The Rothschilds - the history of the largest financial tycoons (Heinrich Schnee). The Rothschilds: The World's Underground Parasite Empire. Mayer Hamschel Rothschild and sons Mayer Rothschild biography

The Rothschilds are the most famous among the European dynasties of bankers, which for more than 200 years has had a significant impact on the economy and political life of not only the old world. The first large enterprise was a bank in Frankfurt. Gradually, the range of interests includes mining, energy, real estate and winemaking. The position of the family arouses enduring interest and surprise among the inhabitants: the size of the state of the dynasty is reliably unknown, a conspiracy theory is associated with the family, they are credited with participating in world government and unleashing wars in their own interests. The foundations of the success and prosperity of the Rothschilds were laid by the head of the dynasty, Mayer Rothschild: his orders and instructions are unswervingly observed by descendants.

Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt

The family's success story begins in a beggarly overcrowded Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt in the 18th century. The residence of Jews in the cities of Christian Europe was officially allowed in specially designated isolated areas. The settlements of the Jewish communities began to be called "ghettos", after the name of the Jewish quarter in Venice, located near the workshop for the manufacture of guns, which in Italian sounds like "ghetta".

The authorities opposed the expansion of the ghetto, despite the growing population and the depletion of housing resources. Overpopulation of Jewish areas led to a decrease in the life expectancy of people, an increase in the frequency of fires. Various restrictions were also imposed on Jews. The ghetto was closed at night, on Sundays and on all Christian holidays. Jews could not have property, they were obliged to wear yellow bands on their clothes and give way to an approaching Christian, who could offend a Jew without any consequences for himself without any reason. For them, special rather burdensome taxes were established.

Professional communities did not admit Jews to their membership and thereby narrowed the choice of the sphere of work for the representatives of this nation. Economic restrictions prompted Jews to engage in conversion and lending operations: exchanging money and providing funds on collateral or on growth terms. The profession of a usurer has become traditional for representatives of Jewish communities in connection with the ban on such activities for Christians for religious reasons.

The exchange of money in Germany in the 18th century was an urgent need, which was determined by the political structure of the country. The country was a conglomerate of a large number of sovereign principalities, each of which issued its own money. Trade was accompanied by the need to exchange money, which was the source of income for Mayer Rothschild's father.

Mayer Amschel's childhood

Amschel Moses Bauer was the owner of a small exchange office. The sign above the entrance, which was red ("rot schild" - German, red sign), became the reason for the nickname of the family members, which later turned into a famous surname. Mayer Amschel was born in 1744. The boy stood out among his peers for his abilities. The parents believed that their son should become a rabbi, so he was sent to receive a proper education at a Jewish theological school in the suburbs of Nuremberg. The boy studied well, but did not show much enthusiasm and zeal. The death of his parents made adjustments to the life of Mayer, who was forced to leave school due to the inability to pay tuition fees. Through the patronage of his relatives, he was lucky enough to become an apprentice at the Oppenheimer's Jewish enterprise in Hanover and start studying banking. This city was distinguished by its relative tolerance towards the representatives of the Jews. For the young man at work, everything went well, and in Hannover, apparently, good life prospects awaited him, but Mayer makes a rather strange decision and returns to his hometown in 1764.

The success story begins

Mayer Amschel followed his father's profession, but besides this, he began to sell old coins, medals, antiques and rare things, which he looked for on his own or bought at bargain prices.

Historians note in his biography his amazing mathematical abilities and ability not to miss the opportunity that presented itself. It is believed that Mayer sought to provide his services exclusively to people with a position in society. Mayer accompanied his numismatic collections with catalogs and entertaining historical lectures, which was able to interest the "necessary" people who soon began to purchase his goods.

Mayer managed to get to know Prince William IX, Elector of Hesse-Kassel, a representative of the royal court of Austria-Hungary. The aristocrat was famous for his passion for collecting coins, which the enterprising young man took advantage of by presenting him with a collection of antique specimens. Having found a buyer in the prince, Mayer received permission to pose as the prince's sales agent. The rise in status allowed him to obtain the blessing of his future wife's father, who until that moment had refused him.

Wilhelm was distinguished not only by his noble birth, but also by impressive material well-being. For many German princes of the time, the usual source of income was the provision of their subjects as soldiers to other states. Wilhelm's army made him a good fortune: his soldiers fought as mercenaries on the side of Britain, fought bravely in colonial America. In the history of the Rothschilds, the fact of a young man's rapprochement with an unusual aristocrat, distinguished by an extraordinary business acumen, is presented as one of the key moments that contributed to the formation of the dynasty.

Mayer possessed an excellent analytical mind and the ability to think in systems of multidimensionality. Buying textiles in England for resale, he suggested that William use English bills of exchange, which he received as payment for mercenaries, to pay for his purchases, on the condition that the prince would give him these bills at a discount. The deal came only two years later in 1789, but it turned out to be the family's first truly profitable operation.

Becoming a court factor in William IX (as the people who carried out financial transactions were called), Mayer Rothschild established a rule that is still successfully observed by his family: business. In fact, he dreamed of creating an influential and wealthy dynasty.

Father is rich and strong in sons

In the family of Mayer Amschel and his wife Gutele, ten children survived. Biographers describe the head of the family as an attentive father who passed on his craft to his children and spent a lot of time with them. Unlike his brothers, Mayer was gentle and courteous, had an undeniable talent for negotiating, knew how to maintain composure in difficult situations, so he managed to channel not only his business, but also the indomitable energy of his sons, develop their talents and create a family in the right direction. , whose descendants are known to this day. Perhaps the source of success was Mayer Rothschild's rule: everyone has their own talents, but success is common!

The five sons, as they matured, joined their father and helped to do business with clients. From childhood, they showed the abilities of successful traders and were not inferior in this to their father. However, unlike the head of the family, their approach to business was more rigid and straightforward. Mayer tried to soften him by teaching the heirs the art of negotiation - a skill he inherited from nature. The girls were involved in the family business within the home: writing and keeping records.

Mayer's sons took their partnership with Prince William to a new level. Having agreed with the bankers and the treasurer of the aristocrat, they became intermediaries in all his financial transactions. Gradually, the exchange office of Mayer Rothschild turned into a real bank. The father demanded that the children follow his business philosophy, which was characterized by several principles:

• always pay bills on time;
• never borrow;
• to be honest and open in business so that no litigation is ever associated with the name of the Rothschilds.

The Austrian emperor granted the brothers the baronial title and, according to this, the surname acquired a coat of arms. It is characteristic that on the coat of arms there are five arrows tied together (in other versions, held by a clenched hand), and the inscription “Consent. Unity. Action".

By 1796, Mayer Rothschild was the richest Jew in Frankfurt. His sons enthusiastically helped their father build up his business activities. The elder brother, Amschel, ran the growing business from Frankfurt. Nathan in 1804 first moved to Manchester and established his own supply of textiles to the continent, and after a successful marriage, with the help of his father-in-law, he created his own bank in London. James settled in Paris in 1811, where he developed a French branch of a banking house. Solomon and Karl opened offices in Vienna and Naples, respectively. By the early 1920s, the Rothschild family business spanned all of Europe.

Enhancing well-being

Mayer's children inherited from their father an amazing sagacity in discovering sources of benefit that were not obvious to others. During the war unleashed on the continent by Napoleon, economic sanctions were imposed on England. The French idea was to establish an economic blockade, preventing the movement of goods and money from England to Europe. The Rothschilds, whose family members were located on both sides of the English Channel, saw a unique opportunity to profit and organized large-scale smuggling of such essential commodities as wheat, cotton, colonial goods and weapons; carried out international settlements.

The family set up a delivery service with small, fast ships at sea and a group of riders on the continent. Rothschild couriers, in addition to transporting goods and gold, delivered fresh news, so their owners were the first to learn about important events in the economic and political sphere.

The Rothschild Bank acted as the organizer and executor of providing the British army with funds. Financial stability was one of the decisive factors that allowed Wellington to defeat the French forces at Waterloo. The courier of the bankers with the news of the victory was ahead of the army courier by a day. With reliable data, the Rothschilds provoked panic in the stock exchange, pretending that their sudden sales were due to the defeat of the British, and then acquired significant assets at undervalued prices, without formally violating any rules.

It is believed that the famous phrase "Who owns the information rules the world" belongs to Nathan Rothschild.

After the Napoleonic wars, the ruling houses began to use the services of bankers, transferring their capital to them for safekeeping with the condition of paying interest on the invested funds. This fact has become important in the history of the formation of the modern capital market.

However, despite the wealth, due to the origin of the Rothschilds, they still could not count on being treated as equals by the ruling circles and the world. Recognition at the highest level was won by the third generation of Rothschilds. Nathan's son, Lionel Rothschild, was the first Jew to enter the British Parliament and was promoted to British peerage.

The dynasty continues

Mayer Amschel died in 1812 at the age of 70. The father entered into a partnership agreement with his sons, which indicated that the business could not be divided between them, had to remain whole. There was no place for women in the business, only sons could inherit the business. No strangers, not even sons-in-law, were allowed into the management positions of the companies. Family marriages are encouraged in the family: since a dowry must be given for the daughters, it will be better if the brother or cousin gets it.

The youngest of five brothers, James, married his own niece Betty, the daughter of Solomon. The custom of marrying a girl from the family quickly became a tradition. Of the 12 marriages of men of the third generation, 9 are concluded with cousins. Subsequently, the proportion of such marriages decreased slightly, but it is about half among the descendants of Mayer Amschel in the male line.

Mayer Rothschild's descendants follow his philosophy. For more than two hundred years of the existence of the dynasty, there is only one example when a family member went out of business, taking part of it. At the end of the 20th century, applicants for the role of the British part of the family business disagreed on the choice of the bank's strategy. As a result, Jacob Rothschild organized his own investment fund, the ideology of which, perhaps, goes beyond the philosophy of the founder of the dynasty, but it is as successful as all Rothschild enterprises: the fortune of the Jacob family is estimated at about $ 3 billion.

A landmark event for the dynasty was the unification in 2003 of the British and French banking houses of the family, the only remaining large family lending enterprises in Europe. This fact would undoubtedly have been approved by the founder of the dynasty, Mayer Amschel.

Rothschild ... This name in the nineteenth and last centuries was synonymous with wealth, success, luxury and prestige. The entire 19th century passed under the sign of the influence of the Rothschild financial empire, and only towards the end did new financial giants emerge, which made it serious competition. The Rothschild family is still one of a kind today!

Mankind has known about the Rothschild bankers for more than two and a half centuries. That is how long their activity in the world of financial business lasts. Members of the famous clan live on all five continents and maintain family relations. Probably no one other than the Rothschilds themselves could name the total amount of capital they own, although it is reliably known that this is a fantastic figure. What is the secret of the Rothschilds' success? In our article we will try to figure it out.

The free city of Frankfurt am Main, located in the center of lively trade, attracted Jews from the early Middle Ages. During the last millennium, trade and financial transactions have been successfully conducted here. Before the French Revolution, there were 35,000 inhabitants in Frankfurt, one tenth of whom were Jews. In 1462 a special quarter was allocated to them, which was named Jewish.

It is from this city that the dynasty of famous financial tycoons originates from. The ancestors of the founder of the Rothschild dynasty, Mayer Rothschild, for many centuries lived in one of these narrow ghettos, only 12 meters wide, “sandwiched like in a cage” between the city wall and the moat, in a squalid house on the Judengasse ( Jewish Street), where guards stood near those who blocked the entrance and exit of heavy chains.

This was the Khans family, which later formed one of the branches of the dynasty. They moved to Frankfurt in the 16th century. Their Frankfurt name comes from the "house with a red sign" in which the family lived. However, the surname Rothschild is often found in Jewish communities - in Germany at that time, Jews were often given surnames for some reason related to the family, its way of life. In 1585, Isaac Elhanan received the nickname "at the red sign", while only Elhanan was written on his father's grave. It should be noted, however, that, according to some other sources, “in 1750 Mayer Amschel Bauer inherited his father’s banking business in Frankfurt and changed his name to Rothschild: from“ roten Schield ”- the“ red shield ”that hung over the entrance in the office and was a symbol of the victories of revolutionary Jews in Eastern Europe "(N. Bogolyubov. Secret Societies of the XX century. St. Petersburg, 1997).

The livelihood of the Rothschild family, like other Jews, was provided by trade, since until the 18th century there were no other financial banking operations. The Rothschilds' fortune was insignificant, the lifestyle was modest. From 1567 to 1580, Isaac Elhanan paid a tax on a fortune of 2 thousand 700 guilders, and his great-grandson Kalman, who died in 1707, already had a fortune of 6 thousand florins in 1690. In 1733-1735, Kalman's son had in his hands a bill of exchange of a well-known Württemberg court financier for 38 thousand florins, indicating that large monetary transactions had taken place. But Amschel Moses, father of Mayer Amschel, had a fortune of only 1,375 florins. All these are very insignificant amounts when compared with the incomes and fortunes of the large court financiers in Berlin and Vienna, many of whom were millionaires.

Young Mayer Rothschild studied the craft in the city of Hanover (Northern Germany), because the authorities there were more lenient towards the inhabitants of the Jewish ghetto than in Frankfurt. In 1764, after spending several years as an apprentice at the Oppenheimer's banking house, Mayer Rothschild returned to Frankfurt, where he was immediately reminded of his social position. The young man again had to, pulling his head into his shoulders, make his way through the streets, timidly pressing himself against the walls and removing the pointed cap from his head.

During the time while Mayer Rothschild studied in Hannover, his family finally became impoverished and lived no longer at the "rich end" of the Judengasse in a house under a red sign, but in a dilapidated damp shack with a frying pan hanging from the eaves on a chain. This house was called “the house under the pan”. It was here that Mayer Rothschild opened his small company. Soon, in the "house under the pan", our hero equipped a kind of money-changer's shop, where passing merchants could exchange the money of some German principalities for the currency of others. This is how the first bank of the Rothschild firm appeared - in a small room with an area of ​​4 square meters! Rothschild began to collect his wealth literally in a landfill. Even in a pile of old things, sometimes treasures are hidden, but you need to be able to find them, and Mayer Amschel had such a talent. He began to collect obsolete coins, discarded medals, emblems from ancient knightly armor and shields. After cleaning and giving his finds a marketable appearance, Rothschild successfully sold them to collectors. An enviable and rather valuable collection has accumulated over the years.

In one of the trade books for 1778, Mayer Rothschild is already mentioned as a dealer in antique medals and coins. At first, he himself compiled catalogs of such coins and delivered them to customers. The peculiarity of his coin business was that the collection assembled from the coins sold at a higher price than the coins constituting it, which were purchased separately: the added value arose due to the "orderliness" of the coins. Among other things, it was also unusual that Mayer Amschel determined the value of coins not by the amount of precious metal, but by their historical significance.

The proceeds from the exchange of foreign currency were used to expand the trade in antique coins. Mayer Rothschild bought up several shops that belonged to the troubled money changers, along with a supply of coins. With the "trade reserve" obtained in this way, he again toured all the small German principalities and duchies. Once, during a voyage to Weimar, he was lucky enough to make a deal with the patron saint of Goethe himself - Duke Karl August.

Numerous trips to the small German principalities and duchies, where Rothschild sold his ancient rarities to enthusiastic aristocrats, led him to see another keen collector, Prince William of Hesse, the future elector and one of the richest people of that time.

It should be noted that in the German states, the typical combination of that time was "prince and Jew" (Fürst und Jud), and the latter was in the hands of the finances of the state. For more than a hundred years, representatives of the House of Oppenheimers were the court bankers of the imperial court in Vienna. The "Great Elector" Friedrich Wilhelm used the services of the financiers Gumpertz, Feith, Ries, Aaron and Brond Wolfe. His son Frederick I entrusted the financial affairs to Liebman, Frederick the Great to Ephraim.

In 1764, Crown Prince Wilhelm took over the independent rule of the County of Hanau. The Landgrave was a great lover, collector and connoisseur of coins and medals. In June 1765, Rothschild delivered the first coins to him, for which he received a reward of 38 guilders and 80 kreutzers. It was Rothschild's first "gesheft" with a foreign head of state. And it was the coin trade that brought the then twenty-year-old Mayer Rothschild closer to his future patron. It took him decades to achieve the full location and favor of the Landgrave, since he was by nature a very suspicious person, especially when it came to financial matters. This is how the greatest court banker of all time began his career humbly.

A few years later, the elder Rothschild even dared to apply for some kind of court rank, since any title elevated a Jewish merchant in the eyes of the court society and in the society of fellow believers: pleasure. I will make every effort and opportunity to continue to be always ready to provide your Prince's Lordship with various services. It would be especially strong encouragement for me if Your Princely Lordship would favor me with the rank of court factor [a financial position at the courts of German princes, introduced especially for Jews. - Hereinafter approx. author] Your Grace.

I ask your Princely Lordship with greater confidence also because I do not want to bother you in any way. Thanks to my rank and in view of my commercial business, as well as other circumstances, I could make up my own happiness here in the city of Frankfurt. "

Mayer Rothschild was promoted to court factor. It was a reward for the supply of coins and medals that continued until 1806. After Mayer's death in 1812, the Rothschild house sold medals to the Elector twice, in 1813 and 1814.

After being appointed as a court factor, Rothschild took up financial affairs even more actively. Along with this, five of his sons continued to trade in goods. Since 1776, both Landgrave Frederick II and Crown Prince issued promissory notes from London to hire soldiers for England. When selling such a bill, Rothschild had to work in Hanau. In his next statement to the Landgrave, he informed that "in Ganau, through English letters, he received a higher price with a benefit for the master's treasury." From 1798, Rothschild became the most preferred purveyor of the princely treasury.

He was greatly helped by the fact that the prince had no prejudices against the Jews. This is evidenced by the significant number of Jews at the court in Kassel. In addition, the prince was a business man, he himself could become a banker. Decisive for the banking house in Frankfurt was also the fact that Rothschild finally managed to win the full confidence of the prince, who instructed him to handle all financial affairs. The existence of any bank depends entirely on whether it manages to attract and retain solid clients. Rothschild provided his high-profile client with a variety of services: conducting all business in the free city of Frankfurt, attracting reliable and politically neutral banking ties in the leading financial market in London.

The expansion of business ties eventually led to the fact that a new sign was nailed to the wall of the "house under the pan" in 1769. It already bore the coat of arms of the ducal house of Hesse-Hanau and the inscription in gold letters below: "Mayer Rothschild, manager of the affairs of Duke Wilhelm, His Highness Prince Hanau."

Rothschild's profits grew. Wilhelm himself was also a rather colorful figure. He was the grandson of King George II of England, cousin to George III, brother-in-law to the King of Sweden and nephew to the King of Denmark. But that was not the most important thing. Much more important was something else: he was the first of the German princes, despite his belonging to the aristocracy, to begin providing loans at usurious interest rates, not disdaining coarse and arrogant money-grubbing.

Soon, more than half of the sovereigns of Europe turned out to be Wilhelm's debtors. In addition, he learned to turn even the blood of the Hessians themselves into gold. His non-commissioned officers, who did not know mercy and mercy, knew how to train disciplined and ready for anything mercenaries. And as soon as the new company of the Landsknechts finished training, the Duke immediately sold it to the British for big money - to maintain order in the overseas colonies of the growing British Empire at that time. Whenever a Hessian mercenary was killed in a distant English colony, Duke William received a large monetary compensation for him. And very soon the ruler of the tiny duchy became the richest feudal lord in Europe, a kind of usurer banker, creditor to many princes and kings. Gradually, Mayer Rothschild joined this business. Along with other money changers and bankers, from time to time he received instructions from Duke William to collect this or that foreign debt (of course, for an appropriate remuneration).

Having become rich, the Rothschild family was able to move into a new house - already "under a green sign" - and began to be called not Rothschilds, but Grunschilds ("grun" in German means green). For some time, the Rothschilds even thought about taking this new nickname as a surname, but then they decided to leave the old one. This surname went down in history.

This is not to say that the Rothschilds grew rich at a fabulous rate. For nearly 20 years, Mayer Rothschild paid income tax of only 2,000 florins a year. In 1795 alone, the city's picky financial inspectors increased taxes to 15,000. And this, according to the concepts of the Frankfurt ghetto, meant the highest level of income. In the ghetto, but not in the financial world of the German principalities.

August 1770 Mayer Amschel married the daughter of the merchant Wolf Solomon Schnaper, who lives near the Rothschild house. The father-in-law's family belonged to the old Jewish families of Frankfurt. The bride's dowry was 2,400 florins.

Gutle Schnaper was a simple, modest and very economical woman. She gave her husband ten children: five sons and five daughters. Housekeeping and raising children was very time consuming. Gutle Schnaper spent her entire life in the Jewish quarter, in the very house where their family was destined to achieve the highest prosperity.

Meanwhile, Rothschild's sons grew up and began to help their father in all his affairs.

The eldest son, Amschel Mayer, was born on June 12, 1773; on November 16, 1793, he married Eva Hanau. In the documents, the names of father and son - Mayer Amschel and Amschel Mayer - were often confused. Only on closer and more detailed study was it possible to establish which of them was meant. Different spellings of Meyer and Meyer are also common. Amschel died on December 6, 1855.

Solomon Mayer, second son, was born on September 9, 1774. On November 26, 1800, he married Caroline Stern and died on July 27, 1855.

Nathan Mayer, the third son, who turned out to be the most talented of the "five Frankfurt", was born on September 16, 1777. He was married to Hanna Cohen from a Jewish family. But already on August 8, 1836, he died.

The fourth son, Karl Mayer, was born on April 24, 1788; on September 16, 1818, he married Adelheid Hertz. He died on March 10, 1855. Three out of five brothers passed away in the same year.

Jacob, or James, the youngest, was born on May 15, 1792; on July 11, 1824, he married his niece, Betty Rothschild. Death overtook him on November 15, 1868.

It is characteristic that the sons and daughters of the Rothschilds sought to marry representatives of famous families belonging to the upper circles of the Jewish community. And this policy, characteristic of court factors, contributed to the advancement of the Rothschild house. The daughters entered the families of Worms, Sichel, Bayfus, Montefiore.

It was the sons of Mayer Rothschild, who later became the financial tycoons of Germany, England, Austria, Italy and France, who prepared the real "financial explosion."

This was the time when money capital came to the fore. Wealth, until then lying in vain, was put into circulation, the demand for money increased significantly. In the era of revolutionary upheavals, some states collapsed, others were created. The intermediaries in this redistribution of cash - banking firms - became the main collectors of it, and among the firms in Europe, the Rothschild banking house took first place.

But the conquest of a monopoly position was of decisive importance for its advancement. In this he was assisted by the military adviser Buderus, who was appointed director of the main military treasury at the court of Kassel in 1802. From that time on, the Rothschild house quickly outpaced all competitors. In 1802, Rothschild Sr. opened a branch in Kassel in order to constantly remain in close contact with the court and palace officials. By a resolution of September 16, 1802, that is, rather late, he was exempted from paying taxes that were imposed on all Jewish merchants. It is surprising that the Rothschild court factor had to wait so long for the privileges usually immediately provided to court financiers.

From 1801 to 1806, Rothschild issued five loans worth almost 5 million guilders. His close relationship with the court of Hesse was strengthened, and he truly used on a wide scale the method used by all court factors of that era. They often resorted to gifts and bribes to win the favor of influential courtiers and government officials. Rothschild managed to attract Hessian officials to cooperate in financial matters. When Buderus was appointed chief tax collector for the state treasury of Hanau, Rothschild represented him in Frankfurt. After his patron became an authoritative adviser to the Landgrave, Rothschild constantly received lucrative orders in Kassel.

Many court bankers were on good terms with the Kassel court, for example the Christian firms of Rüppel and Garnir, the Betman brothers, Preye and Jordis, Gebgard and Gauck in Frankfurt. Wittgenstein's credit office was located in Kassel, and Van Noten & Gaulle & Co. in Amsterdam. But they did not have such patrons as Buderus. For example, the influential house of Rüppel and Garnir managed to maintain its dominant position at the Kassel court only until 1803, that is, until the time when Buderus became director of the military treasury. Officials were already making money with each transaction, since they were entitled to one percent of the amount issued as a side income.

In 1805-1806, Rothschild was already well ahead of his competitors. When Wilhelm, fleeing Napoleon, was forced to flee and long years lived in exile, the main court agent Rothschild managed to achieve a monopoly position in financing the Landgrave, of course, not without the support of his patron, who by that time had already become a secret military adviser, Buderus von Karlshausen. Tom managed to surpass the military adviser Lenier, a friend of Rüppel and Garnir, and become the sole manager of affairs. Having put Rüppel and Garnier at a disadvantage, he tried to emphasize the disinterestedness of the Rothschild house everywhere.

Rothschild went with Wilhelm in exile. During these years, he faithfully served his prince and especially distinguished himself, saving part of the Hessian state. Of course, such a relationship between the prince and the court factor had a beneficial effect on the latter's financial affairs, since in emigration Wilhelm IX remained the largest capitalist among the German princes. In 1808, Rothschild was already so advanced that all the excess and incidental money of the Elector was regularly sent to the bank of the Rothschild house.

The collaboration between the Rothschilds and Buderus eventually resulted in the text of a document dated February 17, 1809, which read:

“The following agreement was concluded today between the secret military adviser Buderus von Karlshausen and the Mayer Amschel Rothschild Trading House in Frankfurt .. home in all business affairs and, if possible, to be useful to him .. In turn, the Trading House "Mayer Amschel Rothschild" promises to honestly deduct the profit from trading operations due to the invested capital of 20 thousand guilders to Buderus, and allows him at any time to check all books for greater persuasiveness in the correctness of the calculations. "

Thus, Buderus became an investor in the Rothschild house, therefore he was personally interested in that Mayer Amschel received a monopoly on the conduct of the Elector's financial affairs.

This treaty, the only one of its kind in the history of the German institution of court factors, was in the interests of all its participants. The capital of the land prince continued to increase, an unnoticed court clerk became a wealthy man, and the Frankfurt banker and merchant laid the foundation for the prosperity of his company. It would be wrong to assess this treaty from the point of view of modern morality. According to the ideas of that time, there was nothing offensive in the custom of presenting and accepting gifts, and, as can be concluded from the surviving memoirs, this was also the case in the 19th century.

When Mayer Amschel began to grow old and sick, his sons often replaced him on business trips. The secrets of all business transactions remained with the family. Already in their youth, both eldest sons were agents of the military treasury of Hesse. But a special difference for the father and sons was considered the appointment of Rothschild as an imperial factor at the court of Franz II for merit, "as an installment payment of what I owe him."

Rothschild did not forget about his roots in the ghetto and his responsibilities to the Jewish community. In contrast, his sons crossed the border of the "old way" and bourgeois moderation, moved to large European cities - Vienna, London, Paris, Naples, expanding the influence of the family and acting across Europe.

September 1810 Mayer Amschel founded Mayer Amschel Rothschild & Sons, making his five sons co-owners of the company. The contract indicated the fixed capital of 800 thousand florins, while 370 thousand florins were to belong to the father, sons Amschel and Solomon - 185 thousand each, Karl and another minor James - 30 thousand each. Nathan, who has lived in London for many years, was not mentioned in the contract for business reasons. In fact, Meyer took over the twelve-fifties due to Nathan. In all matters, the decisive vote remained with Mayer Amschel, since with the help of the Almighty, thanks to his diligence acquired in his youth, insight in business, despite his advanced age, he continues to work tirelessly and alone laid the foundations for the prosperity of the business, thereby ensuring the happiness of their children. "

Further in the contract followed a definition according to which daughters and sons-in-law should not seek permission to view books and other documents. A conventional fine was provided for each partner if he decided to go to court. Disputes between brothers must be resolved within the family in order to preserve the unity of the home. The treaty highlighted the merits of Mayer Amschel and said that he laid the foundations for the prosperity of the house. But today, from various sources, it is well known what an active part Buderus took in this, and the eldest sons also helped in many ways.

Two years later, when Mayer Amschel felt that he would soon die, he called the whole house and instead of the previous one made a new will. It said that he was selling his share in the company, securities and a wine warehouse for 190 thousand florins to his sons, who would become independent owners of the company. Daughters, their husbands and heirs were completely removed from the activities of the Trading House, and not just from reading books. Of the 190 thousand, seventy Mayer left Frau Gutle, the rest of the money was received by his five daughters. At the end of the will, Mayer Amschel advised his children to live in harmony, love and friendship. Two days after the will was drawn up, on September 19, 1812, Mayer Amschel passed away. He hardly suspected that he had laid the foundation for the "power of the world."

There is no exact information about the founder of the banking house, no portrait of him. At the age of 25, Mayer Amschel was portrayed as a tall, slender man of a pronounced Israeli type with a good-natured expression on his face. According to the customs of that time, he wore a wig, but, being a Jew, he did not dare to powder it. Like his ancestors, he had a small black sharp beard. Despite his wealth, he did not leave the ghetto, remained an inconspicuous, patient, not very educated Jew. He even did not speak German well.

In popular literature, you can read that the sons of Mayer Amschel began their activities as already millionaires, and the grandchildren were even billionaires, but all this is greatly exaggerated. At first, none of the sons possessed millions, including Nathan, who lived in London. They, of course, had a solid capital, but the millions that appeared at the end of their lives, they earned themselves. Subsequent generations of the Rothschilds became billionaires, already in the 20th century.

The secret of the success of the sons of Mayer Amschel lies primarily in the strict adherence to the basic principles that their father constantly instilled in them.

The diplomat, publicist and soulmate of Prince Metternich, Friedrich von Gentz, who maintains friendly relations with all the Rothschilds until the end of his life, tried to penetrate the secret of their success and came to the following conclusions:

“The question of how the House of Rothschilds was able to accomplish everything that they actually achieved in such a short time, undoubtedly, interested mercantile and political minds. Apparently, it is not as difficult to answer as it is usually thought. Who, without stopping at chances, is able to understand that success in all great endeavors depends not only on the choice and use of a favorable moment, but to a greater extent also on strict adherence to the once learned main principles, it will immediately become clear that there were two basic provisions that this house has never lost sight of. Along with the wise conduct of business and the use of favorable conditions, they are mainly responsible for their current prosperity. "

The first of these basic tenets encouraged the brothers to always conduct business in constant fellowship. It was a covenant left by a dying father. And even when a lucky star rose over them, they were determined never to break this rule.

After the death of his father, any proposal, no matter which side it came from, was the subject of joint discussion, they carried out any even the most insignificant operation according to a previously agreed plan, making joint efforts. Profits were always divided equally.

For many years they lived far from each other: Frankfurt, Vienna, London, Paris, Naples. But this circumstance did not prevent their complete understanding. On the contrary, they derived some benefit from this, since they were always informed about the state of affairs in various capitals. And each in his city could more expediently prepare the affairs that should have been carried out by the whole firm.

The second basic position, which they never let out of sight, was to never chase prohibitively high profits, to keep any operation within certain limits and, as far as human foresight and wisdom allow, to protect ourselves from accidents. This basic rule: Servare modum finemgue tenare - to know when to stop and never lose sight of the goal - is one of the main secrets of their power.

The personal moral qualities of the five brothers also greatly influenced the success of their venture. It is not at all difficult to create a large party if you manage to interest others with your work. But in order to unite the voices of all parties and gain their respect, one needs not only material resources, but also certain character traits that do not depend on power and wealth. Due to the fairness of their demands, punctuality of actions, simplicity and clarity of the presentation of proposals and their precise execution, they have invariably enjoyed the confidence of many governments and noble families in Europe, which is one of the decisive factors for the prosperity of any bank.

The brothers' cooperation and mutual support were almost legendary.

In the 19th century, five brothers issued government loans for almost all countries, which gave the Rothschild house the opportunity to become an absolute financial monarchy. Berne wrote of the five financiers: “A stable equilibrium in Europe was maintained by the Jews. Today they give money to one government, tomorrow - to another, all in turn, and thus take care of the world peace. " We will see further that the grandson of the court factor, Berne, very aptly described the position of the Rothschilds of that time.

The question has repeatedly arisen why the Rothschild house did not have its branches in Berlin and St. Petersburg. In Berlin, the banks of the Jews of Mendelssohn and Bleichroeder were established, in addition to numerous small banks. It was the Bleichroder bank that established close relations with the Prussian state, with the Hohenzollerns and with Prince Bismarck. Therefore, the Rothschilds decided to cooperate with the Bleichroder bank, making him their representative in Prussia. The leading financial force in St. Petersburg was the Stieglitz house. When the Rothschilds tried to settle there, Baron Stieglitz, personally appealing to the king, prevented the opening of a branch of the "Jew" Rothschild.

Without prejudice to the close and trusting relationship with each other, each of the brothers was able to maintain excellent relations with competent and influential members of government in his narrower sphere. Until now, their information service amazes, always informing on time about all political and financial intentions. If the brothers intended to get a large and, above all, a long-term state loan or achieve a monopoly position in any particular economic area, they were not afraid to win over ministers, parties and even parliaments with huge bribes. James, who worked in France, used this system on a special scale.

But in the 19th century, the five brothers were engaged not only in financial matters, not only "raking in" money for the sake of money, as they said about them. Like Oppenheim's house in Cologne, they were the first to foresee the cost-effective opportunities of the Industrial Revolution. In England, France, Germany and Austria, the brothers developed extensive economic activity, invested their fortune in large industrial enterprises and in land ownership. They were considered the largest landowners in their countries.

The constant unity of the five brothers could not be hindered by the fact that various political currents in subsequent decades influenced their convictions. England and France, the so-called Western powers, pursued a liberal policy, therefore the entrepreneurial activity of the brothers Nathan and James in relation to the government was freer and more relaxed. Amschel in Frankfurt and Solomon in Vienna, like their successors, remained closely associated with the ruling dynasties, were conservative and maintained closer relations with the aristocratic circles of their countries. Karl Mayer in Naples, being a Jewish financier, even had connections with the Vatican and was awarded the highest orders of the papacy for the loans provided. It was the conservative power of Austria that elevated the Rothschild brothers to the nobility and subsequently awarded each the title of imperial baron.

Rothschild persistently sought for himself and his sons the title of the imperial court factor. On August 28, 1799, Mayer Amschel from Frankfurt sent a request to Vienna, indicating that during the war against France he made significant supplies, and mentioning his other merits. In response, Mayer Amschel Rothschild and his sons, Amschel Mayer and Solomon Mayer, received a patent for imperial court factors on March 7, March 8 and May 4, 1800. Each was given a separate patent, which is surprising since father and sons should have received this title in one document.

When the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt was formed by the grace of Napoleon, the Rothschilds became the financiers of the new Prince Dahlberg. For financial support of the contingent of troops of Frankfurt, who fought on the side of France in Spain in 1810, Meyer Amschel was appointed adviser to the department.

Amschel Mayer Rothschild was also the actual court factor of Prince Karl Friedrich Ludwig Moritz von Isenburg-Budingen from July 15, 1803, and on December 29 of the same year he became the court factor of the Master of the Order of the Johannites, on January 4, 1804, he was appointed to the Prince of Thurn and Taxis.

How much the Rothschilds aspired to become court bankers is evidenced by their position in the house of Prince Isenburg-Birshtein, where the chief financier was Treasury Counselor Wolf Breidenbach. Rothschild worked with him. His son Amschel on 29 August 1803 became a court factor in Isenburg-Birshtein. As a reward, he had to be content with the free delivery of firewood to his apartment in Frankfurt. On November 7, 1803, the prince gave orders to deliver firewood to the newly appointed court factor throughout the year. Rothschild, in turn, provided a loan of 50 thousand guilders to the debt-ridden Birshtein house. For a small country, this was a very large amount. In this case, Breidenbach was an intermediary. He paid the due interest to his Frankfurt colleague. And in subsequent years, Rothschild and his sons worked at the Isenburg-Birshtein court.

In 1815, being intermediaries with Lord Wellington and Lord Castleraffe, the Rothschilds sought subsidies for Birshtein in Paris and London, in order to thus be closer to their money. But here the mediation of Breidenbach and Rothschild was unsuccessful. The very fact that in 1803 the Rothschilds, having by that time a decent fortune, were content with the delivery of firewood as a reward, testifies primarily to the desire to show the whole world that they are in the prince's service.

In December 1812, Mayer Amschel Rothschild and his sons became court bankers of the Grand Duke of Frankfurt.

From recently discovered documents of the state archive of Würzburg, it follows that, according to the order of Prince Aschafenburg of December 16, 1813, the court bankers of the Grand Duke of Frankfurt were issued on January 1, 1813 as an annual reward: 72 centners of hay, 72 malters of oats, 10 carts of straw, 30 fathoms of firewood. This payment in kind was awarded to Rothschild and his sons for life for their service to the Grand Duchy. In 1813, they also received food from the Aschafenburg wine cellar.

Later when in the course political changes the principality of Aschafenburg was annexed to the crown of Bavaria, the Rothschilds asked to keep this payment for them, referring to the fact that they selflessly served Frankfurt, and therefore Aschafenburg, willingly providing significant loans: “At a time when the treasury was completely devastated and the state experienced great difficulties, no one dared to offer such a loan. No money has been received so far, so such payment in kind could be considered as compensation due to us for the losses that we incurred by lending a substantial capital. "

It follows from the documents attached below that in 1813 the Rothschild House offered Prince Dahlberg a loan of 200,000 florins to cover the costs of the army's monetary allowance. The Grand Duke accepted this money and, as a token of gratitude, ordered the supply of food for the horses in addition to firewood. All the efforts of the Rothschilds to continue to receive payment in kind, but now from Bavaria as the heiress of Aschafenburg, were not crowned with success. In subsequent documents, the word "for life" is not used. The negotiations ended with an act of 1817. It was believed that at this time the Rothschilds already owned millions, and their petitions indicate that they attached great importance to the state salary.

The collaboration between Dahlberg and Rothschild primarily benefited Frankfurt co-religionists. Like all court factors, Mayer Amschel, with his influence, tried to alleviate the fate of the Jews. At the same time, the Rothschilds acted together with Jacob Baruch, the son of the famous Cologne court financier Simon Baruch and the father of Ludwig Berne. Mayer Amschel won Dahlberg's favor by offering him a 5% loan of 80 thousand guilders for a trip to Paris, where the Grand Duke of Frankfurt was going to swear allegiance to the new king of Rome. Out of dislike for Napoleon, the commercial world of Frankfurt denied him this amount. “Thanks to this service, he achieved the full confidence of the Grand Duke and was able to take advantage of this favor so that since then the Duke has not refused anything to the Rothschilds,” it was written in one of the messages of the French.

The Rothschilds got along well with Herr von Itzstein, Chief of Police of the Grand Duchy. Itzstein was the patron saint of Mayer Amschel and all Jews in Frankfurt. Although Dahlberg issued a new decree with some benefits for the 500 families of Frankfurt, this dissatisfying decision was rejected by the influential privy councilor Israel Jakobson, a passionate fighter for Jewish emancipation.

Mayer Amschel and his fellow believer Humprecht managed to persuade Dahlberg to exempt Jews from the annual tax of 22 thousand florins and give them civil rights in order to equalize them with Christians. As payment for this, Dahlberg demanded a one-time payment of twenty times the amount. Mayer Amschel gave his fellow believers 100,000 florins, almost a quarter of the amount. In addition, he secured that of the 440,000 florins, 150 were paid in cash, and the rest with 24 au porteur bonds (to bearer). This deal was dissatisfied with the senate, which was hostile to the Jews. The aristocratic elite of the city believed that Dahlberg received a "gift." One of the agents of the Austrian police allegedly stated that the Grand Duke received 33 thousand Carolinas for emancipation. Dahlberg was so delighted with the "skillfully completed businessman" that he presented the ministers who made the deal and their wives 40 thousand francs each. Privy Councilor Itzstein received 10 thousand francs, the Rothschild house - the same amount "for kind assistance." Dahlberg left 50 thousand "in the hands of the Rothschild house, as an installment payment of what I owe him."

Of the five brothers, the third, Nathan, had the brilliant gift of a financier. He contributed most to the prosperity and prestige of the House of Rothschilds. Thanks to the service zeal shown during the Napoleonic wars, he was able to acquire the full confidence of British politicians and enjoyed it throughout all fifty years of his activity. Just as his father Mayer Amschel served the Hessian Elector for half a century, so Nathan in London constantly collaborated with John Charles Harris, who at first was the personal secretary of the British Chancellor of the Treasury, then the chief of supplies for the Allies and British troops fighting on the continent, and at the end ends and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

In 1798, Nathan moved to England, where, as an agent of his father, he bought factories in Manchester, thus becoming a merchant useful to the Rothschild house. Later Nathan told one of the guests about his endeavors:

“There was too little room in Frankfurt for all of us. I did business with English goods. One day an Englishman who completely owned the market arrived. He pretended to be a great man and acted as if he was showing us mercy by selling us his goods. I somehow offended him, and he refused to show me his samples. It happened on Tuesday. Then I said to my father: "I myself will go to England!" I only spoke German, but that didn't mean anything to me. I already left on Thursday. The closer England got, the cheaper English goods became. Arriving in Manchester, I spent all my cash shopping. Everything was very cheap and I made a lot of profit. I soon realized that there was a triple benefit to be gained from this enterprise: to make money on raw materials, dyes, and on my own production. I said to the manufacturer: "I will supply you with raw materials and paint, and you will supply me with the finished product." Thus, I made a triple profit and began to sell cheaper than others. "

In a short time, Nathan Rothschild received £ 60,000 from £ 20,000, a double profit. To achieve success, he used only one principle: "What others can, so I can." “So I reached the level of that Englishman with samples and many others. I had one more advantage: I became a businessman impromptu, without any preparation. I took everything with me and signed a contract on the spot, ”he later recalled.

In 1803, Nathan moved to London, and in 1803 or 1804 founded there the bank, Nathan Mayer Rothschild & Sons, which still exists today. In 1812, James founded De Rothschild Freres (The Rothschild Brothers) in Paris. In 1816, Solomon opened the banking house “S. M. von Rothschild ", in 1820 Karl Mayer von Rothschild became the head of the branch in Naples. The ancestral home in Frankfurt was led by Amschel Mayer von Rothschild. These five Rothschild brothers, as they were called “the five Frankfurt men,” ran all the banks as one joint venture. Their commonwealth, above all, reduced the risk associated with large government loans. The so-called pool agreements 1 ensured a community of interests. The brothers met every three to five years at a community meeting.

These "five fingers of one hand" managed to late XVIII century to enjoy a certain international privilege to issue large government loans.

The largest financial transactions took place between the rise of Napoleon I and the overthrow of Napoleon III. Until his death, Nathan, who lives in London, was the main driving and directing force of all these operations. His success in England is closely linked to the Elector of Hesse, who in 1809 established a connection with Nathan through Buderus. In February 1809, Nathan received an order to buy a 3% English annuity 2 at a rate of 73.5% for £ 150,000. Since the pound was equal to 11 florins, Buderus had to pay Rothschild 1 million 212 thousand 750 florins.

In December, the Elector decided to acquire capital in British shares in the amount of £ 150,000 on the same terms. The Elector was pleased that he had managed to securely invest his surplus, which amounted to at least 750,000 florins annually. In September 1810, a new agreement followed for the purchase of British shares for 150 thousand pounds at a rate of 74%. When Rothschild reduced prices to 73%, capital rose to 250 thousand pounds. Thus, in 1809-1810, Nathan Rothschild was instructed to buy up a three percent annuity for 550 thousand pounds. The purchase price of the Elector was 3,240,875 florins. This deal was the most profitable of all the cases that the banking house of the Rothschilds had with the Elector, which contributed to the rapid promotion of the branch in London.

The purchase of annuities was carried out in such a way that the Rothschild & Sons firm could use the Elector's money for short-term profitable business before their final investment.

In the same years, Nathan in London and James in France carried out major business of purchasing and mediating in the exchange of gold for the allies against Napoleon, so it would be fair to assume that financial transactions were carried out for millions of the Elector. Nathan Rothschild was forced to serve the English financial department. From 1808 to 1816, many millions were transferred from England to the Allies on the continent. In just one year, this amount was 11 million pounds.

The British government commissioned a banking house to transfer money for the English army in Spain. The money had to be smuggled through France. Here James Rothschild showed all his skill as a banker. He managed to mislead the French authorities by presenting the transfer of money by the British as a manifestation of their weakness. Napoleon and the French departments did not even try to grasp the true essence of the matter. This action largely contributed to the defeat of Napoleon, which Nathan was justly proud of: “When I started trading in London, a company from East India sold gold for 800 thousand pounds. I bought everything because I knew the Duke of Wellington needed gold. I purchased a large number of his bills at a low price. I was summoned to the government and said that they needed this gold, but they did not know how it could be delivered via Portugal to Spain. I took up this business and sent the money through France. It was the most successful of all my endeavors. "

It really was one of the most daring deeds of the Rothschilds. Nathan and James carried out the transfer through France so successfully that since then the British government began to trust Nathan with the largest financial transactions. For example, on behalf of the government, he bought a bill in Paris for 200 thousand pounds, which was necessary to finance the return of Louis XVIII to the French throne.

After Napoleon was overthrown from the throne, the Rothschild apparatus carried out a transfer of 120 million pounds of French reparations from Paris to London, Vienna and Berlin. The capital of the Rothschild banks was sufficient to offer such millions of dollars. No banking firm on the continent could handle such a financial transaction, let alone large loans.

In 1904, the year of the London firm's anniversary, a catalog of loans from 1804 to 1904 was published. How complete it was remains unclear, as well as whether these were loans from all five houses, but it is assumed that the Rothschilds had affairs that their descendants never found out. But even these loans perfectly reflect 19th century politics. The given data completely refutes the statement that the Rothschilds were not involved in politics and were only interested in money. It is known that the borrowing policy of the Rothschild house during the crises of 1830 and 1840 prevented a war in Europe, and in 1866 they did not give money to either Prussia or Austria. Their financial transactions after 1815 were far from any war. But even the financial power of the Rothschild house was beyond the power of even the financial power of the Rothschild house to completely end the bloody massacres in the world.

By offering a loan to Brazil in 1824, the Rothschilds went beyond Europe. Until the end of the 19th century, the Brazilian Empire remained financially the domain of the Rothschilds.

A loan granted to Greece in 1832, guaranteed by England, France and Russia, gave Athens the opportunity to form an independent monarchy.

As you know, the French reparations to Germany in 1870-1871 were accelerated on the French side by Rothschild, and on the German side - by Gerson Bleichroeder, Bismarck's confidant. The receipt of these 5 billion francs was a great achievement of “N. M. Rothschild and Sons "together with the banking house of Baring Brothers, where at first two billion were collected, then in 1872 another three billion francs. Bankers and financiers, led by the firm “N. M. Rothschild & Sons ”guaranteed the stability of the exchange rate. This massive $ 5 billion action, led by Baron Alphonse von Rothschild of Paris, was only possible because the Rothschild family and their friends mobilized all their sources and all their energies.

Another significant political operation is the acquisition of 49.3% of the fixed capital of the shares of the Suez Canal. For this, the British government needed almost 80 million. It was necessary to act very quickly. Rothschild presented the money at once. It is not surprising that Prime Minister Disraeli exclaimed: "The Rothschilds cannot be superfluous."

When England abolished slavery, Nathan provided a £ 15 million loan to repay the slave owners.

What the Rothschilds were at stake during the upheaval of war can be understood from a letter from James to his brother Solomon in 1830: “We have another 18 million francs worth of nominal French rent. If peace is preserved, we will get 75%, and if war breaks out, then 45% ... Believe me, in my opinion, now a lot depends on the prince [Metternich]; if he wants peace ... then there will be peace. "

Nathan had four sons and three daughters. During his lifetime, he bequeathed to his children about 800 thousand pounds. In addition, each of his sons inherited another 120-150 thousand pounds, in addition to the merchant capital. Nathan died on August 8, 1836. The pompous funeral in London demonstrated the power and strength that Rothschild acquired in England. Behind the coffin were the ambassadors of the great powers, the Lord Mayor, sheriffs, members of the municipality, all of London was on his feet. The management of the common house has now passed to James in Paris. Nathan's son Lionel became the head of the firm in London. When he was elected to the House of Commons for the fourth time in 1858, his friendship with the conservative Disraeli enabled him to carry out the complete emancipation of the Jews in England.

James Rothschild, at the very beginning of his career, was only an agent of Nathan's brother in Paris. After the overthrow of Napoleon, he gradually began to delve into the financial affairs of the tribal bank and take part in large state loans and the affairs of the stock exchanges and industrial enterprises... As an opponent of Napoleon, he quickly established good relations with the returning Bourbons. When the Bourbons were overthrown as a result of the July revolution, the Parisian banking house managed to get in touch with the bourgeois king Louis Philippe of the house of the Orleans line.

He maintained constant contact with the leading ministers, so he was always aware of their plans. It often happened that the texts of their speeches in parliament were known to him even before they were pronounced. He, like no one else, could choose the right time and the right place for presenting the gift (Douceurs). By the same method, James Rothschild attracted the press to his side. Although the Rothschilds did not found a single newspaper, they exerted a significant influence on the political direction of the press. Using various Douceurs, James was able to attract prominent publicists to his side. The famous poet Heinrich Heine was a frequent visitor to the house of James Rothschild. Heine often made money on James's exchange transactions, and accepted "gifts" without undue modesty. At holidays and celebrations, James willingly surrounded himself with scientists and artists. He wanted to be known not only as "King Rothschild I", but also as a patron of the arts.

The first financial campaigns in which James took part involved converting the old five percent government loans into three percent. Among other government loans, one should especially mention loans to the Pope, where James took the opportunity to invest the money of his fellow believers in a theocratic state. The diplomat Kurt von Schletzer told in his letters about the profits James received from speculation on the stock exchange. On May 23, 1864, Baron Alexander von Stieglitz, director of the Russian State Bank, a descendant of the court financier from Arolsen, visited his colleague James Rothschild, who told him that he suddenly won 24 million on the stock exchange. Turning to Stieglitz, he admitted that nothing like this had ever happened on the stock exchange.

In a quarter of a century, James became the second richest man, only the king's fortune was greater. Heine somewhat angrily describes the situation of James in the middle of the 19th century: “I have seen people who, approaching the great baron, shuddered, as if they were touching a voltaic pillar. Already in front of the door of his office, many are seized by the sacred awe that Moses experienced on Mount Horeb when he noticed that he was standing on sacred ground. Just as Moses took off his shoes, so any broker or exchange agent, daring to cross the threshold of Mr. Rothschild's personal office, first of all pulled off his boots, if he was not afraid at the same time that his feet would smell even worse and this smell will oppress Mr. Baron. James's private office actually seems to be an amazing place that evokes sublime thoughts and feelings, like the view of the ocean or the sky strewn with stars: here you can feel how insignificant a person is and how great God is! And money is God in our time, and Rothschild is his prophet. "

Nathan drew the brothers' attention to how profitable the construction of railways could be. He advised them to take part in this, and the Rothschilds did indeed contribute to the construction of the railway network in France, Belgium and Austria.

James spared no expense to gain the privilege of building the Northern Route in France. When the railway company issued 400,000 shares at 500 francs each, parliament and the press were bribed. Members of both legislative chambers received 15,000 shares for 4.5 million as Douceurs. The press was silenced in the same way. The editors of individual newspapers received 70, 100 and 150 shares as gifts, depending on the importance of the publication. All newspapers were silent, only National was an exception. Its editor, to whom Rothschild sent a hundred shares, rejected the gift and did not support Rothschild's construction project railroad... But Baron Rothschild still received the coveted concession.

Here it would be appropriate to quote the remark of the Austrian State Chancellor Metternich, who, in one of his letters of trust to the ambassador in Paris, noted the financial strength of Rothschild in France in the following words: , with the exception of England. There are objective reasons for this, which from the moral point of view, of course, cannot be justified: the main driving force in France is money. Corruption is quite openly acknowledged, it is practically truly the most significant element of the modern system of representation. "

Although the Rothschilds invested heavily in European railways, they received the bulk of their profits through successful speculative stock deals. James, for example, earned more than forty million francs on the railroad's securities, since the stock price rose by nine hundred francs in a short time due to the corresponding influence. If the rate rose to a certain level, Rothschild would sell the stock. In this way, he could recover the inevitable losses. So in 1856, the treasurer of the Northern Road "burned out" for many millions.

When Napoleon III came to power, Rothschild was removed from the throne. The new emperor has not forgotten how his uncle was overthrown with the help of millions of the house of the "five Frankfurt". But James found the support of Empress Eugenie, because he, unlike other financiers, from the very beginning supported Napoleon's marriage to the Spanish Countess Montillo. But relations with Napoleon remained rather cool, even despite the visit that the emperor paid to James. On the contrary, Napoleon III tried to alienate the Rothschild house, providing more favorable credit to the Pereira brothers and in every possible way supporting their bank. But the Rothschilds always managed to defeat any competitors, and the Pereira brothers were no exception.

Fuld, co-owner of the Oppenheim and Fuld banking house, became Napoleon III's financial advisor. The Duke von Morny, the emperor's half-brother, was also Rothschild's enemy. Nevertheless, James managed to achieve recognition, albeit with risky means. In Spain, mercury mines were rented at Almadena. When the finance minister obstructed, he was bribed by the Douceurs with 1.6 million francs. It was the biggest "gift" that Rothschild ever made, especially since another 500 thousand francs went into the queen's box. For this, the brothers achieved a monopoly on the extraction of mercury in Europe. The exploitation of the mercury deposits for thirty years has brought them huge profits. They guaranteed Spain 2.32 million pounds of five percent mercury mortgage papers.

What James thought about Napoleon III and his regime can be understood from his statement: “I’empire, c’est la baisse”, which he, changing the famous saying, formulated as follows: “L’empire, c’est la paix”. The final fall - "baisse" - of Napoleon he was not destined to see. James died on November 15, 1868 and was buried in the family crypt in Paris. From a marriage with his niece Betty, the daughter of a brother from Vienna, who was 13 years younger than him, six children were born, who, according to tradition, also chose life companions among members of their own family.

James began his career in princely houses and rose to fame as a leading banker. His clients were the monarchs of Europe, whose fortune was greatly increased by the Rothschilds. When the first Belgian king, Leopold, died in 1865, the five million francs of his personal fortune, entrusted to the Rothschild house in 1848, increased to twenty million. When James died, the Kölnische Zeitung reported that the Frankfurt man had arrived in Paris with one million francs and left a fortune of two billion. This, of course, is greatly exaggerated, since such a huge fortune appeared in the Rothschilds only in the 20th century.

The history of the Neapolitan line of the House of Rothschild, founded by Karl Mayer, turned out to be short, but quite successful. He was the Royal Privy Commercial Counselor of Prussia, Privy Financial Counselor to the Elector and Grand Duke of Hesse, Consul General of the Kingdom of Sicily and the Duchy of Parma. With the support of James in Paris and Solomon in Vienna, he became the banker of the popes, the Kingdom of Sicily, the Italian princes and the prime minister of Sardinia, Cavour.

Among the five brothers, Karl Mayer Rothschild was considered the least capable financier. He was hard to climb, very strict in his Orthodox Jewish rules. But, most importantly, Karl did not know how to quickly adapt to the situation in which he found himself. He was constantly under the influence of Solomon and James, who were interested in financial transactions in Italy. But the financial policy of Charles was constantly supported by Metternich, who had a significant influence on the policy of Italy. At all receptions, Karl Rothschild's wonderful and witty wife, Adelheid, came to the rescue. She knew how to win the sympathy of others and use her, like all Rothschilds, for the benefit of her fellow believers.

For Karl Mayer, Italy was a favorable place for conducting commercial operations, since here he dealt not with large states and powerful governments, like his brothers Nathan, James and Solomon, but with many small states, in the residences of whose rulers Karl Mayer could feel more confidently. In addition, the fourth son of old Mayer Amschel provided valuable services to the Neapolitan government even before he finally settled in Naples in 1824. He helped carry out the financial separation of Naples from Sicily, providing the king with a loan of 4.5 million ducats. He was followed by 16 million, and later 20 million were issued on the condition that his friend de Medici, who had been exiled to Florence, could return. Under the next loan, Karl secured the post of Minister of Finance for his friend Medici, in order to have his confidant and a skilled person in the government.

In England, that is, with the help of Nathan, Karl Mayer received a loan for Naples of 2.5 million pounds, 50 million marks - a huge amount for a state like Naples. But the Medici constantly made sure that the financial affairs of the kingdom were in perfect order.

This was followed by loans to Parma, Tuscany, Lucca and Sardinia, where the Rothschild house faced intense competition from six Parisian banking houses, which did everything to break the almost unlimited financial power of the Rothschilds. I must say that they managed to get the first French loan, carried out according to the plan of the Paris city lottery. But the Rothschilds took revenge on their rivals, worrying that Paris tickets, and with them the securities of Sardinia, fell in value. As a result, all six Parisian competitors became more cautious, and they lost the desire to fight the Rothschilds. The House of Rothschild also took part in the following loans for Sardinia. In 1850, he granted a loan of 80 million, and in 1853 - a loan of 67 million francs.

January 1832 Pope Gregory XVI gave an audience to Baron Karl Mayer von Rothschild and awarded his Jewish financier the Order of the Savior. In 1837, Dad received a new loan from James. In 1850, Pope Pius IX received 50 million francs from the Rothschilds at 5% to be able to return to Rome, from where he fled after the 1848 revolution. Thus, the Rothschilds helped the pope return to the Vatican. They used loan guarantees to ease the plight of their fellow believers in the Roman ghetto. In 1846, Pius IX relieved the Jews of the obligation to attend a Christian sermon once a week. Karl Mayer's wife, Baroness Adelheid, née Hertz, also took part in the fate of the Jews, who once complained at an audience with Pius IX about the poor living conditions in the Roman ghetto.

The family home in Frankfurt was run by the eldest of five brothers, Amschel Mayer Rothschild.

He and his brother Solomon, who lived in Vienna, were the court bankers of the German princes and Austrian magnates, as evidenced by the long list of loans provided. It goes without saying that the financiers of the highest nobility were soon themselves ranked among the aristocratic strata of society. The emperor of Austria elevated many court financiers to the nobility - three Hoenig brothers, three Wertheimer brothers, Arnstein, Eskeles and Herts. In Bavaria, the court bankers Aaron Elias Seligman and Jacob Hirsch were ranked among the nobility. The turn came to the Rothschilds, besides, they had already been court factors for almost twenty years.

The elevation to the nobility took place at the request of the Minister of Finance, Count Stadion. First, Amschel received the title, and then Solomon. By this time, the brothers were at the head of the Frankfurt Bill of Exchange in Schönbrunn. This happened on September 25, 1816, and on October 21, the brothers Jacob and Karl received the title. On March 25, 1817, each was issued a diploma of a nobleman. At the request of the adviser to the Government of Lower Austria and the court agent Sonleitner, the confidant of the four brothers, the diploma was awarded to each separately, since the brothers lived in four different countries.

It is characteristic that they, as Jews, were recorded in the diploma by money changers, while the financiers of the Christian faith were called bankers. In addition, the Earl of Stadion considered that the only basis for elevation to the nobility was the case of English subsidies in 1815, which the brothers were able to carry out "with great care and precision", "having distinguished themselves with special pliability and servility." As for the elder Rothschild, his name was not always written correctly in the certificates for the elevation to the nobility. At first he was called Mayer Amschel - that was the name of his father, who died in 1812 - then Amschel Mayer. Nathan, who lives in England, was not mentioned in these documents.

Vienna court financiers, shortly after receiving the nobility, sought the title of baron, so the Rothschilds also petitioned for this title. On September 29, 1822, their request was granted. Now Nathan was included in the documents, who immediately became a baron. This time, the five brothers were named bankers. They became Austrian barons, "taking into account the services rendered to the state", "with respectful treatment, Your Honor." Once again, each of the five brothers received their own baron diploma. Their coat of arms was decorated with the motto: Concordia, Integritas, Industria (Consent. Honesty. Diligence).

This motto fully reflected the brothers' unanimity, honesty and tireless diligence. But obtaining the title of baron hardly meant an increase in the authority of the Rothschilds. Nathan could not use his baronial title in England. This was contrary to the English constitution, which did not allow the granting of titles of nobility to foreigners. But nevertheless, the elevation to the nobility changed the lifestyle of the Rothschilds. They acquired luxurious palaces, began to give magnificent dinners, which were attended by representatives of the aristocratic circles of many countries. They were readily accepted by European aristocrats, especially German ones, while the bourgeoisie was rather restrained about this financial dynasty. For example, the privy councilor of Baden-Baden in 1861 refused to grant Solomon Rothschild the right to citizenship, although the banker had rich properties there, and the authorities were forced to apply for citizenship. And he, although he was an Austrian baron, could not become a citizen of Austria, as he was a Jew. It took many more years until he became an honorary citizen of Vienna, a permanent resident of Austria.

State Chancellor Prince Metternich was the patron saint of the Rothschilds in Austria, and they provided many millions at the disposal of his regime. He also actively contributed to their elevation to the nobility. Therefore, it is not surprising that on September 23, 1817, the Rothschild House provided the State Chancellor with a loan of 900 thousand guilders at 5%, which had to be paid before 1834. But already in 1827 Metternich paid everything! Financial promotions were conducted properly and were never associated with bribery. There is no doubt that such financial assistance (and there were many other cases) imposed certain obligations on the statesman in relation to the financiers. More often than not, Metternich was inclined to support the wishes and plans of the Rothschilds.

Solomon, who lived in Frankfurt, was also the banker of the German Union, although there were enough of their famous banking houses, such as the bank of the Betman brothers. But Metternich, together with P

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The financial empire of the Rothschilds has been famous all over the world for over 250 years. Members of the famous clan conduct business on all five continents. Their name has long become a household name and is associated with wealth, success, luxury and prestige. And the career of the Rothschilds is a living example of tremendous penetrating power.

It all started with the Frankfurt merchant Isaac Elhanan, who in the sixties of the 16th century bought a house on the Judengasse (the main Jewish street of Frankfurt), which was adorned with a red sign - ROT SCHILD. And from this name the descendants of Elhanan, who died in 1585, took the surname Rothschild.

Elkhanan's children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren were engaged in trade, without being particularly famous. But then Meyer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812) founded the bank.

As a young man, Meyer Amschel studied at a yeshiva in the city of Furth, was preparing to become a rabbi, but after the death of his father, his mother sent him to Hanover to study banking. Returning to Frankfurt, he took up trade and founded an exchange office.

During his stay in Hannover, Meyer Amschel was interested in art history and numismatics, and then in Frankfurt published a catalog annually rare coins, medals, paintings and sculptures. In 1769, he became the main supplier of the ducal court in the land of Hesse-Hanau.

He married in 1770. His wife gave birth to 19 (!) Children, of whom nine died in early childhood. Five sons and five daughters continued the family of Meyer Amschel. According to the principle he accepted, which was sacredly observed by subsequent generations, only sons could manage the affairs of the family, and daughters and their husbands were excluded from the business life of the Rothschilds.

Meyer Amschel was fascinated by the radical ideas of Jewish enlightenment, and in 1792 he made an attempt to found "Philanthropy" - a Jewish school with a secular curriculum, however, meeting resistance from orthodox circles, he was able to carry out his plan only in 1804.

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Banking flourished under his leadership, and in 1792, when the city was occupied by the French, Meyer Amschel was already one of the richest and most influential people in the city.

In 1800, Meyer Amschel was appointed a plenipotentiary representative of the reigning house with a permit to bear arms, exemption from taxes and the right to full freedom of movement throughout the country. Together with his growing sons, he carried out delicate assignments of the Landgrave, they were entrusted with transferring money and, as they would say now, “closed financial information” to various European cities, as well as keeping important documents, gold, silver and jewelry in a Frankfurt bank.

Meyer Amschel also played a key role in securing civil rights for Jews living in Frankfurt that equated them with native Germans. Recall that this happened at the very beginning of the 19th century - a phenomenon unheard of in those days.

The businessman was remembered by the surrounding work fanatic. He could stay in the bank for 18 hours, constantly analyzing and improving his business.

Heine, paraphrasing the well-known formula of Islam, said: "Money is the God of our time, and Rothschild is his prophet." The Rothschild banking house in the 19th century was considered one of the most powerful European empires, along with Britain, Russia, France, Prussia and Austria-Hungary. The Rothschilds entered the 21st century with a fortune exceeding $ 15 billion. this is precisely the state of the family.

The Rothschilds are a clan that has kept blood pure for centuries. Moreover, in order to prevent the dispersal of capital and the leakage of information, the Rothschilds practice intra-family marriages. At the same time, they have a fantastically developed loyalty to the family, and no case about the division of inheritance between the Rothschilds, or a "brotherly scandal" (like the one for which the famous Indian billionaires, the Ambani brothers, recently became famous), has never surfaced. The sons of the founder of the dynasty even divided the profits equally, and each financial transaction required the approval of the entire family as stakeholders.

The Rothschilds were among the first to understand the value of information and trade secrets. Amschel Rothschild (1773-1855) wrote in his will: "I categorically prohibit the conduct of a judicial or public inventory of my inheritance, any judicial intervention and any disclosure of the size of my fortune." It is the Rothschilds who are the authors of the famous phrase "Who owns the information, he owns the world."

This thesis was perfectly illustrated by Nathan Rothschild (1777-1855), when he managed to earn huge money (40 million pounds sterling) and actually buy up all of England - only by having information about the outcome of the Battle of Waterloo. No, Nathan did not mislead anyone. We can say that he accomplished a feat: he managed to get to London from Brussels faster than the official courier. Nathan Rothschild made an official report to the government, and then took up the affairs of his own bank. That is, he started playing on the stock exchange. When Nathan Rothschild began selling securities, everyone agreed that Napoleon had won the Battle of Waterloo. The collapse of British, Austrian and Prussian shares immediately began. Rothschild's agents carefully bought everything that the stock exchange offered, and she offered a lot that day. It was only a day later that the information, which the stock market players considered to be unquestionable, did not correspond to reality, but it was already too late. But it was not possible to accuse Nathan Rothschild of foul play: he did not tell anyone who won the historic battle. He simply remained silent, confirming once again the thesis that information is the key to owning the world.

Five sons of Mayer Rothschild opened five banks in different parts of Europe: Amschel (1773-1855) - in Frankfurt (Germany), Solomon (1774-1855) - in Vienna (Austria), Nathan (1777-1855) - in London (Great Britain), Charles (1788-1855) - in Naples (Italy), James (1792-1868) - in Paris (France). Thus, the Rothschilds practically took control of all European governments.

True, this control did not last long, and for this moment only the French and English banking houses of the Rothschilds remained. Until now, they worked independently, independently of each other, but not so long ago it was announced that a single holding company would soon be created, which would unite the French and English branches of the Rothschilds, not only at the management level, but also at the shareholder level. Such a union is associated with the death of Baron Guy de Rothschild, who was the head of the French branch of the family.

The Rothschilds are not only banking houses, they are South African mining companies (gold, diamonds, uranium, etc.), they are De Beers Consolidated Mines, which needs no introduction, they are the oil industry and nonferrous metallurgy. Everything that the Rothschilds touch turns to gold. And nevertheless, representatives of this family in the 21st century follow the precepts of the founder of the dynasty, who insisted on perseverance in increasing wealth, constantly looking for new ways to make money, diligence in faith (not one of the Rothschilds left the faith of their fathers, even for financial benefits ), an indispensable mastery of the art of management and modesty.

"Modesty leads to wealth" - said Amschel Rothschild, instilling the ideals of Mayer Rothschild in his descendants, and each of the Rothschilds is moderate, modest and diligently avoids scandals.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mayer Amschel Bauer (Rothschild)(it. Mayer Amschel Bayern Rothschild ; February 23 ( 17440223 ) , Frankfurt am Main - September 19, ibid.) - founder of an international dynasty of outstanding entrepreneurs (see Rothschilds), founder of a bank in Frankfurt am Main, freemason.

The case was continued by his five sons: Amschel Mayer, Solomon Mayer, Nathan Mayer, Kalman Mayer, James Mayer. The brothers controlled 5 banks in the largest cities in Europe (Paris, London, Vienna, Naples, Frankfurt am Main).

Biography

The family of the young Mayer Amschel lived in the Jewish ghetto. His father, Amschel Moses Bauer, ran a small exchange office under a red sign, which in German sounds like "Rot Schild". This is how the nickname appeared, which became a household name for luxury and wealth and laid the foundation for the 270-year-old Rothschild dynasty.

When Mayer was twelve years old, he was sent to Hanover to study at the Oppenheimer bank. There he learned the secrets of the financial business, got acquainted with the coins of the German principalities, learned how to identify forgeries and profitable exchange rates.

After the death of his parents in 1760, Mayer returned to Frankfurt and continued his father's work: he was engaged in the exchange and sale of coins and medals. Very soon he became known among lovers of antiquity. Having saved up the money, Mayer opened his own antique shop, in which it was possible to exchange money from some German principalities for others. This is how the first Rothschild bank was born.

At the beginning of his financial career, he was a dealer in antique coins and medals. Mediated by his client General von Estorff, collector old coins, meets the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel Wilhelm IX. Who made him mine confidant during the flight to Prague from Napoleonic troops. Mayer Amschel Rothschild not only saved his capital, but also disposed of his multimillion-dollar fortune that it noticeably increased, and the laying of the foundation of his own fortune belongs to this time.

Rothschild was distinguished by exceptional business acumen. Transportation of currency in those days was very expensive, and besides, there was a risk of falling into the hands of robbers. Mayer found a very simple solution to the problem. He bought wool and cotton in England at low prices, and then sold them in Europe at much higher prices.

From 1764 Mayer Rothschild began supplying coins and gold to the princely house of Hesse-Kassel. And five years later, the head of the house, Wilhelm IX, appointed him as a personal banker and court supplier - a goff factor. The duties of the court factor, such as Mayer, were to increase the prince's treasury, to cover his expenses for the army, luxury goods, to supply the courtyard, stables, kitchen and cellars. In case of success, the factor awaited a reward in the form of a part of the prince's income and respect at court, in case of failure - trial, ruin and even execution.

Landgrave Wilhelm IX was one of the richest and most noble German princes, traded in hired soldiers and lived in grand style. In 1785, he profitably sold 17,000 soldiers to King George III of England to fight the American colonists. When in 1806 Wilhelm (who became Elector in 1803 under the name Wilhelm I), fleeing from Napoleon, hid, Rothschild continued collecting money from his debtors, and was even able to increase the amount received.

Once Rothschild withdrew money from the Landgrave's compensation account in a British bank and paid for the goods with it. And since I paid in cash, I got a big discount. Mayer managed to avoid two operations at once: the transportation of money to England and the oncoming transportation of money to Frankfurt. Instead of money, Rothschild brought the goods, sold it at a high price, returned the debt to the landgrave and ended up in big win... And since William IX received thalers, and the British paid in pounds, the banker made money on the difference in exchange rates.

At the age of 27, Mayer married 17-year-old Gutla Schnapper, the daughter of a local moneylender. The Rothschilds had 5 sons and 5 daughters: Jeanette (1771), Amschel (1773), Solomon (1774), Nathan (1777), Isabella (1781), Babette (1784), Karl (Kalman) (1788), Julie (1790 ), Henrietta (1791) and James (1792).

Rothschild's five sons continued his work. They were called "Five fingers of one hand". Mayer Amschel founded Mayer Amschel Rothschild & Sons on September 27, 1810. Putting into circulation the elector's cash at his disposal, Rothschild's father began to arrange government loans on an unprecedented scale. The increase remained in the hands of the family of bankers, and the wealth itself was returned by the heirs of Rothschild to the successors of the Landgrave.

After Rothschild's death, his total capital was twice the assets of the Bank of France. His sons spread throughout Europe and subsequently created a whole network of banks. Amschel, the eldest son, was in charge of all the affairs of the family home in Frankfurt. Nathan founded his firm in London, James in Paris, Solomon settled in Vienna, Karl in Naples. Formally, they were independent from each other, but they had a common communication system - a courier service, which made it possible to receive news about the most important political events, about any stock market upheavals before anyone else. The Rothschilds' ability to quickly collect information, and if necessary, spread disinformation, played a large role in the fact that the history of the house was closely intertwined with the history of Europe.

Rothschild Dynasty emblem

The emblem of the Rothschild dynasty depicts five arrows connected by a chain, which symbolizes the union of the five sons of the founder of the clan, Mayer Amschel. Their motto was the words: "Concordia, Integritas, Industria" (Concord, Unity, Diligence).

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Rothschild excerpt, Mayer Amschel

Marya Genrikhovna agreed and began to look for a spoon, which had already been seized by someone.
- You finger, Marya Genrikhovna, - said Rostov, - it will be even more pleasant.
- Hot! - said Marya Genrikhovna, blushing with pleasure.
Ilyin took a bucket of water and, dropping rum there, came to Marya Genrikhovna, asking her to stir her with a finger.
“This is my cup,” he said. - Just put your finger in, I'll drink everything.
When the samovar was completely drunk, Rostov took the cards and offered to play kings with Marya Genrikhovna. They threw a lot to whom to make up the party of Marya Genrikhovna. The rules of the game, at the suggestion of Rostov, were that the one who would be the king had the right to kiss the hand of Marya Genrikhovna, and that the one who remained a scoundrel would go to put a new samovar for the doctor when he woke up.
- Well, and what if Marya Genrikhovna will be the king? Ilyin asked.
- She is already a queen! And her orders are the law.
The game had just begun when the doctor’s confused head suddenly rose from behind Marya Genrikhovna. He had not slept for a long time and listened to what was said, and, apparently, did not find anything funny, funny or amusing in everything that was said and done. His face was sad and dejected. He did not greet the officers, scratched himself and asked for permission to go out, as the road was blocking him. As soon as he left, all the officers burst out into loud laughter, and Marya Genrikhovna blushed to tears and thus became even more attractive to the eyes of all the officers. Returning from the yard, the doctor told his wife (who had ceased to smile so happily and, fearfully awaiting the verdict, looked at him) that the rain had passed and that we had to go to spend the night in the wagon, otherwise they would take everyone away.
- Yes, I'll send a messenger ... two! - said Rostov. - Completeness, doctor.
“I’m going to watch myself!” - said Ilyin.
“No, gentlemen, you slept well, but I didn’t sleep for two nights,” said the doctor and sat down gloomily beside his wife, waiting for the game to end.
Looking at the gloomy face of the doctor, who looked askance at his wife, the officers became even more cheerful, and many could not help laughing, for which they hastily tried to look for plausible excuses. When the doctor had gone, having taken away his wife, and placed himself with her in the wagon, the officers lay down in the inn, covered with wet greatcoats; but they did not sleep for a long time, now talking, remembering the doctor's fright and the doctor’s fun, then running out onto the porch and reporting what was going on in the wagon. Several times Rostov, wrapping himself up with his head, wanted to fall asleep; but again someone's remark entertained him, a conversation began again, and again there was a sound of gratuitous, cheerful, childish laughter.

At three o'clock no one had yet fallen asleep, when the sergeant-general appeared with the order to speak to the town of Ostrovne.
All with the same talk and laughter, the officers hastily began to gather; again they put the samovar on dirty water. But Rostov, not waiting for tea, went to the squadron. It was already getting light; the rain stopped, the clouds were dispersed. It was damp and cold, especially in a wet dress. Leaving the inn, Rostov and Ilyin both at dusk looked into the doctor's wagon, glossy from the rain, with the doctor's legs sticking out from under the apron and in the middle of which the doctor's cap was visible on the pillow and sleepy breathing was heard.
- Really, she is very sweet! - said Rostov to Ilyin, who was leaving with him.
- What a lovely woman! - Ilyin answered with sixteen seriousness.
Half an hour later, the lined up squadron stood on the road. The command was heard: “Sit down! - the soldiers crossed themselves and began to sit down. Rostov, driving forward, commanded: “March! - and, stretching out into four men, the hussars, sounding like the plopping of hooves on the wet road, the strum of sabers and the quiet chatter, set off along a large road lined with birches, following the infantry and battery that was walking in front.
Torn blue-purple clouds, blushing at sunrise, were quickly driven by the wind. It became brighter and brighter. One could clearly see that curly grass that always sits on country roads, still wet from yesterday's rain; the hanging branches of the birch trees, also wet, swayed in the wind and dropped light drops to their side. The faces of the soldiers were clearer and clearer. Rostov rode with Ilyin, who did not lag behind him, on the side of the road, between a double row of birches.
Rostov in the campaign allowed himself the liberty to ride not a front-line horse, but a Cossack one. Both an expert and a hunter, he recently got himself a dashing Don, large and kind playful horse, on which no one jumped him. Riding this horse was a delight for Rostov. He thought of the horse, of the morning, of the doctor, and never once thought of the impending danger.
Before Rostov, going into business, was afraid; now he did not feel the slightest feeling of fear. Not because he was not afraid that he was used to fire (you cannot get used to danger), but because he learned to control his soul in the face of danger. He was accustomed, going into business, to think about everything, except for what, it seemed, would be more interesting than anything else - about the impending danger. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he reproached himself for cowardice during the first period of his service, he could not achieve this; but over the years now it has become of itself. He was now riding next to Ilyin between the birches, occasionally tearing off leaves from branches that came under his arm, sometimes touching the horse's groin with his foot, sometimes giving away, without turning, a smoked pipe to the hussar riding behind, with such a calm and carefree look, as if he was driving ride. He was sorry to look at the agitated face of Ilyin, who spoke a lot and with anxiety; he knew from experience that agonizing state of expectation of fear and death in which the cornet was, and he knew that nothing but time would help him.
As soon as the sun appeared on a clear strip from under the clouds, the wind died down, as if it did not dare to spoil this lovely summer morning after a thunderstorm; drops were still falling, but already sheer - and everything was quiet. The sun came out altogether, appeared on the horizon and disappeared in a narrow and long cloud that stood above him. A few minutes later, the sun appeared even brighter on the upper edge of the cloud, tearing its edges. Everything shone and shone. And along with this light, as if answering it, the shots of guns rang out ahead.