Carl Mayer von Rothschild
Gutlé Schnapper
Carl Mayer Freiherr[1] von Rothschild (24 April 1788 – 10 March 1855) was a Frankfurt-born banker in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the founder of the Neopolitan branch of the prominent Rothschild family.
Life and career
Born as Kalman Mayer Rothschild in Frankfurt am Main, he was the fourth of the five sons of Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1743–1812) and his wife, Gutlé Schnapper (1753–1849). He would become known as "Carl" by the family except for his English relatives, who translated it as "Charles".
Raised in an increasingly prosperous family, he was trained in his father's banking business and lived at home until age twenty-nine, when he acquired a modest residence at 33 Neue Mainzer Strasse in Frankfurt in preparation for his marriage on 16 September 1818 to Adelheid Herz (1800–1853). They would have the following children:
- Charlotte (1819–1884), who married Lionel de Rothschild
- Mayer Carl (1820–1886)
- Adolphe Carl [fr] (1823–1900)
- Wilhelm Carl (1828–1901)
- Anselm Alexander Carl (1835–1854)
Wanting to expand the family business across Europe, the eldest Rothschild son (Amschel) remained in Frankfurt, while the other sons were sent to different European cities to establish banking branches. The 1821 occupation of Naples by the Austrian army provided the opportunity for the Rothschilds to set up business in the Kingdom. Carl Rothschild was therefore sent to Naples, where he established C M de Rothschild & Figli to operate as a satellite office of the Rothschild banking family's headquarters in Frankfurt.[2]
Carl Rothschild has sometimes been seen as the least gifted of the five brothers. However, he proved himself in Naples as a strong financial manager and someone very capable at developing all-important business connections. He established a good working relationship with Luigi de' Medici, the "Direttore della Segreteria di Azienda del Regno di Napoli" (Finance Minister), and his operation became the dominant banking house in Naples. As a result of Carl's success, the Rothschilds had a substantial banking presence in England and three other major European capitals, giving the family considerable influence and an advantage over their competitors.
Carl Mayer gained a significant influence with the Bourbon king in Naples. Clients of the Naples bank also included the Vatican, the dukes of Parma and the dukes of Tuscany.[3]
In 1822, Carl Rothschild and his four brothers were each granted the title of baron, or Freiherr, by Kaiser Franz I of Austria. During the winter of 1826, Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, future King of the Belgians, was a guest of Carl Freiherr von Rothschild at his villa in Naples.
In 1829, Carl was appointed consul-general of Sicily at Frankfurt and in January 1832 the Jewish banker was given a ribbon and star of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George at a ceremony with the new Roman Catholic Pope, Gregory XVI. Reports that Rothschild was permitted to kiss the Pope's hand, rather than his foot, as was customary at the time, led to controversy in the Catholic world that the Pope was selling Rome out to "a Jew."
Carl von Rothschild maintained homes in Frankfurt and in Naples. In 1837, he built the Villa Günthersburg on a large country property outside Frankfurt owned by his father, at what is now Günthersburg Park. In 1841, he bought the Villa Pignatelli at Riviera di Chiaia, with a spectacular view of the Sea and Vesuvio Volcano. The family lived there until 1860.[4]
Two years after his wife Adelheid (née Hertz) died in 1853, and one year after their son Anselm Alexander Carl died at the age of eighteen, Carl Freiherr von Rothschild died in Naples, "sad and morose". One seventh of his estate went to his daughter Charlotte, with the rest divided equally between his three surviving sons. Adolf Carl took over the business in Naples from his father, while Mayer Carl and Wilhelm Carl succeeded their childless uncle Amschel in Frankfurt, even though Carl Mayer had wished his son Mayer Carl would succeed him in Naples.[5] In 1861, the Rotschild bank closed in Naples, and the bank's assets were transferred to Frankfurt.[3]
In popular culture
In the 1934 movie The House of Rothschild, Carl Mayer von Rothschild is played by Noel Madison.[6]
References
- ^ Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a rank of nobility, not a first or middle name.
- ^ Carl Mayer (Carl) von Rothschild (1788-1855), Rothschildarchive.org
- ^ a b Die Rothschild-Dynastie - 2 Jahrhunderte einer Finanzdynastie, Bornpower.de
- ^ (in Italian) Villa Pignatelli: Fascino neoclassico nella splendida rivera du Chiala, Villasignorini.it, 20 May 2016
- ^ Niall Ferguson, The House of Rothschild, Nytimes.com
- ^ The House of Rothschild (1934) Full Cast & Crew, Imdb.com
Bibliography
- The Rothschilds; a Family Portrait by Frederic Morton. Atheneum Publishers (1962) ISBN 156836220X (1998 reprint)
- The Rothschilds, a Family of Fortune by Virginia Cowles. Alfred A. Knopf (1973) ISBN 0394487737
- Rothschild: The Wealth and Power of a Dynasty by Derek Wilson. Scribner, London (1988) ISBN 0684190184
- House of Rothschild : Money's Prophets: 1798-1848 by Niall Ferguson. Viking Press (1998) ISBN 0670857688
- The House of Rothschild (vol. 2) : The World's Banker: 1849-1999 by Niall Ferguson. Diane Publishing Co. (1999) ISBN 0756753937
External links
- Media related to Carl Mayer von Rothschild at Wikimedia Commons
- v
- t
- e
companies
- Rothschild & Co
- RIT Capital Partners
- Edmond de Rothschild Group
- de Rothschild Frères
- S. M. von Rothschild
- Imerys
- Eramet
- Club Med
- Libération
- Economist Group (The Economist)
- Mouton Cadet
- Opus One Winery
- Chemins de Fer du Nord
- Vítkovice Mining and Iron Corporation
- Palestine Jewish Colonization Association
- Yad Hanadiv
- Creditanstalt
- British South Africa Company
- Rio Tinto
- De Beers
- Caspian and Black Sea Oil Company
- Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway
- Asia Resource Minerals
- Genel Energy
- Alliance Assurance
- Rothschild properties in the Home counties
- Ascott House
- Aston Clinton House
- Champneys
- Eythrope
- Exbury Gardens
- Gunnersbury Park
- Halton House
- Mentmore Towers
- Tring Park Mansion
- Waddesdon Manor
- Spencer House
- Palais Rothschild
- Château Mouton Rothschild
- Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay
- Château Clarke
- Château de Ferrières
- Château Lafite
- Château de Laversine
- Château des Laurets
- Château de la Muette
- Château Rothschild, Boulogne-Billancourt
- Haras de Meautry
- Hôtel Lambert
- Hôtel de Marigny
- Hôtel de Pontalba
- Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild
- Talleyrand Building
- Salomon Mayer von Rothschild
- Anselm Salomon von Rothschild
- Mathilde Hannah von Rothschild
- Nathaniel Mayer Anselm von Rothschild
- Ferdinand de Rothschild
- Salomon Albert Anmselm von Rothschild
- Ludwig (Louis) von Rothschild
- Eugéne Daniel von Rothschild
- Jeanne Stuart von Rothschild
- Alice Charlotte von Rothschild
- Alfred de Rothschild
- Amschel Mayor James Rothschild
- Sir Anthony de Rothschild, 1st Baronet
- Anthony Gustav de Rothschild
- Anthony James de Rothschild
- Charles Rothschild
- Charlotte Henriette de Rothschild
- David Mayer de Rothschild
- Dorothy de Rothschild
- Edmund Leopold de Rothschild
- Emma Georgina Rothschild
- Evelina de Rothschild
- Evelyn Achille de Rothschild
- Sir Evelyn de Rothschild
- Ferdinand de Rothschild
- Hannah de Rothschild, Countess of Rosebery
- Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
- Kathleen (Nica de Koenigswarter) Rothschild
- Leopold de Rothschild
- Leopold David de Rothschild
- Lionel de Rothschild
- Lionel Nathan de Rothschild
- Lynn Forester de Rothschild
- Mayer Amschel de Rothschild
- Miriam Louisa Rothschild
- Nathaniel de Rothschild
- Nathan Mayer Rothschild
- Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild
- Nathaniel Rothschild, 5th Baron Rothschild
- Nicky Hilton Rothschild
- Serena Rothschild
- Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild
- Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
- Alphonse James de Rothschild
- Aline Caroline de Rothschild
- Ariane de Rothschild
- Arthur de Rothschild
- Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild
- Benjamin de Rothschild
- Betty von Rothschild
- Charlotte de Rothschild
- Bethsabée de Rothschild
- David René de Rothschild
- Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild
- Edmond James de Rothschild
- Édouard Etienne de Rothschild
- Edouard Alphonse de Rothschild
- Élie de Rothschild
- Elisabeth de Rothschild
- Guy de Rothschild
- Hélène de Rothschild
- Henri de Rothschild
- Jacqueline Rebecca de Rothschild
- James Armand de Rothschild
- James Mayer de Rothschild
- Marie-Hélène de Rothschild
- Nadine de Rothschild
- Nathaniel Robert de Rothschild
- Nicole de Rothschild
- Pauline de Rothschild
- Philippe de Rothschild
- Philippine de Rothschild
- Salomon James de Rothschild
- Maurice de Rothschild
- Gustave de Rothschild
- Robert de Rothschild
- Alain de Rothschild
- Éric de Rothschild
- Marie Angliviel de la Beaumelle
- Category: Rothschild family