Of all the things that mankind has been chasing for our entire existence, whether it’s youth, power or influence, the most common thing we all want is money. We want to be rich beyond our wildest dreams.
And while us regular Joes are grinding away from 9-5 just to make rent, these historical figures here had it all made – these were the richest people throughout history, with their fortunes adjusted for inflation.
We’ve already covered some in a previous list that included Bill Gates, Julius Caasar, Genghis Khan, and John D. Rockefeller to name a few (check out that list HERE), but there’s a lot more that struck it rich and didn’t share the wealth.
Heshen
Peak Net Worth: $132 Billion
This guy was the wealthiest government official in history. Born in 1750, he was an administrator of the Qing Dynasty and that allowed him to get away with stealing tax revenues on a large scale. When he died in 1799, he was found to have stockpiled his insane amount of money.
William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey
Peak Net Worth: $146 Billion
This 11th century Norman nobleman was England’s premier real estate mogul at the time. He owned land in 13 English counties, as well as manors and castles all over the country.
John Jacob Astor
Peak Net Worth: $168 Billion
Astor was America’s first multimillionaire, and was a German-born merchant. Trading in furs, he created a huge monopoly in the 19th century, controlling the trade in the US and Canada. At the time of his death in 1848, he was worth $20 Million, which works out to be $168 Billion now.
Henry Ford
Peak Net Worth: $200+ Billion
The founder of the Ford Motor Company was a pretty rich and efficient guy. He revolutionized vehicle manufacturing and brought cars to the mass market. In 1920 alone, he sold over 1 million cars.
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Peak Net Worth: $202 Billion
Born in 1794 to a struggling family on Staten Island, Vanderbilt is the personification of the American dream. He went from rags to riches, building up a fortune in railroad and shipping industries and then gave it all away later in life.
Mummer Gaddafi
Peak Net Worth: $212 Billion
Back in 2011, Libyan officials estimated that their deposed leader Colonel Gaddafi hid away $200 billion in secret accounts, shady investments and sketchy real estate deals – all money stolen from the country’s massive oil revenues.
William the Conqueror
Peak Net Worth: $228 Billion
The first Norman ruler of England, invaded the country in 1066 and seized lands and plundered treasures that added to his wealth. He spent all those riches on tapestries and castles.
Jakob Fugger
Peak Net Worth: $227 Billion
Also known as “Jakob the Rich,” this banker, merchant and mining pioneer was the richest man in Europe during the 16th century. This wealth allowed him to influence politics, allowing for the rise of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian I, as well as bankrolling the Spanish king.
Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII
Peak Net Worth: $230 Billion
They last ruler of Hyderabad in India, he was the supreme leader from 1911 to 1948, and for a good part of the 20th century, he was the richest man alive. He already had $2 Billion by the 1940’s, which works out to 2% of the current US economy.
Tsar Nicholas II
Peak Net Worth:$300 Billion
The Ill-fated Tsar ruled over the Russian empire from 1894 to 1917, a time in which he had access to all of Russia’s coffers, making him one of the richest monarch of all time.
King Solomon
Peak Net Worth: $2.2 Trillion
According to the Bible, Solomon ruled from 970 BC to 931BC. During this time, it was reported that he received 25 tons of gold for each of the 39 years that the reigned. Today, that’d be billions. On top of that, between taxes and trade, he was loaded.
Via Love Money
