The Rothschilds are a Jewish banking family that established their first successful boutique investment bank in 1760 by Mayer Amschel Rothschild.
Over the centuries, their banking practices grew and they soon became the world’s largest bank. Today, this established banking dynasty is still active and is involved in many different areas of finance. Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, even produced “Die Rothschilds Aktien auf Waterloo” in 1940 as part of Nazi Germany’s antisemitic propaganda campaign.
The history of the Rothschild family and their burgeoning wealth began in the 18th century, when Mayer Amschel Rothschild was born in Frankfurt, Germany.
He established a banking business with his five sons, who later went on to set up banking houses throughout Europe.
Mayer Amschel’s sons provided key funds for many governments during this time, including the Hesses Duchy. This resulted in much animosity toward the family due to anti-Semitic stereotypes at that time.
Nonetheless, the Rothschilds used their wealth and influence to remain prominent figures in European finance and politics throughout history.
Mayer Amschel’s five sons were able to open offices in major cities such as London, Vienna and Paris – paving the way for future generations of Rothschilds to take over what has become a powerful dynasty running over two centuries later with influence far and wide throughout the world.
The Rothschild banking dynasty began with Mayer Amschel, a wealthy Ashkenazi Jewish family from Frankfurt.
He established his banking business in 1760 and sent his five sons to different cities in Europe to expand the family’s wealth and empire.
The first son, Amschel, stayed in Frankfurt and worked with the court of German landgraves. The other four sons—Nathan, Salomon, Jacob and Karl—were sent to London, Vienna, Naples and Paris respectively.
This enabled them to gain access to the ruling aristocrats of each country as well as access to their money. In 1810 Nathan established the London branch of N M Rothschild & Sons which would become one of the most successful banks in Europe.
The Rothschild family is one of the most famous banking dynasties in history. The dynasty was founded by Mayer Amschel Rothschild in the 18th century and it was managed by his sons, Amschel Mayer, Solomon, Nathan, and James.
They were local power brokers who worked with European noble houses and eventually founded a banking empire.
They had great wealth and influence in Frankfurt am Main where they started their family business. However, after the French Revolution, they relocated to Kassel in Hesse where Prince Wilhelm gave them patronage. The history of the Rothschilds can be traced back to earlier centuries when one Mayer Amschel was a court Jew at the court of Frankfurt am Main.
From this humble beginning, the Rothschild banking dynasty rose to become one of the most successful and wealthiest families in the world. Their businesses include:
Merchant banking
Private banking
Asset management
Mergers and acquisitions
Insurance
Venture capital
Pensions and investments
Sovereign debt
Commodities
The Rothschilds unified family businesses by developing a special ownership structure, unifying roughly two centuries of banking into a single company. Baron David de Rothschild was Chairman of his father’s bank and later became executive chairman of Rothschild & Co., which is now one of the world’s largest banks. He spread his sons’ holdings across many different countries and businesses, leading to multiple restructurings and consolidations over the years.
