1875 Lionel de Rothschild assists the British Government to purchase shares in the Suez Canal

Baron Lionel de Rothschild (1808-1879) is remembered in business for his assistance to the British Government in 1875 to procure the Khedive of Egypt's share in the Suez Canal. Lionel advanced a personal loan of £4 million to his friend Disraeli, a huge sum at the time.

(Above Receipt from the Treasury for the repayment of the first instalment of the 'Suez' loan 9th March 1876).

1874 Albert von Rothschild succeeds his father a head of the Viennese house

Anselm Salomon von Rothschild died in 1874, and his son Salomon Albert Anselm took control of the business. Under Albert, S M von Rothschild & Söhne became banker-in-chief to the Austrian government and the family's industrial holdings were increased.

(Above Salomon Albert Anselm von Rothschild (1844-1911).

1855 Mayer Carl and Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild become joint partners in the Frankfurt house

On the death of Mayer Amschel Rothschild 1812, his eldest son, Amschel Mayer (1773-1855), took over the management the Frankfurt House. Amschel died childless, and the son of his brother Salomon, Anselm (1803-1874), and the sons of his brother Carl, Mayer Carl (1820-1866) and Wilhelm Carl (1828-1901) assumed responsibility for the business from 1855.

1853 James de Rothschild builds Château de Ferrières

The immensely grand Château de Ferrières, Paris was built between 1853 and 1859 by James Rothschild. In the twentieth century, Guy and Marie-Hélène de Rothschild hosted grand costume balls; in 1975 they gave Ferrières to the University of Paris.

(Above Château de Ferrières, Seine-et-Marne).

1852 Establishment of the Royal Mint Refinery

The acquisition of the Refinery by Sir Anthony de Rothschild (1810-1876) made the London house a leader in the bullion trade. Over the next hundred years, the refinery would produce gold bullion, later diversifying into the production of copper wire and decorative products, and producing munitions in two world wars. In 1967, N M Rothschild & Sons sold the refinery business to Engelhard Industries Ltd.

(Above Casting gold bars at the Royal Mint Refinery in the 1930s).

1852 Advisers to Queen Victoria & Prince Albert

The London house offered discreet financial advice to select private clients; Balmoral Castle and estate were purchased by Prince Albert with a loan from the Rothschilds. Queen Victoria made regular use of the Rothschild courier service for her overseas correspondence, describing it as ‘perfectly safe and very quick’.

(Above Private account ledgers).

1815 The 'Waterloo' commission

In the closing years of the Napoleonic Wars, the five Rothschild brothers, commissioned by the British government, ,worked to supply gold to Wellington's army leading up to, and after the Battle of Waterloo. Legend has it that the Rothschilds' unrivalled network brought early news to London of Wellington's victory in 1815.

(Above Commemorative case of coins, 1815: 'An Account of Bullion Specie' inscribed to JC Herries, Commissary-in-Chief to the Government, 1815).

1812 James de Rothschild arrives in Paris

James was in Paris from the age of 19, co-ordinating the purchase of specie and bullion for his brother Nathan. Between 1814 and 1815 he was the lynchpin in Nathan’s plan to supply Wellington’s armies with funds. Originally trading as J M Rothschild, in 1817, he changed the name of the firm to de Rothschild Frères with his brothers as partners.

(Above The Paris house in the rue Lafitte).

1812 Amschel Mayer Rothschild takes over the Frankfurt house

On the death of Mayer Amschel Rothschild in 1812, his son Amschel Mayer assumed control of the Frankfurt house.

(Above Amschel Mayer Rothschild 1773-1855).

Slavery is theft - theft of a life, theft of work, theft of any property or produce, theft even of the children a slave might have borne.

Kevin Bales (2005). “Understanding Global Slavery: A Reader”, p.5, Univ of California Press