Five Men of Frankfort: The Story of the Rothschilds

With Three New Appendices. Few Jewish names in the history of Europe have attracted more fame, more conspiracy theories, rumors, and mystery than the name Rothschild. This biography, written by a leading Jewish historian, pulls no punches in telling the true story of the banking dynasty, once known as the “financiers of nations.”

Cutting through all the myths and exaggeration which have surrounded the Rothschilds, Five Men of Frankfortreveals how the four Rothschild sons spread throughout Europe—to London, Paris, Vienna, and Naples, to set up a banking network which inaugurated the system of moving money internationally through simultaneous deposits and withdrawals.

The first important Rothschild customer was the Elector of Hannover, who entrusted his fortune to the Rothschilds as he fled Napoleon’s army. This fortune was then used by the London-based Rothschilds Bank to profitably invest in British bonds—and so began the Rothschild ascent into the world of international finance. This study reveals in detail the double-cross of Napoleon’s France—which saw the Rothschilds finance the British army in Spain by literally smuggling the cash across France into Iberia using their secret network.

British indebtedness to the Rothschilds for their help in defeating Napoleon was then exploited by getting the British government to persuade the other nations of Europe—including the Austrian, Prussian, and Russian governments—to start using the Rothschilds as bankers and as the providers of their national loans and debt.

The ruthless competition—which saw their major Gentile rival in Austria commit suicide after his concern was run into the ground—is revealed, along with the way in which the Rothschilds effectively blackmailed their way into being granted nobility status by the Austrian and British heads of state.

Although this book ends its narrative at the beginning of the nineteenth century, this new edition has three new appendices which reveal the full extent of the Rothschild business empire to the present day. These appendices reveal in an astonishing amount of detail how this Jewish family from Frankfort ended up loaning money to governments on five continents, and their role in modern-day financial transactions across the world.

This book strips away the myths which surround the Rothschilds, and provides a sober assessment of why this banking house has become the foremost subject of conspiracy theories around the globe.

Contents

Chapter I: Jew Meyer, Curio Dealer

Chapter II: Portrait of a Prince

Chapter III: The Boys

Chapter IV: Battle

Chapter V: Police!

Chapter VI: Thank God for Napoleon

Chapter VII: Aid and Comfort to Wellington

Chapter VIII: The Goodness of Mr. Herries

Chapter IX: Nobility

Chapter X: The First Loans

Chapter XI: Honeymoon

Chapter XII: In the Saddle

Chapter XIII: In Quest of a Halo

Chapter XIV: Leaden Skies

Chapter XV: Passing of a Titan

Chapter XVI: London

Chapter XVII: James and His Heirs

Chapter XVIII: Twilight

Chapter XIX: Retrospect

Appendix I: A Timeline of Major Events in the Rothschild Banking Dynasty

Appendix II: Rothschild Countries of Operation, 2019

Appendix III: List of Major Government Loans Provided by the Rothschilds 1818–1937

Portraits by Karl S. Woerner: Nathan Von Rothschild; Amschel Von Rothschild; Salomon Von Rothschild; Karl Von Rothschild; James Von Rothschild.