The Rothschild Family

In the past two centuries, the Rothschild family has been at the center of great events in Europe and the world, such as the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo and the development of the Suez Canal. In this National Book Award finalist, Frederic Morton brings the family to life, starting with Mayer of Frankfurt, longtime adviser to Germany’s princes, who broke through the barriers of the Jewish ghetto and placed his family on the road to wealth and power, followed by Lord Alfred in London, Baron Philippe in Paris, and many others. “[Morton’s] tale grows fascinating, luxuriating in the social and human details of what happened once the Rothschild tribe had financed England, bailed out the returning French Bourbons, helped Austria intervene in Italy and lent millions to the Holy See itself.” — William Harlan Hale, The New York Times “Hardly a page without sparkle. Morton writes a chromium-plate style... [he] enables the reader to grasp some of the fundamental secrets of the Rothschild success — above all, its endurance.” — New York Herald Tribune Books “Vivid, witty and perceptive.” — Saturday Review

A comprehensive history of three generations of the Rothschilds, and their influence across two generations of European history.

*Includes pictures *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "I have not the nerve for his operations. They are well-planned, with great cleverness and adroitness in execution - but he is in money and funds what Napoleon was in war." - Baron Baring on Nathan Rothschild" The mere mention of banks is enough to crinkle the noses and furrow the brows of most. The thought of these fat cats conjures up an image of corporate types sporting snazzy suits and jaunty top hats with bulky bags of cash swinging in their hands. They are often portrayed as greedy money-grubbers who puppeteer the system, siphoning money off the public with interest rates and the like. Many seem to view them as the cause of many, if not all, financial disasters. A few bad apples seemed to have spoiled the reputations of the rest of the bunch. Scandal has almost become expected of these institutions. Banks around the globe have become subject to accusations of discriminatory practices, rogue and insider trading, and increased shadow banking, among others. These days, one would be hard-pressed to find media coverage that paints these institutions in good light. But where did it all begin? Throughout the following centuries, the systems of banking institutions continued to develop, and the art of money persisted well on to the 18th century. One of these money changers was a German-Jewish man by the name of Amschel Moses Rothschild. He lived in the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt, home to the largest Jewish community in early modern Europe. Beyond perhaps the wildest dreams of the oppressed and their oppressors, this small-scale money changer, along with his wife, would give birth to the forefather of one of the most powerful families the world has ever seen: the Rothschilds. The Rothschild dynasty of power and wealth would not only become a force to be reckoned with in the banking industry, but they would also become the ceaseless subject of scandal, conspiracy theories, and awe. Descriptions full of hyperbole have been on public display for centuries, such as the family description that appeared in the Niles' Weekly Register in 1836, "The Rothschilds are the wonders of modern banking ... Not a cabinet moves without their advice. They stretch their hand, with equal ease, from Petersburgh to Vienna, from Vienna to Paris, from Paris to London, from London to Washington... They are the brokers and counselors of the kings of Europe and of the republican chiefs of America. What more can they desire?" The Rothschild Family: The History and Legacy of the International Banking Dynasty looks at one of the richest families in history. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Rothschilds like never before.

Ever since the house of Rothschild first rose to pre-eminence in the turbulent era of the Napoleonic wars, mythology has surrounded the family and its firms. Conservative aristocrats, radical democrats, socialists from Marx onwards, anti-semites from Wagner to Hitler - all have reserved a special place in their critiques of modern capitalism for the Rothschilds. They have been portrayed as the power behind not just one throne but many. They have been charged with financing revolutions and counter-revolutions. They have been seen as the final arbiters of war and peace in Europe. This book is the first of two volumes presenting a history of the house of Rothschild that reveals the phenomenal economic success of this secretive family.

In The Women of Rothschild, Natalie Livingstone reveals the role of women in shaping the legacy of the famous Rothschild dynasty, synonymous with wealth and power. From the East End of London to the Eastern seaboard of the United States, from Spitalfields to Scottish castles, from Bletchley Park to Buchenwald, and from the Vatican to Palestine, Natalie Livingstone follows the extraordinary lives of the Rothschild women from the dawn of the nineteenth century to the early years of the twenty-first. As Jews in a Christian society and women in a deeply patriarchal family, they were outsiders. Excluded from the family bank, they forged their own distinct dynasty of daughters and nieces, mothers and aunts. They became influential hostesses and talented diplomats, choreographing electoral campaigns, advising prime ministers, advocating for social reform, and trading on the stock exchange. Misfits and conformists, conservatives and idealists, performers and introverts, they mixed with everyone from Queen Victoria to Chaim Weizmann, Rossini to Isaiah Berlin, and the Duke of Wellington to Alec Guinness, as well as with amphetamine-dealers, suffragists and avant-garde artists. Rothschild women helped bring down ghetto walls in early nineteenth-century Frankfurt, inspired some of the most remarkable cultural movements of the Victorian period, and in the mid-twentieth century burst into America, where they patronized Thelonious Monk and drag-raced through Manhattan with Miles Davis. Absorbing and compulsive, The Women of Rothschild gives voice to the complicated, privileged, and gifted women whose vision and tenacity shaped history.

In this short biography of Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812), historian and journalist Amos Elon describes how the founder of the Rothschild dynasty started out by dealing in rare coins and traveling across Germany while still confined, as a Frankfurt Jew, to its Judengasse. Assisted by his five skilled sons, Rothschild subsequently built up a fortune by helping manage the investments of the Landgrave of Hesse, circumventing Napoleon’s blockade of England and funding Napoleon’s eventual defeat. “This slim, charming volume is actually a biographical essay, yet it succeeds in snatching its elusive subject from oblivion.” — Ron Chernow, The New York Times “This is a fascinating story.” — The New York Review of Books “A memorable first biography of a near-mythical founding father.” — Publishers Weekly “A thoroughly researched, fascinating, and altogether exemplary biography.” —Kirkus Reviews “Amos Elon’s portrait of the man who fathered a dynasty makes fascinating reading for anyone even mildly interested in money and power and their effects on history. Founder is a rich and colorful examination of [Meyer Amschel Rothschild]” — Morley Safer “Elon’s book... is a thoroughly researched and absorbing biography.” — St. Louis Jewish Light “A biography that’s a must read for today’s entrepreneurs.” — Houston Chronicle

WHAT'S in a name? asks Shakespeare. The answer, when the name is such as Rothschild, is not difficult. There is a volume of meaning in its mere sound. It is a name which conjures up in the imagination visions of untold wealth and unrivalled power, which appear so startling and amazing as to be more appropriate to romance than real life. It has become a household word synonymous with unbounded riches, and is as familiar to the ears of the struggling artisan as to those of the banker or trader. No name has, indeed, been so prominently before the public during the last sixty years or more, as that of this great financial firm. Its origin was so shrouded in humble obscurity, and the rapidity with which it sprang forward to prosperity and fame was alike so extraordinary and so remarkable, that the public gaze has been kept by a species of fascination upon the movements of the well-known financiers. From one corner of the world to the other the success of the Rothschilds has been the subject of universal wonder and envy. When we recollect the poor beginnings of this eminent firm, and contrast them with the exalted position it now holds, there is good reason to be surprised. History does not record another instance of such unparalleled success, of such immense fortunes won in such a short time by sheer force of intellect rising superior to all adverse circumstances...