The Rothschilds

Revealing the people behind the Rothschild name, The Rothschilds explores the lives and legacy of one of the best-known and most impactful families in modern history

The Rothschild name has long been synonymous with wealth and privilege, but as Jews the family has also been dogged by prejudice and hatred. Antisemitism followed them from their earliest beginnings in the oppressive Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt, where Jews were not allowed out after nightfall, to the lofty summits of high finance, art, and culture. However, behind the myths, the glamor, and the conspiracy theories are a group of relatives whose individualism, personalities and occasional eccentricities have been obscured by their shared surname. In The Rothschilds, Harry Freedman delves into their lives on a historical tour, marked as much by dry British humor as by an unfailing attention to the influence of individual family members on world events.

Freedman takes us from the genesis of the Rothschild international banking empire to the impact of individual Rothschilds in multiple fields over the past 250 years. Spanning war, politics and the industrial revolution, art, architecture and interior design, zoology, smuggling, counter-terrorism and the ongoing struggle against entrenched anti-Jewish bigotry, he reveals a truly new story of a very old family. The Rothschilds makes a great contribution not only to Jewish history but also our understanding of a dynasty that has shaped our world.