I’ve read around a lot that the Rothschild family had an agent at the battle of waterloo who brought back news of the english defeat. But this was a lie, as the british had won the battle. Bonds plummeted and Rothschild, knowing the truth, bought up the bonds at pennies on the dollar. I read this on a lot of less-than-scholarly sites and was wondering if there is any historical truth to it? And if there is, can someone source it? Maybe a record of bond prices around the battle of waterloo?
I don’t doubt it, but it’s hardly something I can bring up in an argument to establish Rothschild’s connection with the bank of england until I can substantiate the claim.
I do know that the English government issued bonds without an expiry date in order to fund the Napoleonic wars. However, I have no idea who bought them and if they were issued as a result of the incident you mentioned.
The purchase was of English bonds, not French ones. Historian Niall Ferguson claims it to be true. I just don’t want to toss it around and then be called anti semitic for using some historical piece on par with Protocols of Elders of Zion.
I once traced this claim back to a historian in the light 19th century (I believe), although I’m not sure how much stock to put into itt. It certainly is interesting that Ferguson believes this happened. Do you have a citation?
The Rothschilds were bankers for many of the elite. I recommend that you read Niall Ferguson’s books on the Rothschilds. You’ll get a sense of how powerful they were in an albeit small market for securities. You’ll even pick up some business tips.
Lefevbre covers the whole of Europe (for example devoting an entire chapter to smuggling and customs in Germany) so it’s pretty comprehensive.
However he could have chosen not to report something for which he lacked multiple sources and/or since the last edition was the book was printed in 1956, new sources may have turned up since then.