Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Rothschild Coat of Arms The 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. Mayer Amschel Rothschild successfully kept the fortune in the family by carefully arranged marriages between closely related family members. His sons were: Amschel (1773-1855) - Frankfurt-am-Main Nathan (1777-1836) - London Jakob (1791-1868) - Paris Saloman (1774-1855) - Vienna Kalmann (1788-1855) - Naples Rothschild family banking businesses pioneered international high finance during the industrialization of Europe and were instrumental in supporting railway systems across the world and in complex government finance for projects such as the Suez Canal. Amassing huge fortunes, the name Rothschild became synonymous with conspicuous wealth and luxury, and the family was renowned for its art collecting, as well as for its philanthropy. The Rothschilds were supporters of Zionism and Baron Edmond James de Rothschild was a patron of the first Zionist settlement in Palestine at Rishon-LeZion. In 1917 Lionel Walter Rothschild (2nd Lord 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, and many family members were persecuted during World War Two. The international banking business continues today, based around N. M. Rothschild and Sons in London and La Compagnie Financière Edmond de Rothschild in Paris. The Rothschild family is also renowned in the field of winemaking, owning the premier Bordeaux estates of Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Some members of the family use the surname de Rothschild to acknowledge a grant of nobility by the emperor of Austria-Hungary. External Links N. M. Rothschild and Sons La Compagnie Financière Edmond de Rothschild Rothschild Archive Chateau Lafite Rothschild Chateau Mouton Rothschild This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.