Plot

Banker Jakob Fugger's mining wealth schemes intertwine with papal crusade plans against Ottomans. When the Inquisition burns his nephew's converted Muslim mother, the boy seeks revenge on Institoris while working for Fugger.

Jakob Fugger's scheming to become as rich as Croesus from copper and silver mining as banker of the mighty in Catholic Christianity requires seeing the papacy to organize a European crusader defense against the Ottoman Turkish threat. The church's self-absorbed puritanical Inquisition party would rather concentrate on fighting heresy and so on within, which includes burning at the stake converted Saracene Zobeida, the mother of monastery oblate Richard, the bastard son of Fugger's late brother, who swears revenge at inquisitor Heinrich Institoris -and remains his target- which he seeks to find as Jacob's confident.—KGF Vissers

*Richard, son of unmarried Saracen convert Zobeida, is educated as clever novice, ignoring he's the bastard son of one of the Croesus)rich Fugger brothers. When inquisitor Heinrich Institoris overrules the wise abbot to impose a zealous regime of intolerant terror, Zobeida is raped and burnt at the stake, he stabs Henry and flees. Finally he's taken in the Fugger's care by Jakob's rusted henchman Eberding, who becomes his guardian angel, while he's trained for and employed in the Fugger mining empire's great interests, commercial and political. When the Ottomans threaten the mining region, a crusade is needed, requiring a pope who shifts focus from persecuting heresy to mounting a crusade. Besotted with ambitious gypsy Saviya, Richard is up for utter revenge or ruin among the intrigues of cardinals.—KGF Vissers

Richard (Petr Cemper), a monastery schoolboy, grows up far away from Augsburg as the illegitimate son of the ambitious Fugger family. When his mother, Zobeida (Veronika Strapková), a Saracen who converted to Christianity, is burned at the stake for witchcraft, he stabs the inquisitor Heinrich Institoris (Philipp Moog). Jakob Fugger (Herbert Knaup) has him freed from prison. The powerful merchant begins to turn the boy into a functioning cog in his family empire. However, the daring adolescent cannot shake his urge for justice: he wants to hold everyone responsible for his mother's death accountable. Jakob is also doing everything he can to finally put an end to the medieval forces in the church-albeit for different reasons. To protect his investments in new business areas, he plans to elevate the compliant Cardinal Sforza (Jan Messutat) to the papal throne. However, Fugger's cool power plans are jeopardized when the grown-up Richard (now Samuel Schneider) once again comes under the scrutiny of the Inquisition. His lack of self-control also makes him a security risk. To regain Fugger's trust, Richard must submit and pass a test. The fate of the Fuggers is decided during the papal election: only if they succeed in enthroning their candidate as Holy Father can the Augsburg merchant dynasty permanently protect its mines in Hungary from the Turks.—ARD