The Meyer zum Pfeil was a prosperous Swiss noble and

patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

family from

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 ...

History

It appears in Basel in the 15th century and is one of Basel's oldest patrician families, and dominated the city for several centuries together with a handful of other patrician families. The family were prominent merchants, especially cloth merchants, and many family members have served as council members and Mayors of Basel. The family name is derived from the arrow in its

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

. Family members used the noble honorific

Junker Junker ( da, Junker, german: Junker, nl, Jonkheer, en, Yunker, no, Junker, sv, Junker ka, იუნკერი (Iunkeri)) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German ''Juncherre'', meaning "young nobleman"Duden; Meaning of Junke ...

already at the time the family appeared in Basel.Bernoulli, A. (ed.): "Die Familienchronik der Meyer zum Pfeil, 1533–1656". In: ''Basler Chroniken'' 6 (1902), pp. 379–422. Family members include the

renaissance humanist Renaissance humanism was a revival in the study of classical antiquity, at first in Italy and then spreading across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. During the period, the term ''humanist'' ( it, umanista) referred to teache ...

Nikolaus Meyer zum Pfeil, the politician Adelberg Meyer zum Pfeil and the Basel mayor Bernhard Meyer zum Pfeil. File:Wandbehang Meyer zum Pfeil zum Luft linke Seite.jpg File:Nikolaus Meyer zum Pfeil und Barbara zum Luft Wandbehang.jpg, Memorial for Nikolaus Meyer zum Pfeil and Barbara zum Lufft, with their combined family arms File:Wandbehang Meyer zum Pfeil zum Luft rechte Seite.jpg File:Meyer zum Pfeil Wappen I.jpg, Meyer zum Pfeil

File:Jakob Meyer zum Pfeil (+ c. 1515).jpg, Jakob Meyer zum Pfeil son of Nikolaus Meyer zum Pfeil File:Bernhard Meyer zum Pfeil (1488-1558).jpg, Bernhard Meyer zum Pfeil, mayor of Basel

References

{{Patrician families of Basel Swiss noble families History of Basel Patriciate of Basel Noble families of the Holy Roman Empire