The Seyler family (also spelled Seiler) is a Swiss family, originally a patrician family from

Liestal Liestal (, Standard ), formerly spelled Liesthal, is the capital of Liestal District and the canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland, south of Basel. Liestal is an industrial town with a cobbled-street Old Town. The official language of Li ...

near

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) ...

. Family members served as councillors and

Schultheiß In medieval Germany, the ''Schultheiß'' () was the head of a municipality (akin to today's office of mayor), a ''Vogt'' or an executive official of the ruler. As official (''villicus'') it was his duty to order his assigned village or county (' ...

en of Liestal from the 15th century, later also as members of the

Grand Council of Basel Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and com ...

. A

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

branch descended from the banker and renowned 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 dev ...

became by marriage a part of the Berenberg banking dynasty, co-owners 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 ...

and part of Hamburg's ruling class of Hanseaten.

History

Among the earliest known family members are Johannes Seyler, who was a councillor in

in 1445, and Martin Seyler, a

(mayor) of Liestal in 1477. Balthasar Seyler (died 1460) was a canon and dean of the

Stift The term (; nl, sticht) is derived from the verb (to donate) and originally meant 'a donation'. Such donations usually comprised earning assets, originally landed estates with serfs defraying dues (originally often in kind) or with vassal tenan ...

of St. Peter.Seyler
" in ''Allgemeines Helvetisches, Eydgenössisches, Oder Schweitzerisches Lexicon'' (1747–1765), XVII, pp. 42–45

Magister Magister is Latin for "master" or "teacher". It may refer to: Positions and titles * Magister degree, an academic degree * Magister equitum, or Master of the Horse * Magister militum, a master of the soldiers * Magister officiorum (''master of o ...

Friedrich Seyler (1603–1676), a native of

, first served as parish priest of Bichwyl and Lütisburg in

St. Gallen , neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach , twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic) , website ...

, later as teacher and rector of the ''Schule auf Burg'' gymnasium in

, and then again as parish priest, and obtained the Basel burghership in 1670. He was married to Rosina Stöcklin (1612–1681), daughter of the Basel council member Matthys Stöcklin (1577-1649), and they were the parents of Margaretha Seyler (1639–1695), who married Professor of Ethics, Rhetoric and Law Simon Battier (1629–1681), and of the noted

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

theologian

Friedrich Seyler Friedrich Seyler (13 December 1642 – 31 January 1708), also spelled Friedrich Seiler, was a Swiss Reformed pastor and theologian from Basel, noted for his work ''Anabaptista Larvatus'' on Anabaptism. ''Anabaptista Larvatus'' He is noted for hi ...

(1642–1708). Friedrich Seyler was pastor at St. Peter's Church in Basel and wrote a history of

Anabaptism Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased ...

and a refutation of Anabaptist "errors." In 1672, he married Elisabeth Socin (born 1655), who belonged to an Italian-origined noble family and who was the daughter of the Basel judge, member of the Grand Council and envoy to the French court Abel Socin (1632–1695) and Maria Hummel (1635–1681), as well as a niece of Basel burgomaster

Emanuel Socin Emanuel may refer to: * Emanuel (name), a given name and surname (see there for a list of people with this name) * Emanuel School, Australia, Sydney, Australia * Emanuel School, Battersea, London, England * Emanuel (band), a five-piece rock band fr ...

. Friedrich Seyler and Elisabeth Socin were the parents of the theologian Dr.theol. Abel Seyler (1684–1767), who was parish priest of Frenkendorf-Munzach in the

district of Basel from 1714 to 1763. Abel Seyler was married to Anna Katharina Burckhardt (1694–1773), a member of the Basel patrician Burckhardt family and the daughter of Johann Rudolf Burckhardt and Anna Maria Merian, and granddaughter of Susanna Faesch. Anna Katharina Burckhardt was a descendant of the famous publisher and humanist

Johann Froben Johann Froben, in Latin: Johannes Frobenius (and combinations), (c. 1460 – 27 October 1527) was a famous printer, publisher and learned Renaissance humanist in Basel. He was a close friend of Erasmus and cooperated closely with Hans Holbein th ...

and many of her ancestors had been councillors and burgomasters of Basel. Abel Seyler the Elder and Anna Katharina Burckhardt were the parents of Elisabeth Seyler (1715–1798), married to parish priest Daniel Merian (1700–1779), and businessman and famed theatre director

(1730–1801).

Abel Seyler and the Hamburg branch of the family

(1730–1801) emigrated from Liestal to

and established himself as a wealthy businessman there. He established the bank '' Seyler & Tillemann'' with his business associate Johann Martin Tillemann, which speculated heavily on currency

debasement A debasement of coinage is the practice of lowering the intrinsic value of coins, especially when used in connection with commodity money, such as gold or silver coins. A coin is said to be debased if the quantity of gold, silver, copper or nick ...

during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754– ...

. The company went spectacularly bankrupt in what was termed a "malicious bankruptcy" with 3 million Mark Banco, an enormous sum, in debts, but Seyler and Tillemann were able to retain some of their fortunes. Subsequently, Seyler devoted himself completely to the theatre, first as the main financial backer of the Hamburgische Entreprise (the Hamburg National Theatre), collaborating closely with its dramaturge

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (, ; 22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and a representative of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the developm ...

, and subsequently as the founder and director of the Seyler theatrical company, becoming "the leading patron of German theatre" in his lifetime and employing some of Germany's foremost actors, playwrights and composers. Abel Seyler is also credited with introducing

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

to a German language audience. He ''inter alia'' commissioned the play ''

Sturm und Drang ''Sturm und Drang'' (, ; usually translated as "storm and stress") was a proto-Romantic movement in German literature and music that occurred between the late 1760s and early 1780s. Within the movement, individual subjectivity and, in particul ...

'' by Klinger, that gave its name to the era. Sophie Friederike Hensel

In 1754, Abel Seyler married Sophie Elisabeth Andreae (1730–1764), the daughter of the wealthy

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

court pharmacist Leopold Andreae (1686–1730) and the sister of the renowned natural scientist

J.G.R. Andreae Johann Gerhard Reinhard Andreae (ca. 17 December 1724 – 1 May 1793), often known as J.G.R. Andreae or I.G.R. Andreae, was a Hanoverian natural scientist, chemist, geologist, court pharmacist (''Hofapotheker'') and alchemist in the Age of Enl ...

. They were the parents of two sons and a daughter, the court pharmacist and

Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on 1 ...

member Abel Jacob Gerhard Seyler, the prominent Hamburg banker

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 Hanseatic Berenberg banking dynasty, and was a partner in the Hamburg firm Joh ...

(1758–1836) and ''Sophie'' Marie Katharina Seyler (1762–1833). Following the death of their mother in 1764, the Seyler children grew up with their uncle J.G.R. Andreae in Hanover and hardly saw their biological father for the rest of his life. In 1772, Abel Seyler married his long-time mistress Friederike Sophie Seyler (1737/1738–1789), who was alongside

Friederike Caroline Neuber Friederike Caroline Neuber, née Friederike Caroline Weissenborn, also known as Friedericke Karoline Neuber, Frederika Neuber, Karoline Neuber, Carolina Neuber, Frau Neuber, and ''Die Neuberin'' (9 March 1697 – 30 November 1760), was a German ...

Germany's leading actress of the 18th century, and who wrote the Singspiel ''

Hüon und Amande ''Oberon, or The Elf King'' (german: Oberon oder König der Elfen), or simply ''Oberon'', originally known as ''Huon and Amanda'' (german: Hüon und Amande), is a romantic Singspiel in five acts by Friederike Sophie Seyler, inspired by the poem ...

'' that was a major inspiration for the libretto of the opera ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that inc ...

''. They had no children. The oldest son of Abel Seyler, Abel Jacob Gerhard Seyler (1756–1805), was court pharmacist in

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lü ...

1791–1803 and also inherited the Andreae & Co. pharmacy with his two siblings as co-heirs, which was sold in 1803. He was married to Karoline Auguste Luise Klügel (1770–1841), a daughter of the noted mathematician and physicist Georg Simon Klügel. Their only son was Georg August Wilhelm Seyler (1800–1866), a doctor of theology and pastor in Annaburg. He was married (1826) to Klara Franziska Hoppe, a daughter of the

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

superintendent (bishop) Ernst August Dankegott Hoppe. Georg Seyler became a second father to his wife's orphaned younger siblings, and in 1864 he formally adopted his 25 years younger brother in law, the later noted physiologist and chemist Felix Hoppe-Seyler, who added the Seyler name to his birth name. Ludwig Erdwin Seyler (1758-1836)

The second son of Abel Seyler, Ludwig Erdwin Seyler (1758–1836), was married to Anna Henriette Gossler (1771–1836), a member of the Hamburg

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German town ...

Berenberg-Gossler banking dynasty, who was the eldest daughter of banker Johann Hinrich Gossler and Elisabeth Berenberg (1749–1822). Elisabeth Berenberg was the only heir of the

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 Berenberg banking family of grand burghers who established

in 1590, and her grandfather

Rudolf Berenberg Rudolf Berenberg (born 1680, died 1746) was a Hamburg merchant and banker and a member of the Berenberg banking family. He served as President of the Commerz-Deputation 1728–1729 and as a Hamburg Senator from 1735. He was the son of Cornelius B ...

had become a senator in 1735. She was also descended from the

Welser Welser was a German banking and merchant family, originally a patrician family based in Augsburg and Nuremberg, that rose to great prominence in international high finance in the 16th century as bankers to the Habsburgs and financiers of Charle ...

family. Johann Hinrich Gossler had become owner of the bank by marrying her in 1768, as her father had no male heirs and as the Hamburg branch of the Berenberg family was becoming extinct in the male line. In 1788, Gossler took on Seyler, his son-in-law, as the new partner, and following Gossler's death in 1790, Ludwig Seyler became head of the firm. Ludwig Seyler served, ''inter alia'', as President of the Commerz-Deputation (1817–18), one of Hamburg's three main political bodies, and as a member of the

Hamburg Parliament The Hamburg Parliament (german: Hamburgische Bürgerschaft; literally “Hamburgish Citizenry”) is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Hamburg according to the constitution of Hamburg. As of 2011 there were 121 members in the par ...

(Erbgesessene Bürgerschaft). He was the brother in law of Hamburg senator Johann Heinrich Gossler and the uncle of First Mayor (head of state) Hermann Gossler. Ludwig Seyler and Anna Henriette Gossler were the parents of *Sophie Henriette Elisabeth ("Betty") Seyler (1789–1837), who married Hamburg businessman Gerhard von Hosstrup, who founded the Hamburger Börsenhalle in 1804. Their daughter Bertha von Hosstrup (1814–1902) was married to the legal scholar and politician Albert Hänel. *Auguste Seyler, who married Gerhard von Hosstrup after the death of her sister *Louise ("Wischen") Seyler (1799–1849), who married ship broker Ernst Friedrich Pinckernelle (1787–1868), whose sons founded the G. & J. E. Pinckernelle insurance broker firm * Henriette Seyler (1805–1875), who married 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 indepe ...

(1795–1864), a co-owner of Blaafarveværket,

Hassel Ironworks Hassel may refer to: Places *Hassel (Bergen), a municipality in the borough of Bergen, Lower Saxony, Germany *Hassel (Weser), a municipality in the district of Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany *Hassel, Saxony-Anhalt, a municipality in the district o ...

and the Hafslund estate, and owner of Frogner Manor *Emmy Seyler, married Homann *Molly Seyler The only daughter of Abel Seyler, ''Sophie'' Marie Katharina Seyler (1762–1833), who was regarded as strikingly beautiful, was married (1781) to their distant relative, the

poet Johann Anton Leisewitz, the author of '' Julius of Taranto''. They had no children. File:Sophie Leisewitz née Seyler.jpg, Sophie Seyler, wife of Johann Anton Leisewitz File:Elisabeth Seyler and her husband Gerhard von Hosstrup painted ca. 1815 by Friedrich Carl Gröger.jpg, Elisabeth Seyler (1789–1837), daughter of

owner L.E. Seyler and Anna Henriette Gossler, and her husband Gerhard von Hosstrup, painted ca. 1815 by Friedrich Carl Gröger File:Henriette Seyler drawn by her sister Molly Seyler in 1827 (cropped).jpeg, Henriette Seyler (1805–75, married to industrialist

), daughter of

owner L.E. Seyler and Anna Henriette Gossler, drawn by her sister Molly in 1827

Coat of arms

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). In engraving, it is sometimes depi ...

, a rising

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the ...

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions t ...

, with

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally found only on ...

and cloven hooves, Or, that is, a rising white deer with golden antler and cloven hooves in a red shield. Sometimes the arms also includes a green base or mountain, e.g. in the arms of mayor of Liestal Adam Seiler from 1587.Otto Titan von Hefner, Adolf Matthias Hildebrandt, Gustav A. Seyler, ''Die Wappen bürgerlicher Geschlechter Deutschlands und der Schweiz'', vol. 3, Bauer & Raspe, 1973, p. 10

Lineage

*Jacob Seiler (born in the 1570s, died 1610), married Barbara Dietler **Friedrich Seyler (1603–1676), Magister, rector of the Schule auf Burg gymnasium, married Rosina Stöcklin (1612–1681), daughter of Basel councillor Matthys Stöcklin (1577-1649) and Margret Kündig (b. 1583) ***Margaretha Seyler (1639–1695), married Simon Battier (1629–1681), Professor of Ethics, Rhetoric and Law ***

(1642–1708), Calvinist theologian, married Elisabeth Socin (born 1655), daughter of Basel judge, member of the Grand Council and envoy to the French court Abel Socin (1632–1695) and Maria Hummel (1635–1681) ****Maria Rosina Seiler (1674–1703), married parish priest Johann Rudolf Brenner (1670–1737) ****Elisabeth Seiler (1675–1711), married Johann Heinrich Krug (1652–1703) ****Friedrich Seiler (born 1679), merchant, married Anna Stähelin and Anna Maria Passavant *****(of first marriage) Elisabeth Seiler (1709–1743), married Johann Rudolf

Burckhardt Burckhardt, or (de) Bourcard in French, is a family of the Basel patriciate, descended from Christoph (Stoffel) Burckhardt (1490–1578), a merchant in cloth and silk originally from Münstertal, Black Forest, who received Basel citizenship ...

(1706–1765) ****Abel Seyler (1684–1767), Dr.theol., parish priest in

, married Anna Katharina

(1694–1773), daughter of Johann Rudolf Burckhardt and Anna Maria Merian *****Elisabeth Seyler (1715–1798), married parish priest Daniel Merian (1700–1779) *****

(1730–1801), businessman, subsequently theatre director, married Sophie Elisabeth Andreae (1730–1764), daughter of the Hanover court pharmacist Leopold Andreae (1686–1730) and Katharina Elisabeth Rosenhagen (died 1752), and in his second marriage actress Friederike Sophie Seyler (née Sparmann) ******(of first marriage) Abel Jacob Gerhard Seyler (1756–1805), court pharmacist and member of the

, married Karoline Auguste Luise Klügel (1770–1841), daughter of mathematician and physicist Georg Simon Klügel ******* Georg August Wilhelm Seyler (1800–1866), doctor of theology and pastor in Annaburg, married Klara Hoppe, daughter of Freiburg superintendent (bishop) Ernst August Dankegott Hoppe ******** Felix Hoppe-Seyler (1825–1895), physiologist and chemist, adopted son, biological younger brother of his wife ******(of first marriage)

(1758–1836), head and co-owner (1788–1836) of

, married Anna Henriette Gossler (1771–1836), daughter of banker Johann Hinrich Gossler and Elisabeth Berenberg *******Sophie Henriette Elisabeth ("Betty") Seyler (1789–1837), married businessman Gerhard von Hosstrup *******Johann Hinrich Seyler *******Emilie ("Emmy") Seyler, married to the physician Ludwig Friedrich Christian Homann *******Louise ''Auguste'' Seyler, married to Gerhard von Hosstrup after the death of her sister *******Maria ("Molly") Seyler *******Louise ("Wischen") Seyler (1799–1849), married shipbroker Ernst Friedrich Pinckernelle ******* Henriette Seyler (1805–1875), married the Norwegian industrialist

******(of first marriage) ''Sophie'' Marie Katharina Seyler (1762–1833), married poet and lawyer Johann Anton Leisewitz ****Benedikt Seiler (born 1687), Spezierer, married (1714) Anna Cath. Fuchs (1679–1763) *****Friedrich Seiler (1715–1777), wig maker, married (1738) Maria Marg. Bossert (1714–1789)

References

Literature

Seiler, auch Seyler
" in ''Allgemeines Helvetisches, Eydgenössisches, Oder Schweitzerisches Lexicon'' (1747–1765), XVII, pp. 42–45
Seiler
in ''Historiches Lexikon der Schweiz'' *A. Seiler-Rosenmund, ''Stammbaum der Bürgergeschlechter von Liestal'', vol. 1, 1908, pp. 111–119 *Josef Widmann, ''Bürger-Familienbuch von Liestal'', Lüdin & Walser, 1860
Auszug Stamm Seiler in / aus Liestal
stroux.org ;Hamburg branch * Magazin zur Geschichte des deutschen Theaters, 1773, VI, pp. 264–276 *

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, Göttingen, 1963 *

, ''Kaufleute zu Haus und über See. Hamburgische Zeugnisse des 17., 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts'', Hamburg, Hoffmann und Campe, 1949 *

, "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 *

, "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

External links

{{Authority control Swiss noble families Berenberg-Gossler family Hanseatic families Patriciate of Basel Banking families