Merian family

Merian Basel is a family name. It is one of two family branches ( older and younger line), which were / 1553 was added in 1498 or 1549 into the freedom of the city. The Merian were characterized as " councilman Tight Poor" ( numerous representatives in the councils, that public institutions of the city of Basel since 1532) and as a family of artists during the Baroque period. The reasoned by Matthäus Merian Frankfurt branch of the family led one of Europe's largest publishers in the 17th century.

Origin and Distribution

The family is not limited to Basel, and is also found ( in variants such as Meria, Mérian, Meriam and by Merian ) in Alsace, Lorraine, in Provence, in Lower Austria and in Mecklenburg. However, these families are probably not directly related with the Basel Merian, although it can be considered from a common root in the former Bishopric of Basel; there are found as the earliest forms of the name Merillate, Merylat, Miregla, Mureglat or Latinized Mariatte. The name probably derives from the Meier office; unlikely, however, are suspicions that a connection with the community Meria on Corsica or an alleged Abbey Merian in the Archdiocese of Strasbourg would be, and the same applies to references to the noble families Marioni from Milan or de Muriaux in the Bishopric of Basel.

The earliest mention of the family in Prince-Bishopric dates from 1385 with the mention of a Jehannin dit Mariatte de Buratte (Johann, called Mariatte, citizens of Pruntrut ), who resided in the dairy Bure. This dairy farm belonged since 1283 to the bishops of Basel, before the dukes of Alsace, Count of Montbéliard / Montbéliard and Pfirt / Ferette.

Naturalization in Basel

As the progenitor of all Basel Merian is considered a Theobald Merian ( 1415 - 1505 ), episcopal baslerischer Meier or bailiff in Lüttelsdorf / Courroux at Dels Mountain / Delémont. From this Theobald each Basel branches of the family are descended. The older line goes to son Theobald Merian (around 1465-1544 ), who moved in 1480 as a naval man of Lüttelsdorf to Basel and later operated a sawmill in the right bank Klein Basel. The younger line founded by Johann Peter Merian (around 1468/1478 - after 1519), who also came to Basel as episcopal baslerischer Meier in Lüttelsdorf. Whether it has actually traded at Theobald ( son ) and Johann Peter to brothers and thus to the sons of Theobald (father), as the tradition maintains, is not documented.

Significant representatives

From the two branches of the family descended from several people whose importance goes beyond Basel:

  • Christoph Merian ( senior) ( 1769-1849 ) - businessman and banker, brother of Philip, seven - times -great- grandson of Theobald Merian.
  • Philipp Merian (1773-1848), brother of Christopher (Senior ), residing in Freiburg im Breisgau, businessman, philanthropist and founder of the foundation, honorary citizen of Freiburg iB
  • Peter Merian (1795-1883), 3rd degree cousin of Christoph Merian, geologist, co-founder of industrial salt production in Switzerland ( Swiss Hall ), brother of Johann Rudolf.
  • Johann Rudolf Merian (1797-1871) - mathematician and politician, brother of Peter.
  • Christoph Merian (1800-1858), brother of Christopher (Senior ), nephew of Philip Merian and 3rd degree cousin of Peter Merian, landowners, philanthropist and founder of the Christoph Merian Foundation, which became in 1976 the Christoph Merian Verlag.
  • Matthäus Merian the Elder (1593-1650), emigrated from Basel to Frankfurt, artists and publishers
  • Matthäus Merian the Younger (1621-1687), son of Matthäus Merian the Elder ( from his first marriage ), artist and publisher
  • Caspar Merian (1627-1686), son of Matthäus Merian the Elder ( from his first marriage ), artist
  • Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717), daughter of Matthäus Merian the Elder (second marriage), naturalist and artist
  • Johann Matthäus Merian (1659-1716), son of Matthäus Merian the Younger, Portrait painter and publisher
  • Andreas Merian- Iselin (1742-1811), politician, Country Ammann of Switzerland 1806.

Frankfurt line

1624 Matthäus Merian took over the Frankfurt publishing house of his father Johann Theodor de Bry in 1626 and purchased the Frankfurt citizenship. After his death on June 19, 1650 his sons Matthäus the Younger and Caspar led the publishing house under the name of Matthew Merian's soul. Heirs continued. 1687 was the publishing house on the third generation, on Johann Matthäus Merian ( 1659-1716 ), a son of Matthäus Merian the Younger, who was later to the peerage and appointed by the Elector of Mainz to the Privy Council. After the death of Johann Matthäus Merian in 1716 his niece, Charlotte Maria Merian ( 1691-1729 ) led the company until its dissolution in 1727th With the painter Carl Matthäus Merian ( 1705-1770 ), a great-grandson of Matthew Elder. , died from the Frankfurt line. To them the Merianstraße, the Merianplatz and Merian school in Northrend remember.

Coat of arms

The root coat of arms shows in red on green Dreienberg a black house sign. The family received in 1563 a coat of arms improvement by Emperor Ferdinand I: Angular divided from black with a golden sechsstrahligem star and gold with black characters on green house Three mountain.

In addition, a variant with the House logo and a stork occurs in the 16th century. This Coat of Arms was (Carl Gustav and Johann Matthäus ) confirmed the grandchildren of older Matthew with the following blazon in the patent of nobility from August 15, 1706: In a natural-colored gold stork on green ground; Gem: Two natural-colored wings of a stork with blue house characters.

Lorraine (region) Bure, Switzerland Nordend (Frankfurt am Main) Neue Deutsche Biographie Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie Integrated Authority File
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