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The Rothschild family is a European family of German Jewish origin that established European banking and finance houses from the late eighteenth century.
The Rothschild family was founded by Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the "founding father of international finance". Wanting his sons to succeed on their own and to expand the family business across Europe, he had his eldest son remain in Frankfurt, while his four other sons were sent to different European cities with the mission of establishing a financial institution to invest in business and provide banking services. Endogamy within the family was an essential part of the Rothschild strategy in order to ensure control of their wealth remained in family hands. Through their collaborative efforts, the Rothschilds rose to prominence in a variety of banking endeavours including loans, government bonds and trading in bullion. Their financing afforded investment opportunities and during the 19th century they became major stakeholders in large-scale mining and rail transport ventures that were fundamental to the rapidly expanding industrial economies of Europe.
Five lines of the Austrian branch of the family were elevated into the Austrian nobility, being given hereditary baronies of the Habsburg Empire by Emperor Francis II in 1816. The British branch of the family was elevated into the British nobility by Queen Victoria in 1855. [1] [2] Queen Victoria had initially disliked the proposal by Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone to raise Lionel de Rothschild to the peerage. However, in 1855, Victoria raised Lionel's son, Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild, to the peerage; he became the first Jewish member of the House of Lords. [3]
This article shows the family tree of some of the prominent branches of the Rothschild family.
Mayer Amschel Rothschild was born in 1744 in the ghetto in Frankfurt. At the age of 13, he went to Hanover to serve an apprenticeship with the bank of Simon Wolf Oppenheimer. At the age of 19, he returned to Frankfurt. There he joined his brother Calmann's money-changing business. He became a dealer in rare coins and won the patronage of Wilhelm IX of Hesse, gaining the title of "court factor". Rothschild's coin business expanded through the provision of banking services to Wilhelm IX. His bank became one of the biggest in Frankfurt.
He married Guttle Schnapper in 1770. With her, he had 10 children.
Salomon Mayer von Rothschild, the second son, went to Austria and established S M von Rothschild in Vienna. He married Caroline Stern, with whom he had two children (a daughter and a son).
Nathan Mayer Rothschild, the third son, went to England and settled in Manchester but then moved to London. He first established a textile jobbing business in Manchester and from there went on to establish N M Rothschild & Sons in London. He married Hannah Barent Cohen in 1806, with whom he had seven children (three daughters and four sons).
Carl Mayer von Rothschild, the fourth son, went to Naples and established C M de Rothschild & Figli. He married Adelheid Herz in 1818. With her, he had five children (a daughter and four sons), all of whom married within the family.
James Mayer de Rothschild, the fifth son, went to France and established de Rothschild Frères in Paris. He married Betty Salomon de Rothschild, his own niece in 1824. With her, he had five children (a daughter and four sons), four of whom married within the family.
The Rothschild family is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jewish noble banking family originally from Frankfurt. The family's documented history starts in 16th century Frankfurt; its name is derived from the family house, Rothschild, built by Isaak Elchanan Bacharach in Frankfurt in 1567. The family rose to prominence with Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), a court factor to the German Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel in the Free City of Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire, who established his banking business in the 1760s. Unlike most previous court factors, Rothschild managed to bequeath his wealth and established an international banking family through his five sons, who established businesses in Paris, Frankfurt, London, Vienna, and Naples. The family was elevated to noble rank in the Holy Roman Empire and the United Kingdom.
Rothschild is a name derived from the German zum rothen Schild, meaning "to the red shield", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by signs with different symbols or colors, not numbers. The name Rothschild in Yiddish means "red coat". The Rothschild banking family's coat of arms features in the center of its heraldry a red shield.
Nathan Mayer Rothschild (16 September 1777 – 28 July 1836, also known as Baron Nathan Mayer Rothschild, was an English-German banker, businessman and financier. Born in Frankfurt am Main, he was the third of the five sons of Mayer Amschel Rothschild and his wife, Guttle. He was the founder of the English branch of the prominent Rothschild family.
Baron Rothschild, of Tring in the County of Hertfordshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1885 for Sir Nathan Rothschild, 2nd Baronet, a member of the Rothschild banking family. He was the first Jewish member of the House of Lords not to have previously converted to Christianity. The current holder of the title is Nathaniel Rothschild, 5th Baron Rothschild, who inherited the barony in February 2024.
Mayer Amschel Rothschild was a German-Jewish banker and the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty. Referred to as a "founding father of international finance", Rothschild was ranked seventh on the Forbes magazine list of "The Twenty Most Influential Businessmen of All Time" in 2005.
Baron Mayer Amschel de Rothschild was an English businessman and politician of the English branch of the Rothschild family. He was the fourth and youngest son of Hannah (Barent-Cohen) and Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777–1836). He was named Mayer Amschel Rothschild, for his grandfather, the patriarch of the Rothschild family.
Nathaniel de Rothschild (1812–1870), was a businessman, banker and winemaker. He established the Château Mouton Rothschild.
Baron James Mayer de Rothschild was a German-French banker and the founder of the French branch of the prominent Rothschild family.
The Rothschild banking family of France is the French branch of the Rothschild family. It was founded in 1812 by James Mayer de Rothschild (1792–1868) in Paris, which was then part of the First French Empire. He was sent there from his home in Frankfurt by his father, Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812). Wanting his sons to succeed on their own and to expand the family business across Europe, Mayer Amschel Rothschild had his eldest son remain in Frankfurt, while his four other sons were sent to different European cities to establish a financial institution to invest in business and provide banking services. Endogamy within the family was an essential part of the Rothschild strategy in order to ensure control of their wealth remained in family hands.
The Rothschild banking family of Austria was the Austrian branch of the Rothschild family. It was founded in 1820 by Salomon Mayer von Rothschild in Vienna, which was then part of the Austrian Empire.
Salomon Mayer Freiherr von Rothschild was a Frankfurt-born banker in the Austrian Empire and the founder of the Austrian branch of the prominent Rothschild family.
The Rothschild banking family of England is the English branch of the Rothschild family. It was founded in 1798 by Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777–1836), who first settled in Manchester before moving to London, England, which was then part of the Kingdom of Great Britain. He was sent there from his home in Frankfurt by his father, Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812). Wanting his sons to succeed on their own and to expand the family business across Europe, Mayer Amschel Rothschild had his eldest son remain in Frankfurt, while his four other sons were sent to different European cities to establish a financial institution to invest in business and provide banking services. Nathan Mayer Rothschild, the third son, first established a textile jobbing business in Manchester and from there went on to establish N M Rothschild & Sons bank in London.
The Rothschild banking family of Naples was the Neapolitan branch of the Rothschild family. It was founded by Carl Mayer von Rothschild (1788–1855), who was sent to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from Frankfurt in 1821.
Carl Mayer Freiherr von Rothschild was a Frankfurt-born banker in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the founder of the Neopolitan branch of the prominent Rothschild family.
Amschel Mayer Freiherr von Rothschild was a German Jewish banker of the prominent Rothschild family. He was the second child and eldest son of Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), the founder of the dynasty, and Gutlé Rothschild née Schnapper (1753–1849).
Anselm Salomon von Schwartz Rothschild, Baron Rothschild was an Austrian banker, founder of the Creditanstalt, and a member of the Vienna branch of the Rothschild family.
Salomon James de Rothschild (1835–1864) was a French banker and socialite.
Abraham Oppenheim, titled in 1868 as Abraham Freiherr von Oppenheim, was a German banker and patron.
Étienne Gustave Frédéric, 3rd Baron van Zuylen van Nyevelt van de Haar, was a Dutch-Belgian banker, businessman, philanthropist, equestrian and car enthusiast. He was a founding member of the Automobile Club de France, serving as the organisation's first president, and was the first president of the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus.
Betty von Rothschild, Baronne de Rothschild was a noted salonnière, patron of the arts and philanthropist.