhelm Burchard (1824–1892), co-owner of Berenberg Bank
*****12.
Johann Heinrich Burchard
Johann Heinrich Burchard (26 July 1852 – 6 September 1912) was a Hamburg lawyer and politician who served as senator (from 1885 until his death) and First Mayor and President of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (in 1903 ...
(1852–1912), First Mayor, married Emily Henriette
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
(1858–1931)
*****12. Ulrich Hermann Christoph Burchard (1861–1926), married Olga Juliane
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
(1865–)
****11. Frances Eliot Gossler (1832–59), married Hermann Ludwig Behn (1820–1901)
****11. Susanne Catharine Gossler (1835–), married Martin Garlieb
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
(1831–1905)
****11. Baron
Johann von Berenberg-Gossler Baron Johann von Berenberg-Gossler (born 13 February 1839 in Hamburg, died 8 December 1913 in Hamburg; né Johann Gossler), known as "John," was a German banker from the city-state of Hamburg and owner and head of Berenberg Bank from 1879 until his ...
(known as John) (1839–1913), co-owner of Berenberg Bank, married to Juliane Amalie Donner (1843–1916)
*****12.
John von Berenberg-Gossler John von Berenberg-Gossler (22 October 1866 in Hamburg – 14 July 1943) was a Hamburg banker, politician and grand burgher.
Career
He was elected Senator in Hamburg in 1908 and served as German Ambassador to Italy 1920–21. He was a member of ...
(1866–1943), Senator, Ambassador
*****12. Frances von Berenberg-Gossler (1868–1951), married Baron
Hans von Berlepsch
Count Hans Hermann Carl Ludwig von Berlepsch (29 July 1850 – 27 February 1915) was a German ornithologist.
Berlepsch studied zoology at the University of Halle. He used his inherited wealth to sponsor bird collectors in South America, including ...
*****12. Baron
Cornelius von Berenberg-Gossler Baron Cornelius von Berenberg-Gossler (2 March 1874 – 29 September 1953) was a German banker, a member of the illustrious Berenberg-Gossler banking dynasty, and owner and head of Berenberg Bank from 1913. He withdrew from active management of th ...
(1874–1953), co-owner of Berenberg Bank, married Nadia Clara von Oesterreich
******13. Clara Nadia von Berenberg-Gossler (1899–), married Emmo von Specht
******13. Cornelius Johann Constantin von Berenberg-Gossler (1901–1942)
******13. Cornelia Nadia Julie von Berenberg-Gossler (1905–)
******13. Baron
Heinrich von Berenberg-Gossler Baron Heinrich von Berenberg-Gossler (1907–1997) was a German banker, a member of the illustrious Berenberg-Gossler banking dynasty, and owner and head of Berenberg Bank.
He was the son of Baron Cornelius von Berenberg-Gossler and Nadia, née O ...
(1907–1997), co-owner of Berenberg Bank, consul general of
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
*******14. Baron Cornelius von Berenberg-Gossler
*******14.
Heinrich von Berenberg-Gossler (publisher) Baron Heinrich von Berenberg-Gossler (1907–1997) was a German banker, a member of the illustrious Berenberg-Gossler banking dynasty, and owner and head of Berenberg Bank.
He was the son of Baron Cornelius von Berenberg-Gossler and Nadia, née ...
, founder of
Berenberg Verlag
Berenberg Verlag is a German publishing company in Berlin, founded in 2004 by Heinrich von Berenberg-Gossler, a member of the Berenberg-Gossler banking dynasty and son of the banker, Baron Heinrich von Berenberg-Gossler Baron Heinrich von Berenb ...
******13. Cornelius Johann Heinrich Hellmuth von Berenberg-Gossler (1909–), married Irmgard Else Meyer
*******14. Cornelius Johann Heinrich Gerhard von Berenberg-Gossler
*******14. Clarita Irmela Nadia von Berenberg-Gossler, married Count Hartwig (Rabe) Joachim Cornelius Alexander von
Bernstorff
Bernstorff is an old and distinguished German-Danish noble family of Mecklenburgian origin. Members of the family held the title of Count/Countess, granted to them on 14.12.1767 by King Christian VII of Denmark.
Notable members
* Andreas Gott ...
******13. Cornelius Paul Hellmuth von Berenberg-Gossler (1911–), married Maria Luise Francke
*******14. Johann David Rudolf Cornelius von Berenberg-Gossler
*******14. Alexander John von Berenberg-Gossler
******13. Nadia von Berenberg-Gossler
*****12. Andreas von Berenberg-Gossler (1880–1938), co-owner of Berenberg Bank, married Agnes Victorina von Francois
******13. Maria Nadia von Berenberg-Gossler (1908–)
*****12. Herbert von Berenberg-Gossler (1883–1918), Professor Dr.med. et phil., married Anna Jutta Sara Elisabeth von Mallinckrodt
****11. John Henry Gossler (1849–1914), merchant
***10. Ernst Gossler (1806–1889), married Mathilde Huffel
****11. Oscar Gossler (1843–), married Elizabeth Gossler (1848–)
*****12. Emmy Gossler, married Wilhelm
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
(1869–)
***10. Susanna Helene Gossler (1808–1893), married Senator Ami de Chapeaurouge
***10.
Wilhelm Gossler
Wilhelm may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm"
* Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
Other uses
* Moun ...
(1811–1895), married Margarete Elisabeth Donner, served as President of the
Commerz-Deputation
The Hamburg Chamber of Commerce (''Handelskammer Hamburg''), originally named the Commercial Deputation (''Commerz-Deputation''), is the chamber of commerce for the city state of Hamburg, and was founded in 1665. Hamburg has for centuries bee ...
1853
****11. Maria Gossler (1844–1915), married Hamburg senator A.F. Hertz
*****12.
Mary Hertz (1866–1934), painter and sculptor, married
Aby Warburg
Aby Moritz Warburg, better known as Aby Warburg, (June 13, 1866 – October 26, 1929) was a German art historian and cultural theorist who founded the Kulturwissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg (Library for Cultural Studies), a private library, ...
****11. Elizabeth Gossler (1848–), married Oscar Gossler (1843–) (see above)
***10. Gustav Gossler (1813–1844)
Notable descendants of Johann Hinrich Gossler and Elisabeth Berenberg
Johann Hinrich Gossler
Johann Hinrich Gossler (born 18 August 1738 in Hamburg, died 31 August 1790 in Hamburg) was a German banker and grand burgher of Hamburg, a member of the Hanseatic Berenberg/Gossler banking dynasty and the owner and head of the firm Joh. Berenb ...
and
Elisabeth Berenberg
Elisabeth Berenberg (2 December 1749 – 16 January 1822) was a Hamburg heiress, merchant banker and a member of the Berenberg family. She was the last male line member of the Flemish-origined Hanseatic Berenberg banking family in Hamburg, and anc ...
, founders of the Berenberg-Gossler family, have many notable descendants in Germany, Norway and other countries with names including Gossler,
Seyler, von Berenberg-Gossler, von Hosstrup,
Pinckernelle, Schramm, Burchard,
Wegner,
Amsinck
Amsinck is a Dutch people, Dutch-origined patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician family whose members were prominent merchants in multiple countries including the Netherlands, Hamburg, Portugal, England, France, Kingdom of Hanover, Hanover, Ho ...
,
Paus
The Paus family () is a Norwegian family that first appeared as members of the elite of 16th-century Oslo and that for centuries belonged to Norway's "aristocracy of officials" as priests of the state church, judges and other higher government of ...
,
Kaemmerer and von
Bernstorff
Bernstorff is an old and distinguished German-Danish noble family of Mecklenburgian origin. Members of the family held the title of Count/Countess, granted to them on 14.12.1767 by King Christian VII of Denmark.
Notable members
* Andreas Gott ...
.
*
Martin Garlieb Amsinck, ship-owner
*
Johann Heinrich Burchard
Johann Heinrich Burchard (26 July 1852 – 6 September 1912) was a Hamburg lawyer and politician who served as senator (from 1885 until his death) and First Mayor and President of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (in 1903 ...
, First Mayor of Hamburg
*
Wilhelm Amsinck Burchard-Motz
Wilhelm Amsinck Burchard-Motz (born 4 July 1878 in Hamburg, died 13 January 1963 in Hamburg) was a German lawyer and national-liberal politician. He served as Senator for Trade, Shipping and Industry of Hamburg from 1925 to 1933 and as Second May ...
, Senator and Second Mayor of Hamburg
*
Hermann Gossler
Hermann Gossler (born 21 August 1802 in Hamburg, died 10 May 1877 in Hamburg) was a Hamburg lawyer, senator (1842–77) and First Mayor and President of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (i.e. the city republic's head of state ...
, First Mayor of Hamburg
*
Johann Heinrich Gossler
Johann Heinrich Gossler (born 28 March 1775, died 3 April 1842) was a Hamburg banker and grand burgher, a member of the Berenberg-Gossler-Seyler banking dynasty, a co-owner (from 1798) of the Berenberg Bank and a senator of Hamburg from 1821. He ...
, Senator
*Baron
Cornelius von Berenberg-Gossler Baron Cornelius von Berenberg-Gossler (2 March 1874 – 29 September 1953) was a German banker, a member of the illustrious Berenberg-Gossler banking dynasty, and owner and head of Berenberg Bank from 1913. He withdrew from active management of th ...
, banker
*Baron
Heinrich von Berenberg-Gossler Baron Heinrich von Berenberg-Gossler (1907–1997) was a German banker, a member of the illustrious Berenberg-Gossler banking dynasty, and owner and head of Berenberg Bank.
He was the son of Baron Cornelius von Berenberg-Gossler and Nadia, née O ...
, banker
*Baron
Johann von Berenberg-Gossler Baron Johann von Berenberg-Gossler (born 13 February 1839 in Hamburg, died 8 December 1913 in Hamburg; né Johann Gossler), known as "John," was a German banker from the city-state of Hamburg and owner and head of Berenberg Bank from 1879 until his ...
, banker
*
John von Berenberg-Gossler John von Berenberg-Gossler (22 October 1866 in Hamburg – 14 July 1943) was a Hamburg banker, politician and grand burgher.
Career
He was elected Senator in Hamburg in 1908 and served as German Ambassador to Italy 1920–21. He was a member of ...
, Senator, German Ambassador to Italy
*
Egmont von Hosstrup
Egmont von Hosstrup (born 1 October 1813 in Hamburg, died 1876) was a German publisher, theatre director and head of the Hamburger Börsenhalle.
He was the son of Gerhard von Hosstrup (1771–1851) and Sophie Henriette Elisabeth (Betty) Seyler ...
, publisher
*
Benjamin Wegner Nørregaard
Benjamin Wegner Nørregaard (3 October 1861 – 24 April 1935) was a Norwegian military officer, railway engineer, adventurer, journalist, diplomat and internationally renowned war correspondent. He spent several years in China and served as Min ...
, Norwegian war correspondent
*
Harald Nørregaard, supreme court advocate and chairman of the Norwegian Bar Association, friend of
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images.
His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...
*
Nikolai Nissen Paus
Nikolai Nissen Paus (4 June 1877, in Christiania – 23 December 1956, in Tønsberg) was a Norwegian surgeon, hospital director and humanitarian. He served as President of the Norwegian Red Cross 1945–1947, and as Vice President 1930–1945 an ...
, humanitarian, President of the Norwegian Red Cross
*
George Wegner Paus
George Wegner Paus (14 October 1882 – 22 December 1923), often known as ''George Paus'', was a Norwegian lawyer, mountaineer, skiing pioneer and business executive. He was Director at the Norwegian Employers' Confederation. As such, he played a ...
, barrister and Director at the Norwegian Employers' Confederation
*
Bernhard Paus, humanitarian, Grand Master of the Norwegian Order of Freemasons
*
Gustav and Johann Ernst Pinckernelle, insurance brokers
*
Percy Ernst Schramm
Percy Ernst Schramm (14 October 1894 – 21 November 1970) was a German historian who specialized in art history and medieval history. Schramm was a Chair and Professor of History at the University of Göttingen from 1929 to 1963.
Early lif ...
, historian
Other Berenberg descendants
Among other Berenberg descendants are members of virtually all old Hamburg Hanseatic families, as well as King
Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following Beatrix of the Netherlands, his mother's abdication in 2013.
Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the old ...
(a descendant of Berenberg Bank co-founder Paul Berenberg (1566–1645) and Francina Snellinck (1559–1642)).
See also
*
Seyler family
The Seyler family (also spelled Seiler) is a Swiss family, originally a patrician family from Liestal near Basel. Family members served as councillors and Schultheißen of Liestal from the 15th century, later also as members of the Grand Council ...
*
Baron of Berenberg-Gossler
Baron of Berenberg-Gossler (german: Freiherr von Berenberg-Gossler) is a title in the German nobility, specifically the nobility of the Kingdom of Prussia, created in 1910 for banker Johann von Berenberg-Gossler of the Hamburg Hanseatic Berenber ...
References
Literature
*Clarita Bernstorff, Hartwig Bernstorff,
Emanuel Eckardt, ''Change is the only constant: Berenberg; a history of one of the world's oldest banks'', Hanser Literaturverlage, 336 pages,
*"Freiherren von Berenberg-Gossler," in
Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels
The ''Almanach de Gotha'' (german: Gothaischer Hofkalender) is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First published ...
, Band 16, Freiherrliche Häuser B II, C. A. Starke Verlag, Limburg (Lahn) 1957
Berenberg/Gossler ''
Neue Deutsche Biographie
''Neue Deutsche Biographie'' (''NDB''; literally ''New German Biography'') is a biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 26 volumes published thus far cover ...
''
*A. Leesenberg, "Die Berenberg-Gossler," ''Vierteljahrsschrift für Heraldik, Sphragistik und Genealogie'', IX, pp. 1–16, Carl Heymann's Verlag, Berlin, 1881.
*A. Leesenberg, "Genealogie der Familie Gossler," ''Vierteljahrsschrift für Heraldik, Sphragistik und Genealogie'', IX, pp. 17–25, Carl Heymann's Verlag, Berlin, 1881.
*
Percy Ernst Schramm
Percy Ernst Schramm (14 October 1894 – 21 November 1970) was a German historian who specialized in art history and medieval history. Schramm was a Chair and Professor of History at the University of Göttingen from 1929 to 1963.
Early lif ...
, ''Neun Generationen: Dreihundert Jahre deutscher Kulturgeschichte im Lichte der Schicksale einer Hamburger Bürgerfamilie (1648–1948)''. Vol. I and II, Göttingen 1963/64.
*
Percy Ernst Schramm
Percy Ernst Schramm (14 October 1894 – 21 November 1970) was a German historian who specialized in art history and medieval history. Schramm was a Chair and Professor of History at the University of Göttingen from 1929 to 1963.
Early lif ...
, ''Kaufleute zu Haus und über See. Hamburgische Zeugnisse des 17., 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts'', Hamburg, Hoffmann und Campe, 1949
*
Percy Ernst Schramm
Percy Ernst Schramm (14 October 1894 – 21 November 1970) was a German historian who specialized in art history and medieval history. Schramm was a Chair and Professor of History at the University of Göttingen from 1929 to 1963.
Early lif ...
, "Kaufleute während Besatzung, Krieg und Belagerung (1806–1815) : der Hamburger Handel in der Franzosenzeit, dargestellt an Hand von Firmen- und Familienpapieren." ''Tradition: Zeitschrift für Firmengeschichte und Unternehmerbiographie'', Vol. 4. Jahrg., No. 1. (Feb 1959), pp. 1–22. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40696638
*
Percy Ernst Schramm
Percy Ernst Schramm (14 October 1894 – 21 November 1970) was a German historian who specialized in art history and medieval history. Schramm was a Chair and Professor of History at the University of Göttingen from 1929 to 1963.
Early lif ...
, "Hamburger Kaufleute in der 2. Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts," in: ''Tradition. Zeitschrift für Firmengeschichte und Unternehmerbiographie'' 1957, No 4., pp. 307–332. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40696554
*
Percy Ernst Schramm
Percy Ernst Schramm (14 October 1894 – 21 November 1970) was a German historian who specialized in art history and medieval history. Schramm was a Chair and Professor of History at the University of Göttingen from 1929 to 1963.
Early lif ...
, ''Die Vorfahren der Anna Maria Berenberg, geb. Lastrop (1723–61)'', 1957
*''Hamburgische Biografie-Personenlexikon'', Vol. 2, ed. by Franklin Kopitzsch, Dirk Brietzke
*''Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co.: Die Geschichte eines deutschen Privatbankhauses'', Berenberg Bank, Hamburg 1990
*Manfred Pohl, ''Handbook on the History of European Banks'', European Association for Banking History, p. 362
*Renate Hauschild-Thiessen, "Johann Berenberg (1674–1749) und seine Genealogien," ''Hamburgische Geschichts- und Heimatblätter'' 10.8 (Dec 1981): 183–186
*Arne C. Wasmuth og Torsten A. Reimers, ''Hanseatische Dynastien. Alte Hamburger Familien öffnen ihre Alben'', 2001,
Furthermore, the Staatsarchiv Hamburg contains extensive Berenberg/Gossler materials.
External links
History of Berenberg Bank
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berenberg-Gossler-Seyler banking dynasty
Dutch bankers
German bankers
German business families
History of banking
Grand burghers of Hamburg
German noble families
Hanseatic families whose members were heads of state
Belgian families
Families of Belgian ancestry