Rothschild

Rothschild, a family of Jewish financiers which has for several generations largely controlled the European world. The founder was Meyer Anselm Rothschild (1743-1812), who was born at Frankfort, and who amassed an enormous fortune. He had five sons - Anselm, who settled in Frankfort, Charles, who went to Naples, Solomon, whose sphere of operations was Berlin and Vienna, James, who located himself in Paris, and Nathan, who came to England. The brothers, uniting their credit, gradually exercised tremendous influence in public affairs. Nathan was made Baron by the Emperor of Germany, and died in 1836. His eldest son, Lionel (1808-79), became M.P. for the City of London in 1847, but, as Jews were unable to take the oath, did not take his seat till 1858. His son, Nathan, was the first Jew raised to the Peerage (1885).