And there is no doubt ? the family pioneered international finance as we know it.

This is the story of how the generations that started the dynasty managed such a feat.

Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the first of the family to open a bank, was honored by Forbes as the seventh-most influential businessman of all time and the inventor of modern banking who introduced "concepts such as diversification, rapid communication, confidentiality, and high volume."

Simply, Mayer understood and was willing to spend money to make money.

But it wasn't all that simple. Some elements of the family's history are indeed unsettling enough to pique mass interest. For instance, Mayer's primary manner of hoarding the dynasty's wealth was to institute a policy of keeping friends close ... and family even closer.