Rothschild family\n \nThe Mayer Amschel Rothschild family is a successful banking and finance dynasty of German Jewish origin that established operations across Europe, and was ennobled by the Austro-Hungarian and British governments.
Their success began with Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812). Born in the ghetto of Frankfurt-am-Main he developed a finance house and spread his empire by installing each of his five sons in European cities to conduct business. An essential part of Mayer Rothschild's strategy for future success was to keep control of their businesses in family hands, allowing them to maintain complete discretion about the size of their wealth and their business achievements. Mayer Rothschild successfully kept the fortune in the family by carefully arranged marriages between closely related family members. His sons were:\n*Amschel (1773-1855) - Frankfurt, Germany\n*Salomon (1774-1855) - Vienna, Austria\n*Nathan (1777-1836) - London, England\n*Kalmann (Karl) (1788-1855) - Naples, Italy\n*James (1792-1868) - Paris, France
The Rothschild coat of arms contains a clenched fist with five arrows symbolizing the five sons of Mayer Rothschild. The family motto appears below the shield, in Latin, Concordia, Integritas, Industria, (Unity, Integrity, Diligence).
In 1816, four of the brothers were each created baron or Freiherr by Austria's Francis I, formerly Francis II the last Holy Roman Emperor. Nathan was elevated in 1818. As such, some members of the family used "de" or "von" Rothschild to acknowledge the grant of nobility. In 1885, Nathan Mayer Rothschild II (1840-1915) of the London branch of the family, was granted the peerage title Baron Rothschild in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
Rothschild family banking businesses pioneered international high finance during the industrialisation of Europe and were instrumental in supporting railway systems across the world and in complex government financing for projects such as the Suez Canal. Amassing huge fortunes, the name Rothschild became synonymous with banking and great wealth, and the family was renowned for its art collecting, as well as for its philanthropy. Since 1916, members of the family have been vacationing at Megève, an exclusive ski resort in the Haute Savoie departement of France, whose restaurants are among the best in the country. However, even in recreation the Rothschilds find a way to utilize their entrepreneurial skills and own five of the village's gourmet restaurants.
The Rothschilds were supporters of the State of Israel, and Baron Edmond James de Rothschild was a patron of the first settlement in Palestine at Rishon-LeZion. In 1917 Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild was the addressee of the Balfour Declaration, which committed the British government to the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. As prominent Jews active in politics as well as business, the Rothschild family has been a target for anti-semitism throughout its history. One family member, Elisabeth de Rothschild, was executed by the Nazis and many others were persecuted during World War II.
In 1901, with no male heir to take it on, the Frankfurt House closed its doors after more than a century in business. It was not until 1989 that they returned when N.M. Rothschild & Sons, the British investment arm, plus Bank Rothschild AG, the Swiss branch, set up a representative banking office in Frankfurt.
There are two branches of the family connected to France. The first was son James Mayer Rothschild (1792-1868), known as "James", who established Banque Rothschild & Cie in Paris. Following the Napoleonic Wars, he played a major role in financing the construction of railroads and the mining business that helped make France an industrial power. James' sons Gustave de Rothschild and Alphonse de Rothschild continued the banking tradition and were responsible for raising the money to pay the compensation demanded by the occupying Prussian army in the 1870s Franco-Prussian War. Ensuing generations of the Paris Rothschild family remained involved in the family business, becoming a major force in international investment banking. The onslaught of competition from publicly traded banking giants from the United States and the European Union, who came with enormous capital at their disposal, resulted in the 2003 merger of the privately owned Rothschild banking house in France with its British banking cousins to create a single umbrella holding company.
The second French branch was founded by Nathaniel de Rothschild (1812-1870). Born in London, England he was the fourth child of the founder of the British branch of the family, Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777-1836). In 1850, Nathaniel Rothschild moved to Paris, ostensibly to work with his uncle, James Mayer Rothschild. However, in 1853 Nathaniel acquired Château Brane Mouton, a vineyard in Pauillac in the Gironde département. Nathaniel Rothschild renamed the estate, Château Mouton Rothschild and it would become one of the best known labels in the world. In 1868, Nathaniel's uncle, James acquired the neighboring Chateau Lafite vineyard.
In Vienna, Austria, a Rothschild established a bank in the 1820s and the family became admired and respected citizens. The crash of 1929 brought problems and Louis von Rothschild attempted to shore up the Creditanstalt, Austria's largest bank, to prevent its collapse. Nevertheless, during World War II they had to surrender their bank to the Nazis and flee the country. Some of these family members sought sanctuary in the United States. In 1999 Austria agreed to return to the Rothschild family some 250 art treasures looted by the Nazis and absorbed into state museums after the War.
The Unification of Italy in 1861 eventually brought about the closure of their Naples bank.
Over the course of almost 250 years of Rothschild family prominence, a great many members distinguished themselves in business, philanthrophy, public service, and as patrons of the arts. Like any family, they would suffer their share of scandals but the Rothschilds remain today as one of the great and enduring non-royal dynasties in all of history.
Due to their prominence, members of the Rothschild family figure in some conspiracy theories.
Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister of Israel, has been quoted as saying about the Rothschilds that "Never has a family donated so much of its wealth to the making of history."
 \nRothschild Coat of Arms\n
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