The Rothschilds: A Family Portrait

By Frederic Morton

Book Overview

A National Book Award Finalist from the bestselling Frederic Morton

No family in the past two centuries has been as constantly at the center of Europe's great events, has featured such varied and spectacular personalities, has had anything close to the wealth of the Rothschilds. To this day they remain one of the most powerful and wealthy families in the world.

In Frederic Morton's classic tale, the family is finely painted on the page and brought vividly to life. Here you'll meet Mayer, long-time adviser to Germany's princes, who broke through the barriers of a Frankfurt ghetto and placed his family on the road to wealth and power; Lord Alfred, who maintained a private train, private orchestra (which he conducted), and private circus (of which he was ringmaster); Baron Philippe, whose rarefied vintages bear labels that were created by great artists, among them Picasso, Dali, and Haring; and Kathleen Nica Rothschild de Koenigswarter, the "jazz baroness," in whose arms Charlie Parker died.

The family itself has been at the center of some of the most crucial moments in history: the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, the development of the Suez Canal, the introduction of Jews in the House of Lords. Through it all, the Rothschild name has continued to represent the family ideal, and no author has so nimbly captured the eccentric brilliance of blood as Frederic Morton.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1626815453
• ISBN13: 9781626815452
• Release Date: October 2014
• Publisher: Diversion Books
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

How the Rothschilds usurped the Illuminati:

Frederic Morton's book "The Rothschilds Portrait of a Dynasty" is a must read for individuals who want to quickly ascertain how this enigmatic family became the patriarchs of the "New World Order." The Rothschilds are rarely seen in the public eye and rarely make news headlines and yet they are the most powerful banking family in the world, but this didn't happen all of the sudden, and as Morton demonstrates this indeed was a long 200-year process. So, insofar as the Rothschilds are concerned, there's plenty more work to be done. A case in point: According to Morton, Edmond de Rothschild, "was ... a backstage force in politics. He belonged to the steering committee of the secretive Bilderberg circle, an informal association of political and financial top brass that has sometimes been called more powerful than national governments." And he "was a major benefactor of Israel. Please keep in mind that the Bilderberg Group is the most powerful think-tank in the world. {For more information on the Bilderberg group please read Daniel Estulin's "The True Story of the Bilderberg Group" and Jim Tucker's "Bilderberg Diary"} Furthermore, according to Morton's book, Mayer Amschel Rothschild's five sons plotted, schemed, and moved currency like no other. These five individuals learned what would become a valuable lesson in life as Mayer Amschel Bauer Rothschild boasted, "Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes it's laws." During the Napoleonic Wars, the Rothschilds were geniuses when it came to espionage since they managed to steal Napoleon Bonaparte's contraband from the countries that he usurped. Subsequently they then sold the contraband right under Napoleon's nose, making an exorbitant profit, which allowed them to purchase most of Europe's currency, which in-turn paved the way for their economic hegemony of the whole European continent...the Battle of Waterloo was the tipping point. Anyhow, this was a catastrophe for Napoleon Bonaparte because it left him flat broke and in dire-straights, which in-turn (prior to Waterloo) forced him to sell the Louisiana territory to Thomas Jefferson. Also, Morton wrote that "Rothschild was now banker to empires and continents-to all the principal European countries, to Eurasian Russia, to the Americas, to the Indies." And "It has been estimated that the London house alone placed 6,500 million dollars' worth of foreign loans during the first ninety years of its existence." Moreover, the other Rothschild branches in Paris, Vienna, Frankfurt and Naples "were just as busy." Which unequivocally means, "Upon Rothschild vaults converged the credit of the Western World." Moreover, Nathan Rothschild who was the banker of England during the Napoleonic Wars stated, "I care not what puppet is placed on the throne of England to rule the Empire, ... The man that controls Britain's money supply controls the British Empire. And I control the money supply.'' (This quote wasn't in Morton's book.) Als

An excellent history of an important family

This is a very well written history of the Rothschilds. I recommend it for those interested in a strong overview of the family.

Excellent biographical sketch of a family.

The Rothschilds: Portrait of a Dynasty reads more like a novel than a biography, yet provides facinating information on the family from Mayer's founding of the family business/fortune through the 1960s. While the majority of the book was excellent, the epilogues meant to update the family's recent history were sparce and as a result, had a very different feel from the rest of the book, creating a slightly jarred feeling as you finish the book. Overall, a wonderful read.