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The Rothschild name comes from the German for red shield, a mark on their house. The story begins with Meyer Amschel Rothschild, a dealer in rare coins and apprentice banker who became a court Jew to William the Ninth of Hesse Castle. A court Jew was an official position, where Christians were barred from certain money-lending, so nobles hired Jews to manage finances. Meyer grew rich managing money for one prince, then for other princes and governments, and he created a Rothschild bank. He sent his five sons to lead branches in five capitals: Amschel in Frankfurt, Solomon in Vienna, Nathan in London, Carl in Naples, and James in Paris. The network of agents enabled safe gold transfers and rapid communication across Europe, making all five branches successful, with the London branch the most prominent. During the Napoleonic Wars, Nathan helped finance the British war effort and salaries across the continent. A legend that the family made their fortune by learning of Napoleon’s defeat a day early is not true; they profited by predicting European market movements and investing accordingly. By the 1820s, the Rothschilds were Europe’s wealthiest family and remained influential in 19th-century international finance. The five brothers were titled Barons by the Emperor of Austria; Nathan, outside Europe, did not use the title.
In the third generation, almost all the males married their first cousins to keep wealth within the family. Anselm, Solomon’s son, married Charlotte, daughter of Nathan; Lionel, Nathan’s son, married Charlotte, daughter of Carl from the Italian branch. The Frankfurt branch and the Naples branch eventually closed after the original arrangements: the eldest Frankfurt handler died childless and the two sons of Carl from the Italian branch took over; the middle son’s line ended with no heirs.
Austrian branch: after Amschel Rothschild’s death, the Austrian line became senior. By the fourth generation, some scions pursued wealth via art and mansions rather than banking. Nathaniel, the firstborn, favored wealth, Ferdinand moved to Great Britain and became an MP, and Albert, the third son, led the Austrian branch after marrying a French-branch cousin. The Austrian fortunes declined in the twentieth century due to World War I debt defaults, the Great Depression, and Nazi seizures. Louis de Rothschild was ransomed by the Nazis for about $21,000,000. The last male Austrian Rothschild died in 1976, making the British branch the most senior today. The Italian branch fizzled but intermarried with the British branch; the French branch remains active.
The French branch began with James, who married his niece Betty, daughter of Anselm. They had four sons; three have living male descendants. Solomon ended up in America, but the American branch never started. Edmund supported early Zionism, purchasing land from the Ottomans for Jewish settlement; his son James funded the Knesset building in Jerusalem. The main French branch today is led by David de Rothschild. In 2003, the French Rothschild company merged with the British one, with David as chairman. Nathan Rothschild helped end slavery in the UK by funding its undoing. The British branch’s running company, Rothschild & Co, is now associated with David de Rothschild and Edmund de Rothschild’s branch, run most recently by Benjamin de Rothschild. Evelyn Rothschild, who ran the British firm with Jacob, later saw a merger with the French branch.
If you go to rothschild.com, you’ll see two main Rothschild companies: Rothschild & Co and Edmund de Rothschild. Edmund is the only Rothschild on Forbes' billionaires list. This was a quick look at the Rothschild dynasty.
Are they super rich? Yes, they certainly are.