Jan Boner (before 1463–1523), also known as Hans Boner, was a German naturalised Polish merchant and banker. He was one of the wealthiest people of his time in Europe.
Born before 1463 in Landau in Palatinate, early in his life he started a merchant business in Breslau. In 1483 he settled in Kraków, in Poland. A wealthy merchant and tradesman dealing with spices, metals, timbers, livestock, etc., he opened branch offices of his firm in many towns of Poland, Germany, Russia and Hungary. In 1498, he was elected to the Town's Charter, and in 1514, he was granted citizenship by King Sigismund I of Poland, who granted him with a noble status.
As the king's banker and main purveyor to the royal court, Boner became one of the wealthiest men in Europe of his times. Among other deeds, he was able to recover the royal treasury from the verge of bankruptcy, having strengthened it with roughly 200,000 Red złoty, an incredible sum for 15th century standards.
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