Faesch: Difference between revisions

Fesch
Fesch
Country	French Empire; Papal States
Founded	1806
Founder	Joseph Fesch
Titles	sovereign Prince; Prince of France; Prince (of the Papal States)
Style(s)	Serene Highness
Estate(s)	France

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The Faesch family, also spelled Fesch, is a prominent Swiss, French, Belgian, Corsican and Italian noble family, originally a patrician family of Basel. Known since the early 15th century, the family received a confirmation of nobility from the Holy Roman Emperor in 1563. It was continuously represented in the governing bodies of the city-republic of Basel for centuries, and three members served as Burgomasters, i.e. heads of state, namely Remigius Faesch (1541–1610), Johann Rudolf Faesch (1572–1659) and Johann Rudolf Faesch (1680–1762). The family was at times the richest family of Basel, and its rise was partially the result of clever marriage policies.

In the 18th century, the naval officer Franz Fesch (1711–1775) entered the service of the Republic of Genoa and established a branch in Corsica. Its most famous member, Cardinal Joseph Fesch (1763–1839), was the uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte and was a member of the French imperial family during his nephew's rule. He became a French senator and a count in 1805, was elevated to sovereign princely rank in 1806, and was granted the title of a Prince of France in 1807, a dignity held only by himself, Napoleon's siblings, Joachim Murat and Eugène de Beauharnais. He was a member of the Imperial House and in the order of succession to the French imperial throne in accordance with the French constitution of 1804 (Title III, Article 9, "The Imperial Family"). He was also made a Peer of France in 1815, and subsequently given the title of (Roman) Prince by the Pope. The Fesch Palace in Ajaccio today houses the Musée Fesch, one of France's finest collections of old masters and one of the most important Napoleonic collections.

Family members have lived in Switzerland, Corsica, Italy, France and Belgium. Many family members have been notable as jurists, bankers or military officers. Isaac Faesch (1687–1758) was governor of the Dutch Antilles 1740–1758.

History

The family is said to be of ancient nobility from Valais in Switzerland.^[1] Two brothers of the family acquired the hereditary burghership of Basel in 1409. Family members became members of the council, and thus the ruling class of the city-republic of Basel, from 1494. Members of the family served continuously in the government of the city from the mid 16th century until the end of the 18th century. Several family members also became Burgomaster's and thus heads of the republic, and others became Rectors of the University of Basel. The family intermarried for centuries with other prominent patrician families. Remigius Faesch (ca. 1460–1533) was a famous architect.

The goldsmith and member of the city council Hans Rudolf Faesch (1510–1564) was ennobled by Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1563 and received a confirmation of the family arms that added two stars to their crest. Thus the family held a dual status as patricians or members of the Daig of the burgher republic of Basel, and as nobles of the Holy Roman Empire.

As of 1659, the Faesch family was the richest family of Basel with a fortune of nearly 250,000 florins. Their family foundation still exists. The jurist, rector of the University of Basel and art collector Remigius Faesch (1595–1667) founded Museum Faesch, an art museum. Its collection became part of the University of Basel in 1823.

Several family members entered the service of various European princes. The diplomat Johann Rudolph Faesch (1669–1751) was an adviser to the Margrave of Baden, representative of the Elector of Trier and the Duke of Württemberg at the Court of France. Many family members were also notable as military officers.

The family converted to Protestantism in 1530, although the Corsica branch would later return to Catholicism, providing a Cardinal.

A branch of the family settled in Geneva in the 19th century, where Alphonse François Faesch became a judge. His son, the engineer Jules Faesch, became a co-owner of the Faesch and Piccard company, and married Amélie de Senarclens de Vuflens (1842-1910), who inherited Vufflens Castle from her father.

Fesch as part of the imperial family of France

Franz Faesch (born 1711 in Basel, died 1775) became a naval officer (captain) in the service of the Republic of Genoa, posted to Corsica, and married Nobile Angela Maria Pietrasanta (born 1725, died 1790). Their son Joseph Fesch (born 1763 in Ajaccio, died 1839 in Rome) was the half-brother of Letizia Ramolino (a daughter of Angela Maria's first marriage) and through his sister the uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte. He fulfilled the role of protector of the Bonaparte family for some years from 1791. Joseph Fesch became Archbishop of Lyon in 1802, was named a Cardinal in 1803, became French Ambassador to Rome in 1804, became a French senator and count in 1805, became Grand Almoner of France in 1805, obtained the rank of a sovereign prince with the style of Most Eminent Highness as he was chosen as coadjutor of the Prince-Bishopric of Regensburg in 1806, was named a French Prince (prince français) with the style of Serene Highness in 1807, received the Great Eagle (the highest degree) of the Legion of Honour, was a Knight of the Order of the Golden Spur (1802), a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (1805), became a Peer of France in 1815 and subsequently^[when?] a (Roman) Prince (as a noble title in the Papal States). Joseph Fesch was also one of the most famous art collectors of his lifetime. He wed his nephew Napoleon to Joséphine de Beauharnais in Paris in 1804, the day before Napoleon crowned himself as Emperor of the French. Cardinal Fesch lived out his days at the Palazzo Falconieri in Rome, dedicating himself to art and to beneficence.

Notable family members

Caroline Weldon, née Faesch (1844–1921), American civil rights activist, Indian rights activist of the late 19th century,^[2]
Remigius Faesch (builder) (about 1460–1533/1534), builder of the late Gothic era
Christoph Faesch (1611–1683), historian
John Jacob Faesch (1729-1799), black smith and iron master, patriot of the American Revolution
Johannes Faesch (1779–1856), merchant
Jules Faesch (1833–1895), engineer
Emil Faesch (1865–1915), architect
Isaac Faesch (1687–1758), merchant and governor of the Dutch Antilles 1740–1758^[3]

The Fesch Palace in Ajaccio as of 2014^[update] houses the Musée Fesch.

Coat of arms

Coat of arms of Johann Jakob Faesch, rector of the University of Basel, 1612
Faesch family coat of arms
Faesch family coat of arms with a baronial coronet as used by family members, as the family was ennobled by the Holy Roman Emperor in 1563. The two stars were added on the occasion of the ennoblement.
Arms of Cardinal Joseph Fesch as a member of the French imperial family, Grand Almoner of France and a prince of the Empire

References

^ Zeitung für den deutschen Adel, Vol. 1, p. 414, Helbig, 1840
^ Caroline Weldon, née Faesch genealogy http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=caroline_weldon&id=I03
^ Dutch Atlantic connections, 1680-1800 : linking empires, bridging borders / edited by Gert Oostindie, Jessica V. Roitman. Leiden : Brill, 2014. 440 S. : Ill. ISBN 978-90-04-27132-6. Seiten 40f

Literature

Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz (1990). "Faesch". In Bautz, Friedrich Wilhelm (ed.). Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). Vol. 2. Hamm: Bautz. cols. 22–23. ISBN 3-88309-032-8.
Jean Baptiste Lyonnet: Le Cardinal Fesch, archevêque de Lyon, primat des Gaules, etc., etc. Fragments biographiques, politiques et religieux pour servir à l'histoire ecclésiastique contemporaine. 2 Bde., Lyon-Paris, Perisse, 1841.
Samuel Schüpbach-Guggenbühl: Faesch in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.

External links

[1] Zeitung für den deutschen Adel, Vol. 1, p. 414, Helbig, 1840

[2] Caroline Weldon, née Faesch genealogy http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=caroline_weldon&id=I03

[3] Dutch Atlantic connections, 1680-1800 : linking empires, bridging borders / edited by Gert Oostindie, Jessica V. Roitman. Leiden : Brill, 2014. 440 S. : Ill. ISBN 978-90-04-27132-6. Seiten 40f

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 |surname =Fesch
 |estate =France
-|coat of arms =[[Image:Fesch arms as French imperial prince.svg|200px]]
+|coat of arms =[[Image:Blason Joseph Fesch.svg|200px]]
 |country =[[First French Empire|French Empire]]<br/>[[Papal States]]
 |titles = sovereign Prince<br/>[[Imperial House of France (First French Empire)|Prince of France]]<br/>Prince (of the Papal States)
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 }}
-'''Faesch''', also spelled '''Fesch''', is a prominent [[Swiss people|Swiss]], [[French people|French]], [[Belgian people|Belgian]], [[Corsica]]n and [[Italian people|Italian]] [[nobility|noble]] family, originally a [[patrician (post-Roman Europe)|patrician]] family of [[Basel]]. Known since the early 15th century, the family received a confirmation of nobility from the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] in 1563. It was continuously represented in the governing bodies of the [[Canton of Basel|city-republic of Basel]] for centuries, and three members served as [[Burgomaster]]s, i.e. [[head of state|heads of state]], namely Remigius Faesch (1541–1610), Johann Rudolf Faesch (1572–1659) and Johann Rudolf Faesch (1680–1762). The family was at times the richest family of Basel, and its rise was partially the result of clever marriage policies.
+The '''Faesch family''', also spelled '''Fesch''', is a prominent [[Swiss people|Swiss]], [[French people|French]], [[Belgian people|Belgian]], [[Corsica]]n and [[Italian people|Italian]] [[nobility|noble]] family, originally a [[patrician (post-Roman Europe)|patrician]] family of [[Basel]]. Known since the early 15th century, the family received a confirmation of nobility from the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] in 1563. It was continuously represented in the governing bodies of the [[Canton of Basel|city-republic of Basel]] for centuries, and three members served as [[Burgomaster]]s, i.e. [[head of state|heads of state]], namely Remigius Faesch (1541–1610), Johann Rudolf Faesch (1572–1659) and Johann Rudolf Faesch (1680–1762). The family was at times the richest family of Basel, and its rise was partially the result of clever marriage policies.
-In the 18th century, the naval officer Franz Fesch (1711–1775) entered the service of the [[Republic of Genoa]] and established a branch in [[Corsica]]. Its most famous member, [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] [[Joseph Fesch]] (1763–1839), was the uncle of [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] and was a member of the [[Imperial House of France (First French Empire)|French imperial family]] during his nephew's rule. He became a French [[senator]] and a [[count]] in 1805, was elevated to [[wikt:sovereign|sovereign]] [[prince]]ly rank in 1806, and was granted the title of a [[Nobility of the First French Empire|Prince of France]] in 1807, a dignity held only by himself, Napoleon's siblings, [[Joachim Murat]] and [[Eugène de Beauharnais]]. He was a member of the Imperial House and in the [[order of succession]] to the French imperial throne in accordance with the [[Constitution of the Year XII|French constitution of 1804]] (Title III, Article 9, "The Imperial Family"). He was also made a [[Peer of France]] in 1815, and subsequently given the title of (Roman) Prince by the Pope. The Fesch Palace in [[Ajaccio]] today houses the [[Musée Fesch]], one of France's finest collections of [[old masters]] and one of the most important Napoleonic collections. An art museum in Basel also named the Museum Faesch and established by Regimus Faesch in the 17th century is now part of the [[Basel Historical Museum]].
+In the 18th century, the naval officer Franz Fesch (1711–1775) entered the service of the [[Republic of Genoa]] and established a branch in [[Corsica]]. Its most famous member, [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] [[Joseph Fesch]] (1763–1839), was the uncle of [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] and was a member of the [[Imperial House of France (First French Empire)|French imperial family]] during his nephew's rule. He became a French [[senator]] and a [[count]] in 1805, was elevated to [[wikt:sovereign|sovereign]] [[prince]]ly rank in 1806, and was granted the title of a [[Nobility of the First French Empire|Prince of France]] in 1807, a dignity held only by himself, Napoleon's siblings, [[Joachim Murat]] and [[Eugène de Beauharnais]]. He was a member of the Imperial House and in the [[order of succession]] to the French imperial throne in accordance with the [[Constitution of the Year XII|French constitution of 1804]] (Title III, Article 9, "The Imperial Family"). He was also made a [[Peer of France]] in 1815, and subsequently given the title of (Roman) Prince by the Pope. The Fesch Palace in [[Ajaccio]] today houses the [[Musée Fesch]], one of France's finest collections of [[old masters]] and one of the most important Napoleonic collections.
-Family members have lived in Switzerland, Corsica, Italy, France and Belgium. Many family members have been notable as jurists, bankers or military officers.
+Family members have lived in Switzerland, Corsica, Italy, France and Belgium. Many family members have been notable as jurists, bankers or military officers. [[Isaac Faesch]] (1687–1758) was governor of the [[Dutch Antilles]] 1740–1758.
 ==History==
@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 The goldsmith and member of the city council Hans Rudolf Faesch (1510–1564) was [[nobility|ennobled]] by [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor]] in 1563 and received a confirmation of the family arms that added two stars to their crest. Thus the family held a dual status as patricians or members of the ''Daig'' of the burgher republic of Basel, and as nobles of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].
-As of 1659, the Faesch family was the richest family of Basel with a fortune of nearly 250,000 [[florin]]s. Their family foundation still exists. The jurist, rector of the [[University of Basel]] and art collector [[Remigius Faesch (jurist)|Remigius Faesch]] (1595–1667) founded ''Museum Faesch'', an art museum. Its collection became part of the University of Basel in 1823.
+As of 1659, the Faesch family was the richest family of Basel with a fortune of nearly 250,000 [[florin]]s. Their family foundation still exists. The jurist, rector of the [[University of Basel]] and art collector [[Remigius Faesch]] (1595–1667) founded ''Museum Faesch'', an art museum. Its collection became part of the University of Basel in 1823.
 Several family members entered the service of various European princes. The diplomat Johann Rudolph Faesch (1669–1751) was an adviser to the [[Margrave of Baden]], representative of the [[Elector of Trier]] and the [[Duke of Württemberg]] at the Court of France. Many family members were also notable as military officers.
@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 The family converted to [[Protestantism]] in 1530, although the Corsica branch would later return to [[Catholicism]], providing a [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]].
-A branch of the family settled in [[Geneva]] in the 19th century, where [[Alphonse François Faesch]] became a judge. His son, the engineer [[Jules Faesch]], became a co-owner of the [[Faesch and Piccard]] company, and married Amélie de Senarclens de Vuflens, who inherited [[Vufflens Castle]] from her father.
+A branch of the family settled in [[Geneva]] in the 19th century, where [[Alphonse François Faesch]] became a judge. His son, the engineer [[Jules Faesch]], became a co-owner of the [[Faesch and Piccard]] company, and married Amélie de Senarclens de Vuflens (1842-1910), who inherited [[Vufflens Castle]] from her father.
-The family name Faesch or Fesch means roughly "[[Chic (style)|chic]]" (as in "stylish").
 ===Fesch as part of the imperial family of France===
-Franz Faesch (born 1711 in [[Basel]], died 1775) became a naval officer (captain) in the service of the [[Republic of Genoa]], posted to [[Corsica]], and married ''Nobile'' Angela Maria Pietrasanta (born 1725, died 1790). Their son [[Joseph Fesch]] (born 1763 in [[Ajaccio]], died 1839 in [[Rome]]) was the half-brother of [[Letizia Ramolino]] (a daughter of Angela Maria's first marriage) and through his sister the uncle of [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]. He fulfilled the role of protector of the Bonaparte family for some years from 1791. Joseph Fesch became [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lyon|Archbishop of Lyon]] in 1802, was named a [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] in 1803, became French Ambassador to Rome in 1804, became a French [[Sénat conservateur|senator]] and [[count]] in 1805, became [[Grand Almoner of France]] in 1805, obtained the rank of a [[wikt:sovereign|sovereign]] [[prince]] with the [[style (manner of address)|style]] of ''Most Eminent Highness'' as he was chosen as [[coadjutor]] of the [[Bishopric of Regensburg|Prince-Bishopric of Regensburg]] in 1806, was named a [[Nobility of the First French Empire|Prince of France]] (''prince français'') with the [[style (manner of address)|style]] of ''[[Serene Highness]]'' in 1807, received the Great Eagle (the highest degree) of the [[Legion of Honour]], was a Knight of the [[Order of the Golden Spur]] (1802), a Knight of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]] (1805), became a [[Peer of France]] in 1815 and subsequently{{when|date=November 2014}} a (Roman) Prince (as a noble title in the [[Papal States]]). Joseph Fesch was also one of the most famous art collectors of his lifetime. He wed his nephew Napoleon to [[Joséphine de Beauharnais]] in Paris in 1804, the day before Napoleon crowned himself as [[Emperor of the French]]. Cardinal Fesch lived out his days at the [[Palazzo Falconieri]] in Rome, dedicating himself to art and to beneficence.
+Franz Faesch (born 1711 in [[Basel]], died 1775) became a naval officer (captain) in the service of the [[Republic of Genoa]], posted to [[Corsica]], and married ''[[Nobile (aristocracy)|Nobile]]'' Angela Maria Pietrasanta (born 1725, died 1790). Their son [[Joseph Fesch]] (born 1763 in [[Ajaccio]], died 1839 in [[Rome]]) was the half-brother of [[Letizia Ramolino]] (a daughter of Angela Maria's first marriage) and through his sister the uncle of [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]. He fulfilled the role of protector of the Bonaparte family for some years from 1791. Joseph Fesch became [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lyon|Archbishop of Lyon]] in 1802, was named a [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] in 1803, became French Ambassador to Rome in 1804, became a French [[Sénat conservateur|senator]] and [[count]] in 1805, became [[Grand Almoner of France]] in 1805, obtained the rank of a [[wikt:sovereign|sovereign]] [[prince]] with the [[style (manner of address)|style]] of ''Most Eminent Highness'' as he was chosen as [[coadjutor]] of the [[Bishopric of Regensburg|Prince-Bishopric of Regensburg]] in 1806, was named a [[Nobility of the First French Empire|French Prince]] (''prince français'') with the [[style (manner of address)|style]] of ''[[Serene Highness]]'' in 1807, received the Great Eagle (the highest degree) of the [[Legion of Honour]], was a Knight of the [[Order of the Golden Spur]] (1802), a Knight of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]] (1805), became a [[Peer of France]] in 1815 and subsequently{{when|date=November 2014}} a (Roman) Prince (as a noble title in the [[Papal States]]). Joseph Fesch was also one of the most famous art collectors of his lifetime. He wed his nephew Napoleon to [[Joséphine de Beauharnais]] in Paris in 1804, the day before Napoleon crowned himself as [[Emperor of the French]]. Cardinal Fesch lived out his days at the [[Palazzo Falconieri]] in Rome, dedicating himself to art and to beneficence.
-== additional members of the Faesch family ==
+== Notable family members ==
 * [[Caroline Weldon]], née Faesch (1844–1921), American civil rights activist, Indian rights activist of the late 19th century,<ref>Caroline Weldon, née Faesch genealogy http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=caroline_weldon&id=I03</ref>
 * [[Remigius Faesch (builder)]] (about 1460–1533/1534), builder of the late Gothic era
@@ Line 50: / Line 48: @@
 * [[John Jacob Faesch]] (1729-1799), black smith and iron master, patriot of the American Revolution
 * [[Johannes Faesch]] (1779–1856), merchant
-* [[Jules Faesch]] (1833–1895), Engineer
+* [[Jules Faesch]] (1833–1895), engineer
-* [[Emil Faesch]] (1865–1915), Architect
+* [[Emil Faesch]] (1865–1915), architect
 * [[Isaac Faesch]] (1687–1758), merchant and governor of the Dutch Antilles 1740–1758<ref>''Dutch Atlantic connections, 1680-1800 : linking empires, bridging borders'' / edited by Gert Oostindie, Jessica V. Roitman. Leiden : Brill, 2014. 440 S. : Ill. {{ISBN|978-90-04-27132-6}}. Seiten 40f</ref>
@@ Line 57: / Line 55: @@
 ==Coat of arms==
-<gallery widths=250px heights=250px>
+<gallery widths="250px" heights="250px">
 File:Coat of arms of Johann Jakob Faesch, rector of the University of Basel 2.jpg|Coat of arms of Johann Jakob Faesch, rector of the [[University of Basel]], 1612
 File:Coat of Arms family Fesch.svg|Faesch family coat of arms
 File:Coat of Arms family Faesch or Fesch with coronet.svg|Faesch family coat of arms with a baronial [[coronet]] as used by family members, as the family was ennobled by the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] in 1563. The two stars were added on the occasion of the ennoblement.
-File:Blason Joseph Fesch.svg|Arms of Cardinal [[Joseph Fesch]] as a member of the French imperial family, [[Grand Almoner of France]] and a prince of the empire
+File:Blason Joseph Fesch.svg|Arms of Cardinal [[Joseph Fesch]] as a member of the French imperial family, [[Grand Almoner of France]] and a prince of the Empire
 </gallery>
@@ Line 70: / Line 68: @@
 * {{BBKL|f/fesch_j|band=2|autor=Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz|spalten=22-23}}
 * Jean Baptiste Lyonnet: ''Le Cardinal Fesch, archevêque de Lyon, primat des Gaules, etc., etc. Fragments biographiques, politiques et religieux pour servir à l'histoire ecclésiastique contemporaine''. 2 Bde., Lyon-Paris, Perisse, 1841.
-* {{HLS|20960|Autor=Samuel Schüpbach-Guggenbühl}}
+* {{HLS|20960|author=Samuel Schüpbach-Guggenbühl}}
 ==External links==
@@ Line 79: / Line 77: @@
 {{Authority control}}
-[[Category:Faesch| ]]
+[[Category:Faesch family| ]]

v t e Imperial House of France of the First French Empire
Emperor and immediate family	Napoleon, Emperor of the French Joséphine, Empress of the French Marie Louise, Empress of the French Napoleon, King of Rome
French Princes	Joseph Bonaparte Louis Bonaparte Joachim Murat Eugène de Beauharnais Elisa Bonaparte Jérôme Bonaparte Joseph Fesch Lucien Bonaparte
Several family members held additional titles in vassal states

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	Germany
People	Deutsche Biographie
Other	Historical Dictionary of Switzerland