Overview

Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777–1836) was the financial genius behind the Rothschild dynasty's supremacy in the 19th century. Moving to England in 1798, he settled first in Manchester and then at New Court, St Swithin's Lane in London in 1804.

Napoleonic Wars & Waterloo

Nathan financed the British government during the Napoleonic Wars, organizing an underground network that smuggled gold bullion across Europe to supply the Duke of Wellington's army in Spain. Contrary to popular myth, Nathan did not make a killing by falsely claiming Napoleon won at Waterloo; rather, his courier network brought news of the victory to London full days before the government received official dispatches, enabling him to buy British consols ahead of a massive bull market.