home > Domino > Mayer Amschel Rothschild biography. The life story and business philosophy of Mayer Rothschild. Rules of success from famous people: Evgeny Romashchin

Mayer Amschel Rothschild biography. The life story and business philosophy of Mayer Rothschild. Rules of success from famous people: Evgeny Romashchin

Mayer Amschel once wrote to his son Nathan: “Without order in affairs, a millionaire can ruin himself and others, since the whole world is dishonest or not very honest. If people see that your business is a mess, they will do business with you with one intention - to deceive you." The main thing in this message, of course, is not the trivial idea that accounting should be exemplary. Mayer does not concentrate on the main thing in his letter: for many years he raised in his sons the conviction that humanity is bad.

Following this view, the dynasty created a financial empire, the boundaries of which no one knows today. Conspiracy theorists are sure that the Rothschilds own half the world.

And all the necessary stones for the foundation of today’s family power were laid then, more than 200 years ago. The Rothschild coat of arms depicts a hand clutching five arrows. The Arrows are the sons of the founder of the empire, Mayer Amschel: Amschel, Salomon, Nathan, Karl and James. Without their unanimous support for their father's decisions, it is unlikely that the Rothschilds would have been able to leave the ghetto.

House in the ghetto of Frankfurt am Main where the Rothschild family lived

Paving the way to trust

Mayer Amschel Rothschild was born into a poor family in the dirty ghetto of Frankfurt, sandwiched between the city wall and moat. The life of the Jews there was difficult: they were forbidden to engage in most professions, to leave the ghetto at night, on Sundays and on holidays, they paid numerous taxes... Mayer Amschel's brothers sold used things, and he began to buy old coins and medals. Collecting antiquities was in vogue among the German nobility, and the goods could become a pass to princely palaces for a modest dealer.

Moritz Oppenheim. "The Elector of Hesse-Kassel entrusts his treasures to Mayer Amschel Rothschild." Canvas, oil. 19th century

Wilhelm, Count of Hanau and heir to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, which bordered the imperial city of Frankfurt, was also interested in numismatics. The Hessian house was considered the richest in Europe. One of the collectors he knew introduced the young antique dealer Rothschild to the count. Wilhelm knew how to count money, so he immediately liked the seller’s competence and reasonable prices.

However, he was not going to stop at selling antiques. At the court of the German princes, financial transactions were traditionally handled by Jewish bankers. Mayer Amschel, who mastered banking in the ghetto, offered Wilhelm services as an intermediary. Since 1789, he received the first orders of this kind, insignificant in comparison with the huge sums that Wilhelm, who became Landgrave, entrusted to more experienced competitors. To get around them, patronage at court was required, and Rothschild surrounded Karl Friedrich Buderus with special attention.

Mayer Amschel's instinct did not let him down - Buderus, who began as tutor to Wilhelm's bastards, gradually became the Landgrave's closest confidant, and he transferred to him control of the most expensive - the Military Treasury (leasing troops to other states was the main source of income for the House of Hesse). The courtier willingly accepted gifts and lucrative offers from Rothschild in exchange for patronage. On the advice of Buderus, Wilhelm began to trust the Rothschilds with more and more financial transactions. In 1803, Mayer Amschel, to the amazement and indignation of his rivals, was appointed chief court agent.

Put any money into circulation

By the beginning of the 19th century, the Rothschilds were already considered a wealthy family in the ghetto. They could have remained one of the many small-town rich people, but they took advantage of an external threat in time: Emperor Napoleon I began to conquer Europe.

In 1806, Wilhelm fled the French occupation beyond the borders of his possessions. Mayer Amschel remained his agent, but on the continent it was dangerous and not always profitable. And Rothschild thought about England, where Nathan, his third son, had lived for several years. If only it would be possible to arrange for Rothschild Jr. to manage the Elector’s investments in London, out of reach of Napoleon...

Bank check of Mayer Amschel Rothschild

Nathan quickly retrained from a textile merchant and smuggler into a stockbroker and in 1807 invited William to purchase British government bonds for him for a large amount. The distrustful and cautious Elector refused. Rothschild Sr. continued to work for this through Buderus, who persuaded Wilhelm for two years and finally succeeded: Nathan was ordered to purchase bonds for 73.5% of the nominal value. He bought them nine times between 1810 and 1813, for a total of £664,850. But what benefit did the Rothschilds have from these transactions besides modest brokerage commissions? Historian Niall Ferguson explains: First, Nathan waited and bought the bonds for a smaller percentage of the face value than the agreed upon 73.5 and made money on the difference. Secondly, the Rothschilds purchased bonds in installments; payment from the noble buyer was not received immediately, and securities worth huge amounts remained at the disposal of the intermediary for a long time. Plus, while Nathan was stalling for time, he could take advantage of the deposit from the Elector for his own purposes. “The old man,” said the younger brother Karl, meaning Wilhelm, “made us a fortune.”

So a new tycoon suddenly appeared in the City, buying up government securities for fabulous sums, and the British government began to take a closer look at Nathan Rothschild...

Lithograph depicting the monarchs of Europe at the feet of Amschel Mayer Rothschild. 1848

Serve two or more gentlemen

While Nathan was enriching himself in London, the Frankfurt Rothschilds were thinking about how to profitably survive the French occupation. Thus, Karl von Dahlberg, ruler of the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt, created in 1810 by Napoleon, received a loan from Mayer Amschel on favorable terms when a large sum was needed to travel to Paris for the baptism of the emperor’s son. “Thanks to this service,” the German historian Heinrich Schnee quotes one knowledgeable Frenchman, “he achieved the full confidence of the Grand Duke and was able to take advantage of this favor so much that since then the Duke has not refused anything to the Rothschilds.”

The family regularly worked for both camps: on the one hand, they enriched Wilhelm and collected money for the Austrian army, which was preparing to fight against Napoleon, and on the other, they lent money to the enemy, for example, to purchase horses for the army.

1 Amschel Mayer Rothschild
2 Salomon Rothschild
3 Karl Rothschild
4 James Rothschild
5 Nathan Rothschild

Aphorisms of worldly wisdom
Fragments from the correspondence of men of the Rothschild family

Nathan- to a business partner about Mayer Amschel: “My father’s chimney won’t even smoke without profit.”

Amschel: “It is better to deal with a government that is doing badly than with one that is doing well.”

James: “My father often said: if you can’t make them love you, make them fear you.”

Salomon Rothschild- to a friend about Nathan: “My brother in London is our commander-in-chief, and I am his field marshal, and, accordingly, it is my duty to do everything in my power, and therefore I must report to my command ...”

Salomon- To Nathan: “Since 1811, I have always come where business called... If my presence is needed in Siberia today... I will go to Siberia.”

Nathan: “I don’t read books, don’t play cards, don’t go to the theater; all my pleasures are my deeds, and therefore I read the letters of Amschel, Salomon, James and Charles.”

Raking the heat with someone else's hands

On the Continent, the Rothschilds lent money to the French for the war, and in Britain, Nathan contributed to the defeat of Bonaparte. The British fought against the occupying French in Portugal and Spain. In 1813, the British army advanced, pushing the enemy back beyond the Pyrenees, when the supply situation became critical. Gold was needed to exchange for local currency. But how to transport a huge amount of precious metal through enemy territories, and who could get so much gold?

Everything was arranged by Nathan Rothschild, who since 1811 had been smuggling the yellow metal to the continent with the help of his brother James, who settled in France. The Minister of the State Treasury, Nicolas Mollien, believed that the leakage of gold would weaken the English economy, and convinced Napoleon of this. Therefore, the French authorities turned a blind eye to the blatant violation of the continental blockade and even gave the “familiar” Rothschilds permission to transport valuable cargo.

In January 1814, the British government commissioned Nathan to carry out the plan. In small quantities, gold was collected from war-drained European cities and safely transported to its destination. “This was the most successful of all my enterprises,” noted Nathan Rothschild himself, to whom the British government began to entrust major financial transactions.

Famous client
Socialist capital

Alexander Herzen was abroad when, in 1849, Nicholas I called on his subjects to return from revolution-ridden Europe, and ignored the order of the autocrat. Russian authorities have seized the capital of the freethinking publicist. Moreover, Russian officials refused to pay for the Moscow Treasury banknotes cashed by Herzen at the James Rothschild Bank in Paris “for political and secret reasons.”

“I couldn’t imagine that your name would have so little weight in Russia!” - Herzen took Rothschild “weakly.” James wrote an angry letter, threatening to go public with the story. Then the Russian authorities would lose trust - and credit! - all the bankers of the world. But just at that time the tsar was trying to get another loan through... James Rothschild. The threat worked, and Herzen was saved from ruin.

Anti-Semitic French cartoon about how Jews, represented by James Rothschild, took over the world

Adapt to changing markets

Nathan financed not only the English army: with Rothschild money, Westminster financed Prussia, Russia and even the future king of France. The authority and influence of the Rothschilds in Europe grew along with the amounts of loans they provided. The constant movements of money during the war influenced exchange rates in different countries. Since these movements were in the hands of the Rothschilds, they were able to predict and partly control the exchange rate.

According to legend, thanks to the Allied victory over Napoleon at Waterloo, Nathan, who learned about it before anyone else in London, became fabulously rich by manipulating British securities. In life, the banker was rather unhappy. “As soon as messages arrived at New Court (Rothschild’s office in London - Around the World) that the end of the war was near,” writes Ferguson, “Nathan was faced not with the fabulous profits of the legend, but with heavy and progressive losses.”

Mayer Amschel Rothschild's grave, Frankfurt am Main

But peacetime brought new opportunities. War-ravaged countries needed loans for reconstruction: James Rothschild financed the government in Paris, Salomon in Vienna, Nathan in London, Karl moved to Naples, and Amschel remained in Frankfurt to continue his father’s work.

This is how the family entered the world elite - in 1816–1818 the brothers received nobility from the Austrian emperor, and in 1822 - a baronial title. Napoleon was going to conquer half the world, but in the end the Rothschilds conquered the world.

"Around the world"

In the 18th century, Frankfurt am Main was one of the most economically developed German cities. Back in 1372 he received the status Imperial City, which made him directly subordinate to the Holy Roman Emperor. In 1585, merchants began to gather here to exchange currency. This is how the Frankfurt Stock Exchange appeared, and the city itself gradually became one of the most important European financial centers. Numerous bankers and money changers gathered here, and large exchange transactions were carried out.

Amschel Moses Bauer was a money changer mediocre, who kept his office in the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt under the red sign - Rote Schild. Mayer Amschel Bauer (1744-1812) grew up as a worthy assistant to his father. He not only helped his father conduct business in the office, but also received a classical education for a Jew of that time at a rabbinical school. Mayer then went, on the recommendation of his father, to train at Oppenheimer's bank in Hanover, and when his father died in 1760, Mayer Amschel returned to Frankfurt and began exchanging and selling coins and medals. Among antique lovers, he quickly gained fame as a very efficient specialist. The fortune of Mayer Amschel Bauer, whom everyone called Rothschild, after the name of the office, grew in proportion to his fame.

In 1764, Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who by the age of 20 had already achieved great authority among the Frankfurt money changers, began supplying gold and coins to the court of the Prince of Hesse-Kassel, who ruled the territories neighboring Frankfurt. In 1769, Wilhelm IX, who ruled Hesse, appointed Mayer as a goof factor - the main supplier of the princely house. In fact, all issues of financial support for the princely house were in the hands of Mayer Rothschild. This gave Rothschild new, previously inaccessible levers of influence - already on political life.

The Hessian Landgrave Wilhelm IX was a very rich man compared to other German princes. He received the bulk of his income from trading soldiers. The Landgrave (like many other German princes) sold young men from peasant houses as soldiers to those rulers or to those countries where there was a “hot demand” for Landsknechts. For many centuries, Germany traded in its own people, and the Hessian princes occupied one of the first places on the list of slave traders. In 1785, William IX very profitably sold 17 thousand (!) German soldiers to the English crown, which needed “cannon fodder” for the war with the North American colonies fighting for their independence. So he increased his fortune even more.

The most serious blow for William IX was the invasion of Napoleonic troops into Germany. However, while the Elector was hiding, Mayer Rothschild, who managed his finances, was even able to increase the fortune of his patron. For example, he paid for the goods with money from the Landgrave's account and received big discount, avoiding risky operations to transport money to England and Frankfurt. The brilliant operation brought Rothschild a lot of money, and he was able to make money on the difference in the rates of the thaler that Wilhelm received and the pound that the British paid.

Mayer Rothschild's closest associates were his five sons - Amschel, Solomon, Nathan, Kalman and James. It was they, nicknamed “the five fingers of one hand,” who were to strengthen the power of the developing financial empire of the Rothschilds in the 19th century. Five arrows fastened with a ribbon are the coat of arms of the Rothschild clan, and the motto is “Concordia, Integritas, Industria” (Concord, Unity, Diligence). The eldest son Amschel Mayer Rothschild headed his father's business in Frankfurt am Main, Solomon Mayer Rothschild began to develop the Austrian branch in Vienna, Nathan Mayer Rothschild headed the London branch of the house, Kalman Mayer Rothschild - the Naples branch in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and James Mayer Rothschild - the French division of the house. It is worth noting here that in addition to his sons, Mayer Rothschild also had five daughters, but he was a principled opponent of his capital falling into the hands of his female relatives. Endogamous marriages have long been the main way for the Rothschild clan to maintain wealth within the family.

It was James who turned out to be the most successful among the brothers and after Nathan’s death it passed to him general leadership financial empire of the Rothschilds. James Rothschild began to actively invest the Rothschild family's finances in transport and industrial infrastructure, for example, in the construction of a railway network around Paris and in northern France. Following their financial success, political influence also came to the Rothschilds. All of them, of course, received nobility in the countries where they lived, and this introduced them into the highest circles of Great Britain, France, and Austria. In 1816, the Emperor of the Austrian Empire, Franz II, granted the Rothschilds a baronial title. The least successful project was the Naples branch of the Rothschilds. Its crisis and closure were associated with numerous economic problems and the subsequent weakening of the position of the Italian aristocracy, which had previously acted as the main debtors of the Naples branch of the House of Rothschild, following the unification of Italy. Eventually, the Naples Rothschild bank closed.

Despite the fact that the Rothschilds were active in continental Europe, their success was largely determined by the London branch. Connections with the British Empire played a vital role in the growth of wealth and influence of the Rothschild clan. There is a fairly widespread version that derives all the activities of the Rothschilds on their modern scale from the projects of the British Empire to expand their influence in continental Europe and in the world as a whole.

The most important event for the growth of the financial power of the Rothschilds was the Napoleonic Wars. It was at this time that the connection between the Rothschilds and the British Empire was finally formed. London instructed the Rothschilds to organize financial support for the British army stationed in Europe. A key role in the transfer of money was played by Nathan, who led the House of London, and James (James), who controlled France. The British government owes the success of the brilliant operation to the latter. James Rothschild presented the transfer of money by the British side as a manifestation of London's weakness, so Napoleon and his advisers did not even pay due attention to this action. Through France, which was at war (!) with Great Britain, James and Nathan Rothschild managed to transfer money to Portugal, which the British side then used to pay for gold brought from India.

The British leadership realized that the Rothschilds could be trusted with the most risky operations. For example, after Napoleon was defeated and overthrown, London entrusted the Rothschilds with the transfer of 120 million pounds of French reparations from Paris to London, Berlin and Vienna. No European bank at that time had the financial capacity to carry out such a large-scale operation. Rothschild money began to play an important role in world politics. The bank's operations acquired a planetary scale when the Rothschilds sponsored the government of the Brazilian Empire, which became financially dependent on the Rothschilds and remained there until the very end of the empire's existence. With Rothschild money in the 1820s. The creation of an independent Greek state was also financed, which the British Empire from the very beginning tried to bring under its full control in order to ensure British influence in the Mediterranean. In 1832, the Rothschilds provided a loan to Greece against English, French and Russian guarantees. And this is not a complete list of the financial participation of the House of Rothschild in European and world politics of the 19th century.

The Rothschild operations were invariably carried out in the interests of the British Empire. In fact, the Rothschilds turned into the main figurehead British treasurers who financed those projects that were politically and economically beneficial to London. On the other hand, the existence of the Rothschild clan made it possible to cover up the financial transactions and political interventions of the British crown. For this, the Rothschilds entered the elite of the British aristocracy, though not so much because of their wealth, but because of their long and useful service to the British crown.

Unlike numerous nouveau riche, primarily American millionaires, the Rothschilds have been maintaining the “brand of quality” for the fourth century, hiding the true size of their income and refusing ostentatious luxury. There are banks and companies controlled by the Rothschilds all over the world, but at the same time the representatives of the famous banking family carefully hide the true scale of their empire. Moreover, they do this not so much of their own free will, but at the insistence of the British crown. After all, otherwise the role of Great Britain in managing the financial system would become clear modern world, in numerous economic crises, political upheavals and armed conflicts.

Already in the 19th century, the Rothschilds became involved in charity work, trying to ensure their positive image in the eyes of the European and then the world community. For example, James Mayer Rothschild in the mid-19th century began financial assistance to Palestinian Jews by founding a medical center in Jerusalem - the Mayer Rothschild Hospital. He was also behind the creation of a fund to help widows of Palestine, and built orphanages and social homes for refugees. Here it is worth paying attention to the (outwardly) difficult relationship of the Rothschilds with the Jewish national movement in the twentieth century. Most Rothschilds tried to distance themselves as much as possible from Jewish problems and Zionist political organizations. Some of them believed that Zionism would lead to an increase in anti-Semitism in Europe and would negatively affect the lives of Jewish communities. Lord Victor Rothschild generally opposed helping Jews who suffered from the Holocaust. In principle, it was within the power of the Rothschilds to organize the rescue of at least part of the European Jews, but this issue was never resolved by them, perhaps due to the positions of the British elite, whose interests, until a certain time, included both the strengthening of Nazi Germany and its attack on The Soviet Union, and even, probably, the organization of the Holocaust in Central and Eastern Europe.

On the other hand, Baron Edmond James de Rothschild led the first settlement of Jewish colonists in Palestine and contributed significant sums of money to buy lands from the Ottoman Empire to accommodate Jewish settlers (these lands are now part of the State of Israel). By the way, Edmond de Rothschild spent more than $50 million for these purposes, acquiring more than 500 square kilometers of land. The remains of Edmond de Rothschild, who died in 1934, were subsequently, in 1954, along with the remains of his wife, transported to Israel and buried there. Edmond de Rothschild was also a great connoisseur of art and a philanthropist.

When in Russian Empire, following the revolution of 1905, Jewish pogroms began, their victims were helped by Nathan Rothschild, the grandson of Nathan Mayer Rothschild, after whom it was named. He allocated 10 thousand pounds sterling, but transferred it in such a way as to avoid possible accusations of financing the Russian revolutionary movement.

The Rothschilds' restrained policy towards the Jewish movement is another evidence in favor of their relative lack of independence. The leading players of the House of Rothschild were afraid to show excessive independence, including in relation to support or protection of Jews, since they followed the policies of the British Empire.

Great Britain, which still plays a colossal role in both politics and the economy of the modern world, today prefers to formally remain in a “secondary role.” The United States of America and some other states are used as the main “battering ram” of Anglo-Saxon influence; empires similar to the Rothschilds are used as financial instruments. However, this does not mean that London, which played a vital role in world politics for many centuries, suddenly decided to loosen the reins and voluntarily retreat to a secondary position. It’s just that the British monarchy has finally chosen the role of a “shadow center” for itself.

In principle, British parliamentarism is one of the ways to disguise the true system of governing the British state. One would have to be very naive to believe that the highest aristocracy of the British Empire, which had enjoyed all the political and financial benefits for centuries, would allow the real levers of government to pass into the hands of selected politicians of unknown origin. It’s another matter if these politicians are “screens” for implementing their own political course. Then it's a different matter. The British elite has a similar position in the field of financial management. Only here, instead of Labor imitating democracy, the Rothschilds are involved - supposedly having created their own empire from scratch and acting exclusively in their own financial interests.

The sons continued the work of their father, they were called “five fingers of one hand”

The founder of the banking dynasty, Mayer Amschel Bauer Rothschild, was born on February 23, 1744, and died on September 19, 1812. At the age of twelve he began to learn the secrets of financial art at Oppenheimer's bank. At the beginning of his career he was engaged in the trade of ancient coins and medals. He also started buying and selling goods, in particular, he purchased cotton and wool in England at low prices, and sold them in Europe at much higher prices. Later he began supplying coins and gold to aristocrats, and became the personal banker of famous people at that time.

Mayer Rothschild


Occupation:	banker, philanthropist
Date of Birth:
Date of death:
Father:	Amschel Moses Bauer
Spouse:	Gutle Schnapper
Children:

Biography

Young Mayer Amschel's family lived in a Jewish ghetto. His father Amschel Moses Bauer ran a small money changer's office under a red sign, which in German sounds like "Rot Schild". This is how the nickname appeared, which became a household name for luxury and wealth and laid the foundation for the 260-year-old Rothschild dynasty.

When Mayer was twelve years old, he was sent to Hanover to study at Oppenheimer's bank. There he learned the secrets of finance, became acquainted with the coins of the German principalities, and learned to identify counterfeits and favorable exchange rates.

After the death of his parents in 1760, Mayer returned to Frankfurt and continued his father’s business: he began exchanging and selling coins and medals. Very soon he became famous among antique lovers. Having saved money, Mayer opened his own antique shop, where it was possible to exchange money from one German principality for another. This is how the first Rothschild bank arose.

At the beginning of his financial career he was a dealer in antique coins and medals. Through the mediation of his client General von Estorf, a collector antique coins meets Landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse-Kassel. Who made him his confidant during the Landgrave's flight to Prague from Napoleonic troops. Mayer Anschel Rothschild not only preserved capital, but also managed his multimillion-dollar fortune in such a way that it increased noticeably; the foundation of his own fortune dates back to this time.

Rothschild was distinguished by exceptional business acumen. Transporting currency in those days was very expensive, and there was a risk of falling into the hands of robbers. Mayer found a very simple solution to the problem. He bought wool and cotton at low prices in England, and then sold them in Europe for much more.

From 1764 Mayer Rothschild began supplying coins and gold to the princely house of Hesse-Kassel. And after five years, the head of the house, William I, appointed him as his personal banker. The duties of a court factor, such as Mayer, were to increase the prince’s treasury, cover his expenses for the army, luxury goods, and supply the court, stables, kitchen and cellars. If successful, the factor expected a reward in the form of a part of the prince’s income and respect at court; in case of failure, trial, ruin and even execution.

Prince Wilhelm was known as one of the richest and most noble German princes, traded in mercenary armies and lived in grand style. In 1785, he profitably sold 17 thousand soldiers to the English King George III for the war with the American colonists. When the prince went into hiding, fleeing from Napoleon, Rothschild continued collecting money from his debtors, and was even able to increase the amount received.

One day, Rothschild withdrew money from the prince’s compensation account in a British bank and used it to pay for goods. And since I paid in cash, I received a big discount. Mayer managed to avoid two operations at once: transporting money to England and counter-transporting the prince’s money to Frankfurt. Instead of money, Rothschild brought goods, sold them at a high price, repaid the debt to the prince and ended up with a big win. And since the prince received thalers, and the British paid in pounds, the banker also made money on the difference in exchange rates.

At the age of 27, Mayer married 17-year-old Gutla Schnapper, the daughter of a local moneylender. The Rothschilds had 5 sons and 5 daughters: Jeanette (1771), Amschel (1773), Solomon (1774), Nathan (1777), Isabella (1781), Babette (1784), Karl (Kalman) (1788), Julie (1790) ), Henrietta (1791) and James (1792).

Rothschild's five sons continued his work. They were called "Five Fingers of One Hand". On September 27, 1810, Mayer Amschel founded the company Mayer Amschel Rothschild and Sons. By putting into circulation the elector's cash at his disposal, Rothschild the father began to arrange government loans on an unprecedented scale. The increase remained in the hands of the banker family, and the wealth itself was returned by the Rothschild heirs to the Landgrave's successors.

After Rothschild's death, his total capital was twice the assets of the Bank of France. His sons dispersed throughout Europe and subsequently created a whole network of banks. Amschel, the eldest son, managed all the affairs of the family home in Frankfurt. Nathan founded his company in London, James - in Paris, Solomon settled in Vienna, Karl - in Naples. Formally, they were independent from each other, but they had a common communication system - a courier service, which made it possible to receive news about the most important political events, about any stock market shocks, before anyone else. The Rothschilds’ ability to quickly collect information, and if necessary, spread misinformation, played a big role in the fact that the history of the house was closely intertwined with the history of Europe.

Emblem of the Rothschild Dynasty

The emblem of the Rothschild dynasty depicts five arrows connected by a chain, symbolizing the union of the five sons of the clan founder Mayer Amschel. Their motto was: “Concordia, Integritas, Industria” (Concord, Unity, Diligence).

The Rothschild Code for your children

1. All important positions in business should be held only by family members (and not employees); Only male descendants can participate in affairs; Only direct male heirs can inherit. The eldest son becomes the head of the family, unless the brothers unanimously agree otherwise (as happened in 1812, when Nathan was approved as head of the house).

2. Men of the family must marry their cousins or second cousins (so that the accumulated property remains within the family and serves the common cause). Daughters must marry aristocrats while maintaining their faith.

3. In any case, do not describe the family’s property, do not disclose the size of the fortune. Even in court or in a will. Disputes between brothers should be resolved within the family, maintaining the unity of the home.

4. Live in harmony, love and friendship, share profits equally.

5. “Never forget that modesty leads to wealth.”

6. “Whoever owns information owns the world”

This is a series of materials that will help you develop leadership skills and become a true leader for those around you. Every day we will publish a new lesson for a future leader and accompany it with a story about an outstanding leader. Also at the end of each article you will find exercises that will help you develop your leadership skills!

The Rothschild financial empire has been famous throughout the world for more than 250 years. Members of the famous clan conduct business on all five continents. Their name has long become a household name and is associated with wealth, success, luxury and prestige. And the Rothschilds’ career is a living example of amazing disruptive power.

It all started with the Frankfurt merchant Isaac Elhanan, who in the sixties of the 16th century bought a house on Judengasse (the main Jewish street of Frankfurt) with a red sign on it - ROT SCHILD. And from this name the descendants of Elhanan, who died in 1585, adopted the surname Rothschild.

The children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of Elkhanan were engaged in trade, without becoming particularly famous for anything. But Meyer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812) founded the bank.

As a young man, Meyer Amschel studied at a yeshiva in the city of Furth, preparing to become a rabbi, but after the death of his father, his mother sent him to Hanover to study banking. Returning to Frankfurt, he took up trading and founded a money changer.

During his stay in Hanover, Meyer Amschel was interested in art history and numismatics, and then in Frankfurt he published an annual catalog of rare coins, medals, paintings and sculptures. In 1769 he became the main supplier to the Ducal Court of Hesse-Hanau.

In 1770 he married. His wife bore him 19 (!) children, nine of whom died in early childhood. Five sons and five daughters continued the Meyer Amschel family. According to the principle he adopted, religiously observed by subsequent generations, only sons could manage family affairs, and daughters and their husbands were excluded from the business life of the Rothschilds.

Meyer Amschel was fascinated by the radical ideas of Jewish education, and in 1792 he attempted to found Philanthropy, a Jewish school with a secular curriculum, however, having encountered resistance from Orthodox circles, he was able to carry out his plan only in 1804.

Read also:

Banking flourished under his leadership, and in 1792, when the city was occupied by the French, Meyer Amschel was already one of the richest and most influential people in the city.

In 1800, Meyer Amschel was appointed plenipotentiary representative of the reigning house with permission to bear arms, tax exemption and the right to complete freedom of movement throughout the country. Together with his growing sons, he carried out the delicate instructions of the Landgrave; they were entrusted with transferring money and, as they would say now, “closed financial information” to various European cities, as well as storing important documents, gold, silver and jewelry in a Frankfurt bank.

Meyer Amschel also played a key role in getting the Jewish residents of Frankfurt civil rights, equating them with native Germans. Let us remember that this happened at the very beginning of the 19th century - a phenomenon unprecedented in those days.

The businessman was remembered by those around him as a work fanatic. He could be in the bank for 18 hours, constantly analyzing and improving his business.