The Rothschilds: How a Family Became a Legend

Belgium, June 1815. A banker watches the battle, races a storm across the Channel and makes a fortune in a single day. It is one of the most famous stories ever told about money, and almost none of it happened. Today we put seven questions about the Rothschilds on trial. For each one: the legend, then the record, then the verdict. Did a prince's hidden treasure make them rich? Did five brothers really talk in a secret code? Did they pay for the war against Napoleon? Did Nathan Rothschild make a killing from Waterloo? Did they buy the Suez Canal? Were they untouchable? And are they secretly the richest family on Earth? Keep score. CHAPTERS 0:00 The Legend of Waterloo 2:59 Title 3:06 Q1. The Prince's Treasure 7:07 Q2. Five Arrows 10:03 Q3. Gold for Wellington 11:45 Q4. Waterloo 15:48 Q5. The Canal 18:38 Q6. Vienna 21:10 Q7. The Richest Family? 23:16 The Score Which verdict surprised you most? Tell me in the comments. #OldFortunes #Rothschild #Rothschilds #Waterloo #History #OldMoney #Documentary Some details are reported accounts and are marked as such in the episode ("the story goes", "it is said", "by one account"). Many myths about the Rothschild family were invented to spread antisemitism; this episode examines them against the historical record. CREDITS Historical images: Wikimedia Commons (incl. Jewish Museum Frankfurt, Rijksmuseum, The Met, National Portrait Gallery and others), public domain / CC0 unless listed below. Licensed images via Wikimedia Commons (author, license): CC BY 4.0: LGLou CC BY-SA 2.0: Rob Farrow; pam fray CC BY-SA 3.0: DJM; Diliff; GFreihalter; Genealogist; Thibault Taillandier; User:Coinman62 CC BY-SA 4.0: Ludwig Rösch; Lupus in Saxonia; Raimond Spekking; The Trustees of the British Museum Stock video: Pexels (Pexels License). Music (public domain recordings via Wikimedia Commons & Musopen): Beethoven – Coriolan Overture, Egmont Overture, Symphony No. 3 "Eroica" (Scherzo) (Musopen Symphony Orchestra); Rossini – William Tell Overture (military band version); Saint-Saëns – Danse macabre (Philadelphia Orchestra, Stokowski); Vivaldi – Winter, I. Allegro non molto (USAF Concert Band); Bach – Cello Suite No. 1, Allemande; Chopin – Nocturne Op. 55 No. 1 (Luke Faulkner); Holst – Mars (USAF Band); Brahms – Symphony No. 1, III (Musopen Symphony Orchestra); Mendelssohn – Symphony No. 3 "Scottish" (Musopen Symphony Orchestra); Tchaikovsky – 1812 Overture; Haydn – Symphony No. 100 "Military", II (Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Fritz Weidlich); Mozart – Requiem, Lacrimosa (Krips); Grieg – Anitra's Dance (Musopen Symphony Orchestra); Johann Strauss II – The Blue Danube; Pachelbel – Canon (USAF Strolling Strings).