The Rothschild Family and the Napoleonic Wars
On the last show I briefly mentioned that I had read about various banking families of Europe who profited from the Napoleonic Wars. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about the Rothschild Family:
The basis for the Rothschild fortune was laid during the latter stages of the Napoleonic Wars. From 1813 to 1815, the Rothschild family was instrumental in the financing of the British war effort, handling the shipment of bullion to the Duke of Wellington’s army in Portugal and Spain, as well as arranging the payment of British financial subsidies to their Continental allies. Through the commissions earned on these transactions, the Rothschild fortune grew enormously.
In the early 19th century Rothschild set up a Europe-wide network of messengers and carrier pigeon stations, gathering information that could affect his investments. He soon garnered a reputation for being first with the news.
According to popular legend, when the Battle of Waterloo was being fought in June 1815, other speculators watched Rothschild’s stocks in an attempt to guess who would win. Shortly after the battle ended, and long before anyone else knew who was the victor, he began selling stocks. Everyone assumed this meant Napoleon had won and Europe was lost. Panic selling ensued. When prices crashed, Rothschild bought everything in sight and made a profit.
November 10th, 2006 at 11:17 am
G’day Cameron and David,
I have recently joined the ranks listening to your podcast and I am enjoying them immensely. I am gradually working my way through the back episodes but fortunately the bus ride to work is a rather arduous hour long journey, so it hasn’t been hard catching up!
Being in the legal profession I am very interested in the development of the law. Can you point me in the direction of a good book focussing on the Napoleonic Code?
Thank you very much and keep up the brilliant work!
Chris Williams
November 17th, 2006 at 6:43 pm
Hey Guys,
Now that you have a solid base of listeners, I’d like to hear from some of the Naopleonic nuts who listen in. Have you thought about doing a “talkback” episode? … I think it would add another dimension to the show and help you feel less lonely….
November 18th, 2006 at 7:03 am
great idea Patrick. What kind of format do you think the show should take?
November 27th, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Hi Guys,
Just to start, I’d first like to tell you how much I love the pocast. I was actually a little dubious of the conversational format when I first discovered the show, but now I can’t imagine the show being done any other way. The rapport that you guys have is fantastic and doesn’t take away at all from the information being conveyed. I have really learned a lot from the show, and I think my friends and family are getting a little sick and tired of my constantly promoting you guys to them. I recommend you to every person I know who is interested in this topic.
Question. In the episode about the coronation, I was surprised to learn that many of the things I had thought about the event were actually myths. Particularly regarding the Pope’s foreknowledge that Napoleon would crown himself. My question is, what words did Napoleon speak, if any, at the moment he placed the crown on his head? I seem to remember being told that he said something along the lines of “I crown myself” or something like that.
November 27th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
Thanks Joe, we really appreciate the feedback and the promotion! I’ll let Mr Markham answer your question about what he actually said, but I’ve always loved Rod Steiger’s performance in the film WATERLOO when Napoleon states:
“I found the crown of France lying in the gutter and I picked it up with my sword!”
November 27th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
Joe,
I am glad to hear you like the show, and greatly appreciate your promotion of our effort. I also really like the conversational approach that we have taken.
As to your question, to the best of my knowledge, Napoleon did not say anything at the moment he placed the crown on his head. I did a quick check of several detailed descriptions of the ceremony, and none of them mention any comment on his part. He swore an oath afterwards, of course, but as far as I know had nothing to say at that moment.
Chris, sorry to delay my response. There are lots of biographies that deal with the development of the Code Napoleon, including both of mine. In 1983, the Legal Classics Library did a special edition of the entire code, and the flier that accompanied it provides much useful information. My wife, Barbara, is also an attorney, but I’ve never been able to convince her to do an article or a book on that topic.
Best to one and all,
David
November 27th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
Patrick, we could do some kind of a call-in show via Skype IM or some such method, if Cameron says it is technically possible. I don’t know if we can do a call-in show or not, but if we can, why not. Just recognize that we don’t have instant answers for every single question.
David
November 29th, 2006 at 4:14 am
I can’t really comment with authority on your associations between bankers and war. While there is absolutely a relationship, your claims really smack of conspiracy more than fact. I can suggest “The Rise and Fall of Great Empires” by Kennedy which does discuss a lot of the associations, including the fact that countries did, indeed, default on war loans, so it wasn’t a sure bet that financing war would lead to profits. It also discusses the advantages England had over France with a more liberal monetary policy.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:28 am
Andy, I searched for that on Amazon but couldn’t see it. What’s the full name of the author?
November 29th, 2006 at 6:40 am
As for war loans, this is an interesting article from the BBC about the UK’s unpaid war loans from the US dating from WWI and WWII.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4757181.stm