Today’s Quote

“I care not what puppet is placed upon the throne of England to rule the Empire on which the sun never sets. The man who controls Britain’s money supply controls the British Empire, and I control the British money supply.”
-Nathan Rothschild

The Rothschild family is sometimes coupled with groups like “The Illuminati”. You may have heard about them from a paranoid buddy. He can’t explain exactly who they are, but he’s certain they are the invisible hand behind all the world’s decisions. The mystique is actually a disservice to what is an amazing story of planning and execution.

How does a family raised in a Jewish ghetto become the wealthiest family in the world in a matter of a few decades? The short of it is found in the family motto “Concordia, Integritas, Industria” which translates to “Harmony, Integrity, Industry”.

Mayer Rothschild is the beginning of the Rothschild empire. His first business was selling rare coins until he earned the attention of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Hesse. Wilhelm admired Mayer for his honest brokerage during his dealing so much so that he made him his personal banker overseeing his personal fortune. Integritas.

From there Mayer expanded into extending loans internationally. But the Rothschild empire was not born from lending coins or catering to royalty. It was built off the backs of Mayer’s five boys and international expansion.

Keen to grow the banking business, Mayer sent his five sons to the five European financial centers to establish independent banks. One in Frankfurt, London, Vienna, Naples, and Paris. Their presence in each market provided the Rothschilds with financial access but more importantly it gave them information. After settling in each city center, the Rothschilds established a courier network that allowed them to deliver letters faster than any government or citizen. The price of gold is skyrocketing in Paris? The Rothschilds would know first and arbitrage the market. A war ends overseas? The Rothschilds would inform the government, not the military. Industria.

It’s nearly impossible to estimate how much wealth the Rothschilds accumulated during this period of time. Their funds were diversified across banks, investments, and private holdings that trying to do a general accounting is a fool’s errand. But more than that, the funds were diversified across all of Mayer’s descendants. Concordia.

For the whole story I’d recommend listening to the two part series from the How To Takeover The World Podcast:

The Wealthiest Family Of All Time Part One
The Wealthiest Family of All Time Part Two