"Lacey profiles 6 families from England, Italy, France, Germany, Liechtenstein and Spain. He examines how these families established themselves and built their tremendous wealth. Many of the founding family members started out as soldiers, merchants, bankers and acting as advisors to Kings, Holy Roman Emperors and Popes. In short, they made themselves indispensable to very powerful people. They also made lucrative business deals, excellent marriages, had children, and continued to do so each generation. There is, however, far more to them than that. They are survivors. They have survived wars, political and social upheavel only to regroup and rebuild. They inherit and pass on both their wealth, philosophy, and a way of life that has lasted for centuries."--Amazon.