Mayer Amschel Rothschild is known as the forefather to the Rothschild banking dynasty and the “father of international finance,” according to Forbes magazine. Born in Frankfurt, Germany 1744, he started out as an apprentice to the banking firm Jakob Wolf Oppenheim in Hamburg, Germany, where he excelled through the ranks and eventually became a partner. His father, Moses Amschel Bauer, a money lender and proprietor to a counting house, gave his family the name Rothschild based on the symbol used to represent his family business, the red shield, or zum roten Schild (at the sign of the red shield).

Shortly after leaving the Oppenheimer Bank to take over his father’s business he established a relationship with Prince William IX, the Landgrave (heir) to the vast Hess-Kassel fortune, whom continued his father’s (Frederick II) business of renting out troops to countries such as Britain to fight in various conflicts, such as the French and American Revolutions.  Rothschild established a relationship with Prince William before his great inheritance; as a dealer of rare coins and trinkets which were sold to William at a discount. Although Amschel had already established business with William’s predecessors through brokering the rental of Hessian (German) troops for Lt. Gen. Baron von Estorff to serve King George III in suppressing the American rebellion, this allowed him to deal directly with the monarch. In 1769, Rothschild was appointed “Crowned Agent to the Prince of Hesse-Hanau (eventually of Hesse-Kassel).” This honorary appointment would set the foundation for Rothschild’s success in establishing a banking house and subsequent dynasty by his sons, and its success continues today on the same, if not greater, scale.

In 1789, at the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars and 5 years after Prince William inherited Hesse-Kassel, Rothschild was given his first assignment as a financial agent to the monarch. By this time Amschel was already a wealthy businessman dealing in antiques, wine making, and imported materials from England. Prince William was afraid his fortune was not safe from Napoleon, so he entrusted some 600,000 pounds (valued at $3,000,000 in that period) to Rothschild to keep in secret. This money was later taken to Nathan Rothschild, one of Amschel’s most gifted sons, whom was assigned to establish a London based Rothschild bank. In 1806, roughly, Prince William flees to Denmark after being informed of Napoleon’s intentions, which are summarized in the following statement by Napoleon:

“[I] object to remove the house of Hesse-Kassel from ruler-ship and to strike it out of the list of powers.”

According to the Jewish Encyclopedia:

“According to legend this money was hidden away in wine casks, and, escaping the search of Napoleon’s soldiers when they entered Frankfurt, was restored intact in the same casks in 1814, when the elector (Prince William IX of Hesse-Hanau) returned to the electorate (Germany). The facts are somewhat less romantic, and more businesslike.”

The money entrusted by Prince William was supposedly never returned to him (although it seems a bit unrealistic) as Nathan invested the money in the following, again according to the Jewish Encyclopedia:

“[Rothschild invested in]gold from the East India Company knowing that it would be needed for Wellington’s peninsula campaign.”

And made:

“no less than four profits;
(1) On the sale of Wellington’s paper [which he bought at 50 cents on the dollar and collected at par;
(2) on the sale of gold to Wellington;
(3) on its repurchase; and
(4) on forwarding it to Portugal. This was the beginning of the great fortunes of the house” (p. 494).

“Five Arrows” of Banking
Mayer Amschel Rothschild died in September of 1812. He reportedly left his fortune of 5 Billion Francs to his sons. The Rothschilds were now in the business of loaning money to nations, which proved to be highly profitable due to the security of the loan’s repayment. During times of war, the Rothschilds would lend to a nation and its enemy, which the victor would pay off the loan of the defeated nation, making the investment highly secure and profitable. During this period the “5 Arrows” of the Rothschild banking dynasty were already well established. This consisted of Mayer Amschel Rothschild’s 5 sons; Nathan, who ran the London bank; James (Jakob) went to Paris; Karl (Kalmann) headed Naples; Salomon to Vienna; and Amschel (or Anselm) in Berlin. The sons fulfilled their promise and instructions by their father to establish a European banking powerhouse; N.M. Rothschild & Sons. The following are instructions that Mayer gave his sons through his will:

1) All key positions in the family business are only to be held by family members.
2) Only male members of the family are allowed to participate in the family business.
3) The family is to intermarry with its’ first and second cousins to preserve the family fortune.
4) No public inventory of his estate is to be published.
5) No legal action is to be taken with regard to the value of the inheritance.
6) The eldest son is to become the head of the family (this condition could only be overturned when the majority of the family agreed otherwise).

One of the family’s greatest advantages was that they consulted each partner (brother) before making any significant decision, and another is that they had the fastest courier system to relay information; even that superior to the British Army. Their banking system allowed them the freedom to avoid shipping actual coin between locations, as they would communicate payments via courier and account for credits and debits accordingly. This ultimately created, or at least fueled the pathway to the paper money system that we depend on today.

Nathan was the most clever of the sons, which is why it was agreed that he run the London based headquarters. His most notable “achievement” occurred after Napoleon gathered his army after escaping exile and eventually went head to head with Wellington’s troops at the battle of Waterloo. Everyone knew that the well-being of England and the condition of the stock market depended on the outcome of this battle. Somewhat contrary to the 1934 movie The House of Rothschild, which was arguably produced to spread positive propaganda relative to the Federal Reserve system and Securities Act of 1933, portrays Nathan as attempting to maintain the stock market’s stability during an outright panic with his own funds, many researchers speculate a more cunning strategy involving an immense transfer of wealth in a matter of hours. The film does offer some insight on the plight of the Rothschilds and Jewish people alike in those days.

The stories vary, as misinformation runs rampant over the internet and inaccurate depictions of the truth from numerous books are accepted to sway opinion based on conspiracy theories which may or may not be true. In 1887 a man named John Reeves wrote the book The Rothschilds, Financial Rulers of the Nations, which notes how Nathan Mayer single handedly profited “nearly a million sterling” by manipulating the London stock Exchange based on the fears of defeat by Napoleon’s army at the Battle of Waterloo. His books states that Nathan himself was there to see the defeat of Napoleon and then rushed back to London by means of sailboats and horseback in less than 2 days time.

Reeves writes:

“The next day he was to be seen leaning against his well-known pillar on the Stock Exchange, apparently broken in health and spirits, and looking as if he had been overwhelmed and crushed by some direful calamity.”
Reeves book states that Rothschild, knowing otherwise, started a rumor that “Blucher with his 117,000 Prussians had been defeated on the 16th and 17th of June at Ligny, and that Wellington could not hope with his handful of soldiers to arrest the progress of Napoleon’s victorious and far larger forces. The funds dropped rapidly, and the greatest uneasiness and despondency prevailed. The change was so violent and so sudden.”
“The next afternoon …it was everywhere reported…that Wellington was victorious and the French defeated. Nathan Mayer had himself been the first to announce the good news with undisguised delight and satisfaction to his friends on the Stock Exchange…The funds rose again at a bound. Many pitied Rothschild for the enormous losses he had, as they though, suffered; they little suspected that, while his known agents had been selling openly, his unknown agents had bought up secretly every piece of script they could secure.”

Other stories vary relative to how Nathan obtained the information and what his intentions were. Some state an agent named Rothworth reported the news to him and he informed the government of this report, whom did not believe him after receiving premature intelligence from the first secret military report that Napoleon was winning the battle. This author highlights John Reeve’s writings as a credible source of history pertaining to the event. His book may be viewed for free on Google Books.

To lend more perspective on the monopolistic powers and influences of the Rothschild dynasty throughout history, this article will point out a relatively sequential timeline of events that some believe were the direct result of Rothschild interests. In 1791 the First Bank of the U.S. was established through Alexander Hamilton, a suspected agent of the Rothschild’s by various researchers. The name itself fooled people into believing it was their bank, but on the contrary it was owned by private interests through privately held stocks. Essentially, it was an extension of the Bank of England; the first of all Central Banks. Hamilton was the Secretary of Treasury under George Washington at the time and convinced him that there was a true need for such a system. Hamilton would go on to profit immensely, as he later established the Manhatten Company, which later merged with the Rockefeller owned Chased Bank through the control of elite bankers Warburg, Kuhn, and Loeb, forming Chase Manhatten.

In 1811, the charter for the First Bank of the U.S. was up for renewal. The charter was rejected by Congress, as Thomas Jefferson’s opposition to the central banking system was met by James Madison’s ideals for the country’s means for growth. After hearing of the rejection to renew the charter, Nathan Rothschild stated the following:

“ Either the application for renewal of the charter is granted or the United States will find itself involved in a most disastrous war. “

In 1812 the British declared war on the U.S. This action would undoubtedly drive the nation into debt and eventually lead to a Bill passed to form The 2nd Bank of the U.S. in 1816. The Rothschilds soon became accustomed to funding both sides of wars. For example, around 1815, through the French branch, Jacob funded Napoleon while Nathan funded General Wellington in London. Whether or not these were conspiratory actions or just the nature of the time is up to the reader to consider based on their own subjective view of history and beliefs.

In 1933 president Andrew Jackson begins removing government funds from the Rothschild owned bank. He was quite favored for his re-election campaign stating “Jackson, and no bank!” On January 30, 1835 a man named Richard Lawrence attempted to kill Jackson, but both of his pistols misfired, and he was taken away and deemed insane after many ludicrous claims. Whether or not the assassination attempt correlated with Jackson’s battle with the bankers is unknown, but does raise some suspicion. In 1836 Jackson succeeded in rejecting the charter for the 2nd Bank of the U.S. which temporarily halted Rothschild control within the government for the time being. In 1841 President John Tyler followed suit and vetoed the renewal of the charter for the 2nd Bank, which resulted in numerous death threats.

In 1861 President Lincoln attempts to get loans from the private money lenders to support the Civil War. The bankers charge him (the government) interests between 24 and 36%. He then decides to print his own debt free money. By 1862 nearly half of a billion dollars in debt free money is circulating in the U.S. These bills were called Demand Notes and were the true origination of the now loosely termed “greenbacks.”

Lincoln once stated:

“ I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me, and the financial institutions in the rear. Of the two, the one in the rear is my greatest foe.”

The Rothschilds continued their profitable strategy of funding wars during the American Civil War, but to what extent is not fully clear. It is known that the Tsar of Russia at that time; Alexander II, whom also refused attempts by the Rothschilds to install a central bank, stated that if England or France intervened with the Civil War (helping the south) that he would consider it a declaration of war and side with Lincoln. The Tsar sent warships to the coasts of New York and san Francisco to show he was not kidding. Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, 2 months before the war ended, by John Wilkes Booth, whom according to his grand-daughter, Izola Forrester, had been in contact with mysterious Europeans before Lincoln’s assassination and made at least one trip to Europe before the incident.

In 1917 Tsar Nicholas II was killed along with his entire family by the Bolsheviks, this coincides well with Rothschilds public threat to the Tsar Alexander I during the Congress of Vienna in 1815, whom refused the presence of Rothschild controlled banking, as well as Alexander II actions during the American Civil War. Nathan Rothschild swore to Alexander II “that some day he or his descendants would destroy the Tsar’s entire family and descendants.”
President James A. Garfield, whom had similar beliefs towards the banking dynasty, stated:

“Whoever controls the money in any country is absolute master of industry [legislation] and commerce”.

President Garfield was assassinated within his first 100 days of office in 1881.

Eventually, the Rothschilds and their cohorts penetrated the U.S. government and manipulated, by whatever means, the Wilson Administration into passing the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. This implemented the Federal Reserve System that banks and government borrow from today, which has arguably been the very plague of the U.S. monetary system for the past few decades.

On June 4th 1963 John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 11110. This gave the U.S. government the power to issue currency without going through the Federal Reserve. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. It may be too far-fetched to suggest that the Rothschild dynasty has had a hand in current wars, but if you believe any of the information, relative to the manipulative powers of the Rothschilds, provided in this article up to this point to even a small degree then it should be at least considered. Before September 11, 2001, guess what 2 countries did not have a Central Bank; Afghanistan and Iraq. To staple one name to this massive conspiracy seems naïve, but the Rothschilds have been, and possibly still are, a prominent driving force within this sector of control and profitable interests.

War is big business. The profitability of contributors to war has grown exponentially to the present day. Private contractors ranging from mercenary groups to construction and logistics companies thrive on government contracts. Likewise, economies benefit directly and indirectly from hosting corporations that contribute to prewar and postwar operations. The Federal Reserve profits from loaning the federal government billions of dollars at a time to keep its costly wars going. The list of beneficiaries can go on, and will expand as subsidiaries and new organizations employ workers to create technologies and services associated with fighting wars, big and small.

The information available which exposes the true power of the Rothschild family and their affiliates is vast and even quite often skewed. Some members of the family are seemingly normal people without any detectable hand in monetary policy or material power. The purpose of this article is to raise attention to the fact that it is possible for a few to control the many by means of having the power to manipulate resources, currencies, politics (people), etc.  simply by controlling the availability of money. This is but one degree of control that we, everyday people who depend on the integrity and values of those in powerful positions inside and outside of government, are impoverished by.

The accumulated wealth of this monetary aristocracy is mind boggling and vast in detail. The author will only concisely summarize significant historical duties and assets of the family known at the present time that has lead to their wealth and power that is, still today, shrouded in secrecy. Some points may evade the reader if they lack familiarity with certain aspects of the organizations mentioned; which will not be covered in this article, but is meant to supplement information related to these organizations should the reader choose to further research the topic or already be somewhat in tune to the nature of the groups or events mentioned.

– Funded Cecil Rhodes in dominating the diamond and gold fields of South Africa.
“With financial support from Lord Rothschild and Alfred Beit, he was able to monopolize the diamond mines of South Africa as DeBeers Consolidated Mines and to build up a great gold mining enterprise as Consolidated Gold Fields.”(Tragedy&Hope).

– Baron Lionel de Rothschild underwrote the Irish Famine Loan and the Crimean War Loan, and in 1875 lent the British government the £4 million required to buy the Khedive of Egypt’s shares in the Suez Canal Company, in order to protect Britain’s sea route to India.

– Funded the Mormon Church in the late 19th century through Kuhn, Loeb, & Co.

– Funded and supported the Royal Institute of International Affairs; now called Chatham House, and took part in the Circle of Initiates  for The Roundtable Organization in 1891.

– Edmond Rothschild headed the campaign for Jewish settlers in Palestine, which coincided with Russian oil interests, which derived from Persia (Iran), and the Rothschild/Britain stake in the Suez Canal.

– Formed a copper enterprise following the collapse of the French Copper Syndicate in 1889; gaining control of the Boleo mine in Baja California and the leading Spanish copper mine, Rio Tinto; simultaneously maintaining significant control in the mining of other metals such as nickel, silver, and gold. The Rothschild Banking Dynasty along with all its allied projects were arguably the foundation of the, then Triple Entente; alliance between Britain, France, and Russia to combat the threat of Germany’s growing interests at that time.

– Financed the Harriman’s in Railroads

– Financed the Vanderbilt’s in railroads and the Press

– Financed Carnegie in the Steel Industry

– Headed the Paribas system: 400 of the 800 most important firms on the Paris stock exchange, headed by the Baron Edouard de Rothschild.

– Controlled the lease to the Royal Mint Refinery from 1852 to 1967.

– Own Reuters, Associated Press, Havas, and Wolf.

– Continue to be the gold agent for the Bank of England

– Have controlling stake in NBC, CBS, and ABC

– Control the London Bouillon Market Association

– Controlling interest in Royal Dutch Shell

– Some researchers speculate that they have assisted in hiding the wealth of the Black Nobility and the Vatican through various Rothschild Swiss Banks, trusts, and Holding Companies.

Some of the listed events or powers may seem unthreatening and even supportive of various readers’ beliefs or ethics. What must be understood is that a relatively small bloodline has obtained absolute power over some of the most delicate instrumentss of society and economies, such as the gold market. Also, this power alone enables the manipulation of heads of organizations whose actions countless people are sensitive to. Some of these agents will do as they are told to ensure their passage into a club of elites that few have been exposed to.

Not all Rothschilds fall under this umbrella of conspiracy. It seems more like a fraternity where the ones that stick out as the most cunning are called upon to take control of various assets of the family. Some are not always up for the challenge of this life. In 1996, Amschel Mayer James Rothschild hanged himself at a hotel in London at the age of 41. His death came hours after news of a merger between various asset companies. He was the chairman of the firm Rothschild Asset Management.

The Rothschilds of today valiantly attempt to downplay their wealth. The list of assets and services owned and carried throughout recent history in this article is incomplete. Knowing just what this article has revealed, how could these riches; so skillfully invested in the most valuable commodities and trusts, have dwindle at any rate? Who can piece together the interests of the Rothschild family? Are they simply a lineage of inherited wealth that simply hunger for more? Quite a few Rothschild’s may be good hearted people with nothing but the best intentions for themselves and others. Any rich person can call themselves philanthropists to cover less kind interests, which is what makes pinpointing the true intentions of individuals and organizations with immense power difficult. The following is a list of Rothschild’s who are still alive or recently deceased, but should not be limited by Rothschild interests. Just as in the 18th century, they have many agents and puppets across the globe without the infamous last name of Rothschild. Also, a list of a few companies has been listed as directly owned Rothschild assets.

Recent Descendents
– Sir Evelyn de Rothschild
– Jacob Rothschild – Intermarried with Sinclair family
– Edmund de Rothschild
– Lynn Forester de Rothschild
– David de Rothschild
– David René James de Rothschild
– Benjamin de Rothschild
– Emma Rothschild
– Gail de Rothschild
– Guy de Rothschild
– Miriam Louisa Rothschild
– Kathleen Annie Pannonica Rothschild
– Nathaniel Mayer Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild
– Nathaniel Philip Rothschild
– Philippe de Rothschild (1902–1988), wine maker
– Philippine de Rothschild (born 1935), wine maker

Companies
– RIT Capital Partners: UK’s largest investment trust
– St James’s Place Capital
– LCF Rothschild Group
– N M Rothschild & Sons – mergers and acquisitions firm
– Rothschild et Cie Banque – France & Europe
– Banque Privée Edmond de Rothschild S.A.
– La Compagnie Benjamin de Rothschild S.A.
– COGIFRANCE
– Five Arrows Fund of Curacao
– Five Arrows Corp. of Toronto, Canada