Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis

The core of Gdańsk patricians consisted of a limited number of families. Some of them managed to build up and maintain their power for as long as 300 years. There were different ways of establishing patrician families and of emphasising their social status. The story of the rise and accession to the nobility of the Ferber family reveals the practical side of the strategy and tactics of the implementation of such goals. Due to purposeful actions and the exploitation of favourable circumstances, the sons of Johann Ferber attained the highest posts in the region, with Maurice becoming the Bishop of Warmia, and Eberhardt the most distinguished Burgomaster of Gdańsk. In 1515, the family were accepted into the nobility by the King of Poland Sigismund I and the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. This was made possible not only by the family belonging to the economic elite of the country, but also by the strong and supportive environment. This paper seeks to highlight the environment by analysing the kinship, social, and official relationships of the Ferbers in the 15th to the 16th centuries before and after their accession to the nobility.