The Rothschild family of bankers became the richest family in the mid-19th century. The family's accumulated wealth has been divided among many descendants, only one of which (Benjamin de Rothschild) was officially recognized as a billionaire. The Rothschild family (/ ˈ r ɒ θ (s) tʃ aɪ l d / ROTH(S)-chylde) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jewish family originally from Frankfurt that rose to prominence with Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), a court factor to the German Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel in the Free City of Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire, who established his banking business.