History Main / MerchantPrince

** ''Literature/GoingPostal'': Reacher Guilt is a powerful merchant and conman who is attempting to use his wealth and power to displace the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork.

* ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000RogueTrader'': The eponymous Rogue Traders, including the PlayerCharacter, are fantastically wealthy and powerful individuals granted Warrant of Trade by the Emperor himself (putting them on the Imperial totem pole at the same height as [[SecretPolice Lord Inquisitors]]) to brave the perils of the galaxy, search for lost [[LostTechnology archaeotech]] and bring the light of the Emperor and civilization to lost holdouts of humanity.

* In ''Videogame/GenshinImpact'', the nation of Liyue is led by the Qixing ("Seven Stars"), the seven wealthiest individuals of the city who operate businesses on top of running the city of Liyue. Two of them, Ningguang and Keqing, are playable characters.

* ''VideoGame/MasterOfOrionConquerTheStars'': The Gnolam Commodore is portrayed this way. He appears to be sitting in a luxurious tent on a very nice throne. His speech has a vaguely Eastern accent and sounds like a typical merchant.

** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'': In the ''Trespasser'' DLC, [[spoiler:Varric has been made Viscount of Kirkwall due to all the work he put into rebuilding the city-state]]. He seems to have grudgingly accepted the posting, but considering his affection for Kirkwall it's mostly bluster.

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': The leaders of Goblin society are known as Trade Princes, usually the most business savvy, greedy and ruthless of the lot. Jastor Gallywix is the most prominent of the game, as the leader of the Bilgewater Cartel (the playable goblins).

* ''Literature/BugJackBarron'': Jack's investigations lead him to tangle with one of the richest and most powerful men in America, Benedict Howards, whose influence can not only threaten Jack's media career, but his life.

** By the end of the series, Harry King has become one, though it's mostly due to his socialite-wannabe wife. Well, that and that he's richer than what he deals in (Harry's business began by carting away the contents of chamber-pots). Turns out there's real money in that, especially since he gets paid once for hauling it away and once more when he sells it to alchemists, tanners, paper manufacturers, and the like.
* ''Literature/{{Dorsai}}'': Prince William of Ceta, uing his business talents, managed to acquire enough political power to de facto rule a ''planet''. His title of "Prince" was given to him from one of the nations on this world. [[spoiler:And managing to manipulate the interstellar market, almost conquered all of inhabited space.]]

* ''Literature/TechnicHistory'': Nicholas van Rijn is the head of the Solar Spice and Liquors Company, one of the several conglomerates that make up the Polesotechnic League, a interstellar trading group more powerful than any planetary government. Van Rijn is a classic self-made man, and he is more powerful and influential than many ''actual'' princes.

** The entire system of Jackson's Whole is run by a set of corrupt merchant princes, including Baron Ryoval, Baron Bharaputra and Baron Fell. (The title is honorary.) The only reason they're not considered criminals is that they have all the power, and no other system can enforce its rules on Jackson's Whole.

* Literature/TheBible: Lydia the purple dye merchant was one of the first gentile converts to Christianity from Greece. As purple was a high end luxury product -- at least the equivalent of the more exotic perfumes available today, and perhaps even more extravagant when you account for the travel hazards and sumptuary laws that existed at the time--one must conclude that she was a powerful figure. And given the patriarchal society she lived in, she probably overcame a number of obstacles (making her an even more impressive figure). She may have been the [[GrandeDame matron]] of a local dynasty serving [[YouAreInCommandNow as family head]] after the death or incapacitation of ThePatriarch, but that is speculation.

* ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'': The country of Amn is ruled by the Council of Six, each a merchant-king with more money than they can spend. In descending order of seniority they are the Meisarch, Tessarch, Namarch, Iltarch, Pommarch and Dahaunarch.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': TabletopGame/{{Rogue Trader}}s are aristocratic merchants given a very great deal independence and authority by the Imperium of Man, including the ability to contact and trade with alien civilizations. Their status is hereditary, allowing long dynasties to form, and they're legally considered to hold a status equivalent to that of SpaceMarine Chapter Masters, Inquisitors and planetary governors.

* ''VideoGame/CrusaderKingsII'': ''The Republic'' DLC adds a new system of government based primarily on the real-life examples in Italy. Whichever Patrician takes control during succession is the one with the most prestige, [[OlderIsBetter age]], and invested cash.

* J.P. Morgan, the American philanthropist and financier. Morgan's skills in business not only transformed the economy, but also managed to use his influence to offset ''two'' economic panics. In addition, Morgan financed [=McKinley's=] campaign during his election and re-election.

** South Korea also has a handful of business conglomerates that control large chunks of the country's economy and led by family members -- there they're known as ''chaebol''. Several chaebol family heads have gone to serve in the National Assembly.

Generally, a MerchantCity will be ruled by one of these, or by a council of them modeled after those of Renaissance Italy. Though not required for the trope, some may operate (at least) one MegaCorp.

-->-- Creator/RudyardKipling, ''The Mary Gloster''

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

[[folder: Literature]]

[[folder: Web Original]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

[[folder: Real Life]]
* Many cities in [[TheLateMiddleAges Late Middle Ages]] / [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance Renaissance]] Italy were ruled by merchant princes at some point or another. The foremost example was UsefulNotes/{{Venice}}, a republic ruled by a Doge who was elected from the ranks of the Senate for life and assisted for much of the city's history by a secretive Council of Ten. Its chief rival, Genoa, was also ruled under a similar system.

** If you're trying to be semantic by saying ''tycoon'' came from Chinese via Japanese, consider that UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} has had ''zaibatsu'' since the Meiji Restoration[[note]]Sumitomo and Mitsui, in fact, can trace roots to the Edo Period[[/note]]. The Big Four (Sumitomo, Mitsui, Mitsubishi, and Yasuda) dictated much if not most of UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan's policies (at least until the military nationalized much of their assets in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII) and were each ultimately controlled by a single family - there were also several "second-tier" zaibatsu such as Kawasaki, Nakajima, Nissan, and Nomura that operated similarly to the Big Four business-wise but weren't controlled by single families.
** South Korea also has a handful of businesss conglomerates that control large chunks of the country's economy and led by family members - there they're known as ''chaebol''. Several chaebol family heads have gone to serve in the National Assembly.

* Many cities in Italy were ruled by merchant princes at some point or another. The foremost example was Venice, a republic ruled by a Doge who was elected from the ranks of the Senate for life and assisted for much of the city's history by a secretive Council of Ten. Its chief rival, Genoa, was also ruled under a similar system.
* A modern example: the oligarchs of [[UsefulNotes/TheNewRussia 1990s Russia]]. These ''nouveau riche'' capitalists were the power behind the [[VodkaDrunkenski ever drunk]] Boris Yeltsin.

** If you're trying to be semantic by saying ''tycoon'' came from Chinese via Japanese, consider that Japan has had ''zaibatsu'' since the Meiji Restoration[[note]]Sumitomo and Mitsui, in fact, can trace roots to the Edo Period[[/note]]. The Big Four (Sumitomo, Mitsui, Mitsubishi, and Yasuda) dictated much if not most of Imperial Japan's policies (at least until the military nationalized much of their assets in World War Two) and were each ultimately controlled by a single family - there were also several "second-tier" zaibatsu such as Kawasaki, Nakajima, Nissan, and Nomura that operated similarly to the Big Four business-wise but weren't controlled by single families.

* The word for this in Hong Kong is ''Taipan''. James Clavell's novel by the name is about one of these.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* Meiden Fassa, father of TheTeamBenefactor Dryden in ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'', used his vast fortunes to secure a place at the Asturian court and now uses his political connections to gain even more money.

[[folder: Fanfiction ]]

* Erika in ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' is a variation. She's the head of one of the largest department store chains in the world, and while she doesn't hold actual government office, she does have a lot of influence in Kanto's politics.

[[folder: Film ]]

* In ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'' Mr. Potter uses his money to basically run the entire town except Bailey Building & Loan.
* Hutts are a race of gangsters in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe who acquire vast fortunes and often use that to carve out and rule their own little empires throughout the galaxy.

[[folder: Literature ]]

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/TheMerchantPrinces": This story explains how the Foundation transitions from ruling their outer provinces through a ScamReligion to ruling through economic control. The ScamReligion that allowed Terminus to suborn control from the Four Kingdoms has proved remarkably unsuccessful in advancing the Foundation's sphere of influence. Hober Mallow, who would later take the "Merchant Prince" title referenced in the story's name, uses technology brokering to enhance the Foundation by turning their nation into a literal commercial empire. His practical proof? Winning a war simply by enforcing a blanket ban on trade until their enemy surrenders.
* Prince William of Ceta in ''Literature/{{Dorsai}}''. Using his business talents, William managed to acquire enough political power to de facto rule a ''planet''. His title of "Prince" was given to him from one of the nations on this world. [[spoiler:And managing to manipulate the interstellar market, almost conquered all of inhabited space.]]
* Lucas Trask in ''Space Viking'' is named Prince-Viceroy of Tanith for pillage and plunder, but he decides trade is more profitable than pillaging and builds Tanith into the center of a powerful interstellar alliance.
* Nicholas van Rijn, from Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/TechnicHistory'' series, is the head of the Solar Spice and Liquors Company, one of the several conglomerates that make up the Polesotechnic League, a interstellar trading group more powerful than any planetary government. Van Rijn is a classic self-made man, and he is more powerful and influential than many ''actual'' princes.
* ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'':
** The entire system of Jackson's Whole is run by a set of corrupt merchant princes, including Baron Ryoval, Baron Bharaputra and Baron Fell. (The title is honorary.) The only reason they're not considered criminals is that they have all the power, and no other system can enforce its rules on Jackson's Whole.
** The Toscanes of Komarr (along with pretty much the rest of the Komarran oligarchy) are a more benign version of this. They are a shipping dynasty that controls large portions of their planet's trade. Emperor Gregor first met his wife Laisa when she was visiting the Barrayaran court as a lobbyist for Komarran trade interests.
* The Vattas of ''Literature/VattasWar''.
* In Creator/CJCherryh's ''Literature/AllianceUnion'' series, the Alliance was created by the heads of powerful merchant clans who didn't want to be controlled either by Earth or by the newly-formed technocratic Union, so they used their wealth and power to create a new independent government headquartered at Pell which they basically control (after the Mazianni have fought Union to a standstill).
** The Alliance Captains also had a weapon in their arsenal - [[spoiler: the threat of a General Strike that would bring all commerce in Human space to its knees. Union backed down and agreed to recognize Alliance rather than have that happen.]]

** In the novel ''Literature/GoingPostal'', Reacher Guilt is a powerful merchant and conman who is attempting to use his wealth and power to displace the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork.

* In Alfred Bester's ''Literature/TheStarsMyDestination'', businessmen like Presteign of Presteign have so much power that they essentially ''are'' the government, and their family names are treated as titles.
* In Norman Spinrad's ''Literature/BugJackBarron'', Jack's investigations lead him to tangle with one of the richest and most powerful men in America, Benedict Howards, whose influence can not only threaten Jack's media career, but his life.
* Elihu Willsson, the "Czar of Poisonville" in ''Literature/RedHarvest''. A powerful and rich industrialist, he had enough influence over half of California and de facto rule a city... until he lost control of the corrupt officials and gangs that helped him put down a worker's strike.
* In Literature/TheBible Lydia the purple dye merchant was one of the first gentile converts to Christianity from Greece. As purple was a high end luxury product--at least the equivalent of the more exotic perfumes available today, and perhaps even more extravagant when you account for the travel hazards and sumptuary laws that existed at the time--one must conclude that she was a powerful figure. And given the patriarchal society she lived in, she probably overcame a number of obstacles (making her an even more impressive figure). She may have been the [[GrandeDame matron]] of a local dynasty serving [[YouAreInCommandNow as family head]] after the death or incapacitation of ThePatriarch, but that is speculation.
* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', the city of Pentos revolves around this, with the magisters(wealthy merchants and cheesemongers)choosing from among the forty families the Prince of Pentos. However, the Prince has the unfortunate detail attached to their title that if anything goes wrong(trade goes bad, a drought happens, etc;), the Pentoshi sacrifice them to appease the gods(one of the Pentoshi princes was sacrificed for accepting peace terms with other lands that were seen as unfavourable by his people from Jaeherys I Targaryen). And the title of "Prince"is not one a person can refuse or pass upon by law.
* In ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'', this is the law of the land in Arelon; noble rank is based on wealth.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* Xaro Xhoan Daxos in ''Series/GameOfThrones'', richest man in Qarth and member of "The Thirteen," the ruling council of the city of Qarth.
* The Ferengi in ''Series/{{Star Trek Deep Space Nine}}'' (and the general ''Star Trek'' 'verse) were a PlanetOfHats of merchant princes, as political power was very much connected to success in business. The most successful (usually also the most ruthless and greedy) becomes ''the'' merchant prince of all Ferengi and is known as the Grand Nagus.
* "Jock" Ewing from ''Series/{{Dallas}}'', the patriarch of the family and father of J.R., Gary, and Bobby, was an oil baron who was teaching his sons to wield wealth as a form of power the way he did. He was most successful with J.R.
* In ''Series/{{Bones}}'', in the two-part episode "Yanks in the UK", a powerful American businessman in London uses his political influence to get Booth and Brennan (who are in town for a conference) seconded to Scotland Yard to investigate the death of his daughter, despite the fact that the FBI has no jurisdiction in the UK. Things get more complicated when the businessman becomes a suspect in a second murder.

[[folder: Tabletop RPG ]]

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms setting. The country of Amn is ruled by the Council of Six, each a merchant-king with more money than they can spend. In descending order of seniority they are the Meisarch, Tessarch, Namarch, Iltarch, Pommarch and Dahaunarch.
* The Third Imperium in TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}, and to an extent the First and Second Imperiums as well, were founded and maintained by Merchant Princes. While the ruling class often went into more traditionally "princely" occupations like military service (especially with the Second Imperium), the role of the Merchant Princes always remained an important one.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'': TabletopGame/{{Rogue Trader}}s are aristocratic merchants given practically free rein by the Imperium of Man. As in they can do anything from trade with Xenos to outright piracy.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* ''The Republic'' DLC for ''VideoGame/CrusaderKingsII'' adds a new system of government based primarily on the real-life examples in Italy. Whichever Patrician takes control during succession is the one with the most prestige, [[OlderIsBetter age]], and invested cash.
* The ''VideoGame/EuropaUniversalis'' games have Merchant Republics, ruled by this sort of character.
** Though fairly often borderline ''not'' -- a ''lot'' of the historical merchant republic limited political power to people that had certain generally inherited titles. That said, they were far more openly, simply and formally ''buyable'' inheritable titles, and a family that had the titles but lost their trade tended to lose most of their influence.
* The ''Merchant Prince'' series of strategy games casts the player as an IntrepidMerchant in 15th century Venice and allows them to gain key posts in the government to further their ambitions.

** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', use of the in-game codex and chats with some [=NPCs=] reveal that the country of Antiva, while nominally a monarchy, is effectively a plutocracy- ruled by a dozen or so merchant princes with personal armies, vast resources and a heaping helping of the local assassin order, the House of Crows.
** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', dwarf companion Varric Tethras is described as one in his specialization. The full story is a bit more complicated - he comes from a noble family that was exiled to the surface for their father's crime. His brother is obsessed with restoring his house's former glory, while Varric is content with the life of a successful author and KnowledgeBroker who occasionally shoots people. He's one of the most well-connected men in Kirkwall, and possibly one of the richest. He finds actual finance rather dull by comparison and avoids Merchant Guild meetings if at all possible.
** In the ''Trespasser'' DLC for ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' [[spoiler: Varric has been made Viscount of Kirkwall due to all the work he put into rebuilding the city-state. He seems to have grudgingly accepted the posting, but considering his affection for Kirkwall it's mostly bluster.]]
* In ''VideoGame/UnchartedWaters'' and its sequel, ''[[VideoGame/UnchartedWatersNewHorizons New Horizons]]'', while some of the playable characters had main careers as merchants and some did not, any character with enough gold could invest in the markets and shipyards of foreign ports, and with enough investment over time could bring the port into their home country's "sphere of influence" which would afford them a favorable market there as well as expand the power and influence of their home country. Such influence-buying helps the character enter the nobility and advance upward in noble rank, which implies increased political power.
* Much like ''Uncharted Waters'', ''VideoGame/SidMeiersPirates'' allows the player, a professional "[[{{Privateer}} nautical salvage expert]]," to advance in rank and title with his patron countries by attacking the ships of their foes. One of the endgame retirement options, based on the player's score, has him becoming a colonial governor himself.
* CEO Nwabudike Morgan in ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri''. While of African royalty and rich on Earth, he had none of that when he was reawakened on the starship ''Unity''. Despite not having any official position in the mission, Morgan managed to worm his way into the leadership and gather a large following in the few days he was awake before the Landing, set off to Planet with his followers, and [[OneNationUnderCopyright create a powerful faction]] only with his own talents.
** The trend is continued in SMAC's SpiritualSuccessor ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth'' with no less than three of the eight faction leaders (Suzanne Fielding, Élodie and Hutama) having corporate backgrounds and using their corporate power to become rulers of their respective nations.
* The leaders of Goblin society in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' are known as Trade Princes, usually the most business savvy, greedy and ruthless of the lot. Jastor Gallywix is the most prominent of the game, as the leader of the Bilgewater Cartel (the playable goblins).
* An option in ''VideoGame/ImperiumNova'' with many spheres, in particular Mercantile.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V'', the "Commerce" policy path most strongly resembles establishing a medieval-Italian-style maritime merchant republic; your "title" while on the "Commerce" path is even "Doge" (the title of the heads of the Venetian and Genoese Republics).
* The leader of the Daggerfall Covenant in VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline, High King Emeric was originally a merchant lord from High Rock.
* In the new ''VideoGame/MasterOfOrion'' game, the Gnolam Commodore is portrayed this way. He appears to be sitting in a luxurious tent on a very nice throne. His speech has a vaguely Eastern accent and sounds like a typical merchant.

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* One of the arcs of ''Film/NoobLeConseilDesTroisFactions'' consists of a player using her fortune to create a shortage in much-needed materials, slowly put them back on the market at an inflated price to put her whole faction in her debt, then use that debt to pressure the ''de facto'' highest ranking player into PassingTheTorch in her favor.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* As noted above, many cities in Italy were ruled by merchant princes at some point or another. The foremost example was Venice, a republic ruled by a Doge who was elected from the ranks of the Senate for life and assisted for much of the city's history by a secretive Council of Ten. Its chief rival, Genoa, was also ruled under a similar system.