Nathaniel de Rothschild (1812–1870), was a businessman, banker and winemaker. He established the
Château Mouton Rothschild
Château Mouton Rothschild is a wine estate located in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc region, 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France. Originally known as ''Château Brane-Mouton'', its red wine was renamed by ...
.
Biography
Early life
Nathaniel de Rothschild was born on 2 July 1812 in London. He was the fourth child of
Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777–1836) and Hannah W. Cohen (1783–1850). He was a member of the
Rothschild banking family of England
The Rothschild banking family of England was founded in (1798) by Nathan Mayer von Rothschild (1777–1836) who first settled in Manchester but then moved to London (at the time in the Kingdom of Great Britain). Nathan was sent there from his ...
, closely connected to the
Rothschild banking family of France
The Rothschild banking family of France (french: Famille banquière Rothschild) is a French banking dynasty founded in 1812 in Paris (at the time in the First French Empire) by James Mayer de Rothschild (1792–1868). James was sent there from ...
.
Career
He moved to Paris, France in 1850 to work in the banking business owned by his uncle,
James Mayer Rothschild
James Mayer de Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild (born Jakob Mayer Rothschild; 15 May 1792 – 15 November 1868) was a German- French banker and the founder of the French branch of the Rothschild family.
Early life
James de Rothschild was bo ...
(1792–1868).
In 1853, he acquired the Château Brane Mouton, a vineyard in
Pauillac
Pauillac (; oc, Paulhac) is a municipality in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The city is mid-way between Bordeaux and the Pointe de Grave, along the Gironde, the largest estuary in western Europe.
Populati ...
in the
Gironde département from a Paris banker named Thuret who had previously bought it from Baron
Hector de Branne in 1830. Rothschild paid 1,175,000 francs for Brane-Mouton's 65 acres (263,000 m
2) of vineyards and renamed the estate,
Château Mouton Rothschild
Château Mouton Rothschild is a wine estate located in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc region, 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France. Originally known as ''Château Brane-Mouton'', its red wine was renamed by ...
. It would become one of the world's best known winemakers.
In 1868, his uncle James acquired the neighboring
Château Lafite vineyard. A prestigious
first growth (premier cru) property more than three times the size of Chateau Mouton, it created a family rivalry. In the
Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855
The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines that were to be on display for visitors from ...
, Château Mouton was ranked second, something that upset its owner a great deal. In response, he composed the motto: ' ("First I cannot be, second I do not choose to be, Mouton I am."), a hint on the
apocryphal motto of the
House of Rohan
Personal life
In 1842, he married
Charlotte de Rothschild
Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild (6 May 1825 – 20 July 1899) was a French socialite, painter, and a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France.
Early years
She was born in Paris, the daughter of Betty von Rothschild (1805� ...
(1825–1899), daughter of
James Mayer Rothschild
James Mayer de Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild (born Jakob Mayer Rothschild; 15 May 1792 – 15 November 1868) was a German- French banker and the founder of the French branch of the Rothschild family.
Early life
James de Rothschild was bo ...
. They had the following children:
* Nathalie de Rothschild (1843–1843)
*
Nathan James Edouard de Rothschild (1844–1881), married
Laura Thérèse von Rothschild ( 1871)
* Mayer Albert de Rothschild (1846–1850)
*
Arthur de Rothschild
Baron Arthur de Rothschild (28 March 1851 – 10 December 1903) was part of the French branch of the prominent Rothschild family. He was the son of Nathaniel de Rothschild (1812–1870) and Charlotte de Rothschild (née de Rothschild) (1825–189 ...
(1851–1903)
In 1856, Nathaniel and his wife purchased the property at 33
Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré
The Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré () is a street located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Relatively narrow and nondescript, especially in comparison to the nearby Avenue des Champs-Élysées, it is cited as being one of the most lux ...
in Paris from
Denis, duc Decrès. At the time it was rented to the
Russian Embassy
This is a list of diplomatic missions of Russia. These missions are subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Russian Federation has one of the largest networks of embassies and consulates of any country. Russia has significant ...
but when the lease ran out in 1864, he renovated the building and made it his city residence. Passed down to his son
Arthur de Rothschild
Baron Arthur de Rothschild (28 March 1851 – 10 December 1903) was part of the French branch of the prominent Rothschild family. He was the son of Nathaniel de Rothschild (1812–1870) and Charlotte de Rothschild (née de Rothschild) (1825–189 ...
, he sold it in 1918 to the
Cercle de l'Union interalliée. In 1878, Nathaniel bought the
Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay in
Cernay-la-Ville in the
Vallée de Chevreuse, at the time only a ruins of a
Cistercian abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The con ...
built in 1118. He and his wife undertook extensive restoration work and new construction to turn the lakeside property into a luxurious country home.
The property of
Château Mouton Rothschild
Château Mouton Rothschild is a wine estate located in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc region, 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France. Originally known as ''Château Brane-Mouton'', its red wine was renamed by ...
will pass to his son James Nathan and through him, to his great grandson
Philippe de Rothschild
Philippe, Baron de Rothschild (13 April 1902 – 20 January 1988) was a member of the Rothschild banking dynasty who became a Grand Prix motor racing driver, a screenwriter and playwright, a theatrical producer, a film producer, a poet, and one ...
Death
He died on 19 February 1870 in Paris, France.
Legacy
After his death, his children and grandchildren showed little enthusiasm for the wine business. It would be 118 years later before Château Mouton, under the leadership of Nat's great-grandson
Philippe de Rothschild
Philippe, Baron de Rothschild (13 April 1902 – 20 January 1988) was a member of the Rothschild banking dynasty who became a Grand Prix motor racing driver, a screenwriter and playwright, a theatrical producer, a film producer, a poet, and one ...
(1902–88), would become the only French vineyard to ever achieve reclassification to first growth.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rothschild, Nathaniel de
19th-century British Jews
French bankers
French viticulturists
Nathaniel de Rothschild
Nathaniel
, nickname =
{{Plainlist,
* Nat
* Nate
, footnotes =
Nathaniel is an English variant of the biblical Greek name Nathanael.
People with the name Nathaniel
* Nathaniel Archibald (1952–2018), American basketball player
* Nat ...
19th-century French businesspeople
1812 births
1870 deaths