Mayer Amschel Rothschild facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayer Amschel Rothschild
Born	Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-02-23)23 February 1744 Free Imperial City of Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire
Died	19 September 1812(1812-09-19) (aged 68) Frankfurt, Grand Duchy of Frankfurt, Confederation of the Rhine
Known for	Rothschild banking dynasty
Spouse(s)	Guttle Schnapper ​ (m. 1770)​
Children	Schönche Jeannette Rothschild Amschel Mayer von Rothschild Salomon Mayer von Rothschild Nathan Mayer von Rothschild Isabella Rothschild Babette Rothschild Carl Mayer von Rothschild Julie Rothschild Henriette Rothschild K.R.R. Reschke James Mayer de Rothschild
Parent(s)	Amschel Moses Rothschild Schönche Rothschild

Rothschild family home in the Frankfurter Judengasse.

Mayer Amschel Rothschild (born February 23, 1744 – died September 19, 1812) was a German Jewish banker. He is famous for starting the Rothschild banking dynasty. Many people call him a "founding father of international finance." In 2005, Forbes magazine listed him as the seventh most influential businessman of all time.

Early Life and Family History

Mayer Amschel Rothschild was born in 1744 in the Frankfurter Judengasse. This was the Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt am Main, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. He was one of eight children born to Amschel Moses Rothschild and Schönche Rothschild.

The Rothschild family name comes from a house. Back in 1577, the family lived in a house with a "red shield" sign. In German, this was "zum rothen Schild." Houses often had signs instead of numbers. The family later moved to another house in the Judengasse in 1664. This house became their home and business place for many years.

Mayer's father traded goods and exchanged money. He also supplied coins to the Prince of Hesse. Their family home was quite small, only about 11 feet wide. More than 30 people lived there at one time.

Starting a Business

In 1757, Mayer Rothschild began learning about banking. He worked as an apprentice at a banking firm in Hanover. There, he learned important skills about trading with other countries and exchanging different currencies.

After his apprenticeship, he returned to Frankfurt in 1763. He started a business selling rare coins. He became very good at it and gained the support of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Hesse. This prince had also supported Mayer's father. In 1769, Mayer earned the title of "Court Factor." This meant he was a trusted financial advisor to the prince.

Rothschild's coin business grew. He started offering banking services to Prince Wilhelm. When Wilhelm became Wilhelm IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel in 1785, Rothschild's business grew even faster. He handled payments from Britain to hire Hessian soldiers. These soldiers were mercenaries, meaning they were paid to fight for a foreign country.

By the early 1800s, Rothschild was the main international banker for Wilhelm IX. He began to offer his own international loans. He borrowed money from the Landgrave to do this.

Challenges and Growth

In 1806, Napoleon invaded Hesse. This happened because Wilhelm supported Prussia. The Landgrave had to leave his home and go into exile. But Rothschild was able to keep working as his banker. He invested the Landgrave's money in London.

Rothschild also found ways to make money during this time. Napoleon had set up a "continental blockade." This stopped goods from being imported into Europe. But Rothschild managed to import goods around this blockade, which was very profitable.

Building the Rothschild Dynasty

Mayer Rothschild wanted his family's business to grow even more. In 1798, he sent his third son, Nathan Mayer Rothschild, to England. Nathan started a business importing textiles with £20,000. This was the first Rothschild branch outside of Germany. Nathan became a British citizen in 1804 and opened a bank in London.

In 1810, Mayer made a formal business agreement with his three oldest sons. His youngest son, Jacob, was sent to Paris in 1811. This helped the family do business all over Europe. They were able to help finance Wellington's armies in Portugal. This involved getting large amounts of gold for the British government.

Mayer Amschel Rothschild passed away on September 19, 1812, in Frankfurt am Main. He was buried in the old Jewish cemetery in Frankfurt. His grave is still there today. A street in Frankfurt, Rothschildallee, was named after him. In 1817, the emperor Francis I of Austria honored him after his death.

His children continued to build the family's wealth across Europe. This is often called the "five arrows" of banking, referring to his five sons who established branches in different countries:

• His oldest son, Amschel Mayer, took over the bank in Frankfurt.
• Salomon moved to Vienna.
• Nathan made the London branch, N. M. Rothschild & Sons, one of Europe's most powerful banks.
• Calmann (later known as Carl) started a branch in Naples.
• Jacob (known as James) opened de Rothschild Frères in Paris, which became a huge financial company.

Family Life

Grave stone of Mayer Amschel Rothschild.

Mayer Amschel Rothschild married Guttle Schnapper on August 29, 1770. They had many children:

• Schönche Jeannette Rothschild (1771–1859)
• Amschel "Anselm" Mayer Rothschild (1773–1855)
• Salomon Mayer Rothschild (1774–1855)
• Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777–1836)
• Isabella Rothschild (1781–1861)
• Babette Rothschild (1784–1869)
• Calmann "Carl" Mayer (1788–1855)
• Julie Rothschild (1790–1815)
• Henriette "Jette" Rothschild (1791–1866)
• Jacob "James" Mayer de Rothschild (1792–1868)

For more details on the family tree, see Genealogy of the Rothschild family.

Images for kids

• 

  The Elector of Hesse entrusting Mayer Amschel Rothschild with his treasure

• 

  Grave stone of Mayer Amschel Rothschild in Frankfurt am Main. His name as it appears on the stone was Moses Mayer, son of Amschel, and he apparently added the Amschel, as in later generations.

See also

In Spanish: Mayer Amschel Rothschild para niños