This emperor was the richest man who ever lived. He was so rich that even his slaves were clad in gold (2024)

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Gautam Adani are some of the names that come to our minds when we think of the richest people in the world. But have you ever wondered who was the richest person ever?

Mansa Musa

African emperor Mansa Musa is thought to be the richest person who ever lived and his wealth was simply “indescribable” and “incomprehensible”.

"Contemporary accounts of Musa's wealth are so breathless that it's almost impossible to get a sense of just how wealthy and powerful he truly was," Rudolph Butch Ware, associate professor of history at the University of California, told BBC.

Mansa Musa net worth

The 14th-century emperor's wealth was estimated to be $400 billion (Rs 3,313 crore) by the US website Celebrity Net Worth in 2012. However, historians agree that Musa's wealth is impossible to be pinned down to an exact number.

Mansa Musa history

Mansa Musa was born in 1280 and came to power in 1312. During Mansa Musa'a rule, the empire of Mali accounted for almost half of the Old World's gold, according to the British Museum. All of that gold belonged to the emperor.

Despite Mali being home to so much gold, it was not a well-known kingdom. However, when Mansa Musa went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, he took a caravan of 60,000 men and women, from royal officials to camel drivers and slaves.. Everyone, including slaves, was clad in gold brocade and the finest Persian silk. About 100 camels that undertook the pilgrimage carried bags of pure gold.

Mansa Musa spent so much gold that he destabilised the local economy and caused mass inflation for 10 years after his departure.

However, it was this excessive generosity that also caught the eyes of the world.

Musa died in 1337 at age 57. His sons inherited the empire but could not hold it together.

"Had Europeans arrived in significant numbers in Musa's time, with Mali at the height of its military and economic power instead of a couple hundred years later, things almost certainly would have been different," Ware said.

This emperor was the richest man who ever lived. He was so rich that even his slaves were clad in gold (2024)

FAQs

This emperor was the richest man who ever lived. He was so rich that even his slaves were clad in gold? ›

Mūsā I is widely considered the wealthiest man in history. He made his wealth and that of Mali

Mali
Mali, trading empire that flourished in western Africa from the 13th to the 16th century. The Mali empire developed from the state of Kangaba, on the upper Niger River east of the Fouta Djallon, and is said to have been founded before 1000 ce.
https://www.britannica.com › Mali-historical-empire-Africa
known through a long and extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, the 17th year of his reign as emperor of Mali. Mūsā's rule defined the golden age of Mali.

Who was the greatest emperor and richest man of all time? ›

  • lifestyle.
  • Meet Mansa Musa, the African emperor & world's richest man ever; know about his $ 400 billion net worth, expensive things & more.
Jul 25, 2023

Who was the richest man who ever lived and how much was he worth? ›

Who was the richest man in history (including people from today)? Currently, all evidence points to Mansa Musa I of the Mali Kingdom. After adjusting for inflation, his net worth is set at an estimated $400 Billion USD.

Which emperor of Mali has been described as the richest man who ever lived? ›

Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali) was the ruler of the kingdom of Mali from 1312 C.E. to 1337 C.E. During his reign, Mali was one of the richest kingdoms of Africa, and Mansa Musa was among the richest individuals in the world.

Who is the richest man in history what civilization was he the king of? ›

Mansa Musa
Musa I
BornLate 13th century Mali Empire
Diedc. 1337 Mali Empire
SpouseInari Kunate
HouseKeita dynasty
7 more rows

Who is the richest man that ever lived? ›

Mansa Musa ruled over the Mali empire in the 14th Century, and his incredible access to gold made him arguably the richest human to have ever lived. So, why is it that he has largely disappeared from the western historical imagination?

Who is the richest man ever known? ›

The richest person ever is thought to have been an emperor with an accumulation of wealth often described as “unimaginable” or “incalculable.” The title goes to 14th-century African emperor Mansa Musa, and his wealth has been estimated to be the modern day equivalent of $400 billion.

Has there ever been a trillionaire? ›

A trillionaire is an individual with a net worth equal to at least one trillion in U.S. dollars or a similarly valued currency, such as the euro or the British pound. Currently, no one has yet claimed trillionaire status, although some of the world's richest individuals may only be a few years away from this milestone.

Who are the six trillionaires? ›

These are the only 6 trillionaires who lived on earth from history who reached the pinnacle of wealth.
  • Genghis Khan. 1206–1227. King of Mongol Empire. ...
  • Zhao Xu. 1048–1085. ...
  • Akbar, The Great. 1542–1605. ...
  • Amenhotep III. 1388–1351 BC. ...
  • Augustus Caesar. 63 BC-14 AD. ...
  • King Solomon. 970–931 BCE. ...
  • Mansa Mousa. 1280–1337.
Jun 30, 2021

Who will be the richest man in 2050? ›

It is difficult to say definitively who will be the richest person in 2050. However, there are a few people who are likely to be in the running. One possibility is Elon Musk. Musk is the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and he is also the richest person in the world today.

Is Mansa Musa richer than Elon? ›

Think about the wealth Elon Musk owns now, then add a couple hundred billion, and you will get close to Mansa Musa's fortune in the 14th century. Economists estimate that the West African emperor possessed riches equal to almost 400 billion US dollars.

Who was the first richest man in the world? ›

Bernard Arnault, the richest person in the world, is the CEO and chairman at Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), the world's largest luxury goods company encompassing approximately 70 renowned fashion and cosmetics brands.

Who is the richest man in the world in 2024? ›

Bernard Arnault maintains his position as the world's richest person in 2024, with a fortune of $233 billion, driven by LVMH's exceptional performance. His strategic acquisitions and focus on succession planning highlight his visionary leadership.

Who was the richest man in the history of Mali? ›

Mūsā I is widely considered the wealthiest man in history. He made his wealth and that of Mali known through a long and extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, the 17th year of his reign as emperor of Mali. Mūsā's rule defined the golden age of Mali.

Who is the richest man in history Wikipedia? ›

Historians say he was the richest person to have ever lived. Today, his wealth would be worth about US $400 billion. Mansa Musa came to power in 1312 CE after the previous ruler, Abu Bakr, disappeared at sea while exploring the Atlantic Ocean and never came back.

Who is the first richest king? ›

List of royalty by net worth
RankNameTitle
1VajiralongkornKing of Thailand
2Hassanal BolkiahSultan of Brunei
3SalmanKing of Saudi Arabia
4Mohammed VIKing of Morocco
9 more rows

Who is the most powerful emperor in world history? ›

The greatest ruler or conqueror in a better sense to have ever lived is Temujin of Borjigin, alias GENGHIS KHAN. GENGHIS KHAN, the greatest warlord the world has ever seen, the emperor of the largest contiguous empire(then), is a born Mongolian tribesmen, who was the son of a Khan of a small Mongolian tribe.

Who was the richest Roman emperor in history? ›

Marcus Licinius Crassus (/ˈkræsəs/; 115 – 53 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who played a key role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He is often called "the richest man in Rome".

Who is the greatest emperor in world history? ›

Top 10 Emperors in History
  • #10: Nicholas II of Russia. The Russian Empire, which lasted for nearly 200 years, had several famous emperors, including Alexander II, who emancipated Russia's serfs and sold Alaska to the United States. ...
  • #9: Marcus Aurelius. ...
  • #8: Moctezuma II. ...
  • #6: Hirohito. ...
  • #2: Augustus. ...
  • #1: Genghis Khan.

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