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THE RISE OF tHE ROtHScHILDS 17<br />
richest people in Germany.’ 57 More than twenty years later, this principle was<br />
enshrined in a new partnership agreement, drawn up following <strong>the</strong> death <strong>of</strong> Nathan<br />
himself:<br />
[W]hen, almost forty years ago, [our fa<strong>the</strong>r] took his sons into partnership with<br />
him in his business, he told <strong>the</strong>m that acting in unison would be a sure means <strong>of</strong><br />
achieving success in <strong>the</strong>ir work, and always recommended fraternal concord to<br />
<strong>the</strong>m as a source <strong>of</strong> divine blessing. In accordance with his venerable wishes, and<br />
following <strong>the</strong> promptings <strong>of</strong> our own hearts, we <strong>the</strong>refore wish today, through<br />
this renewed agreement, to reinforce our mutual dependence and hope, in this<br />
new league <strong>of</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rly love, to guarantee <strong>the</strong> success <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> future activities <strong>of</strong><br />
our House. 58<br />
The same <strong>the</strong>me <strong>of</strong> paternally-ordained bro<strong>the</strong>rly unity was developed still fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
in a separate annex to <strong>the</strong> agreement. 59 Nearly thirty years after Mayer Amschel’s<br />
death, his eldest son was still reminding <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r partners <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> same, allimportant<br />
nexus between unity and success. 60<br />
In practice, <strong>of</strong> course, it was easier to make such pious affirmations than to<br />
practise bro<strong>the</strong>rly love. For most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> period under discussion here, <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs<br />
were not equals at all; in effect, Nathan inherited his fa<strong>the</strong>r’s role as primus inter<br />
pares. This was made clear in 1814, when Nathan’s desire to dictate his bro<strong>the</strong>rs’<br />
movements precipitated a violent quarrel. A distraught Carl took to his bed, warning<br />
that ‘if he carried on in this way’, Nathan would ‘soon have a partner in <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
<strong>world</strong>’. Salomon also complained <strong>of</strong> ‘severe pains in my back and legs’ and accused<br />
Nathan <strong>of</strong> ‘regard[ing] <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r four bro<strong>the</strong>rs as stupid schoolboys’. James was<br />
more cool, sarcastically accusing Nathan <strong>of</strong> ‘dictat[ing] about millions as if <strong>the</strong>y<br />
were apples and pears’. 61 But all <strong>the</strong>ir protests merely elicited from Nathan a stark<br />
threat to dissolve <strong>the</strong> business. 62 This had <strong>the</strong> desired effect. Henceforth, Nathan<br />
gave <strong>the</strong> orders more or less unchallenged, as Salomon acknowledged in August<br />
1814. He now clearly saw himself in a subordinate, advisory role: ‘[W]e regard<br />
57<br />
RAL, XI/109/2/3, Amschel, Frankfurt, to Nathan, London, 12 Jan. 1815.<br />
58<br />
CPHDCM, 637/1/7/53–69, Vollständige Abschrift des Societäts-Vertrags …<br />
Übereinkunft 30, July 1836.<br />
59<br />
CPHDCM, 637/1/7/70–72, Anhang to Agreement, 30 July 1836.<br />
60<br />
CPHDCM, 637/1/309, Amschel, Frankfurt, to his bro<strong>the</strong>rs and nephews, 11 Nov.<br />
1841.<br />
61<br />
RAL, T28/5, Davidson to Nathan, London, 24 June 1814; RAL, XI/109/0/2/7,<br />
Davidson, Amsterdam, to Nathan, London, 21 June; RAL, XI/109/0/2/13, Carl, Frankfurt,<br />
to James, 24 June; RAL, XI/109/0/2/15, James and Salomon, Amsterdam, to Nathan and<br />
Salomon Cohen, London, 27 June; RAL, XI/109/0/2/14, Carl, Frankfurt, to James, 28 June;<br />
RAL, XI/109/0/3/2, Salomon and James, Amsterdam, to Nathan, 28 June.<br />
62<br />
RAL, T29/73, XI/109/0/3/16, Nathan, London, to Salomon, Carl, James and<br />
Amschel, 3 July 1814.