Biography

Mayer Amschel Rothschild laid the foundations on which his five sons and their descendants would build a Europe wide banking empire. With the help of relatives, Mayer Amschel secured an apprenticeship under Jacob Wolf Oppenheimer, at the banking firm of Simon Wolf Oppenheimer in Hanover, in 1757. He became a dealer in rare coins and won the patronage of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Hesse. In 1769, Mayer Amschel gained the title of "Court Agent."By the early years of the 19th century, Rothschild had consolidated his position as principal international banker to Wilhelm IX and began to issue his own international loans, borrowing capital from the Landgrave.