The motto has strong roots in the Rothschild family history. In 1806, Napoleon was approaching Frankfurt. Prince William I of Hesse entrusted part of his fortune to Mayer Amschel who, at the critical moment, handed over his own fortune to the French, thereby saving the prince's assets.
Before reconstituting his fortune, he told his sons who were already grown up: "We will work together with loyalty, concord and industry but we will return every last centime to the prince or his successors". He charged each of his sons with creating subsidiaries of the banking family in London, Paris, Vienna, Naples and Frankfurt. This created the five family branches. Amschel Mayer died in 1812 and Napoleon lost the war in 1813. Prince William returned from exile and recovered all his assets. It is said that on his deathbed, Amschel Mayer gathered his sons together and reminded them of the family's principles: 'Honesty, work and union'. The motto was to appear on the final coat of arms when the five sons had been raised to hereditary baron status.
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 Arms of the Rothschild family. |