Top 10 richest people ever led by 14th century African king
Bill Gates is up there. So are William the Conquerer, a czar, assorted nobility and a smattering of Rockefellers, Carnegies and Vanderbilts.
But even at the peak of their considerable wealth, none surpassed the riches of the most moneyed man ever: Mansa Musa I, a West African king who died in 1337.
That’s according to a list of the 25 most well-off men – yep, it’s an all-boys club – to have ever walked the planet, according to Celebritynetworth.com.
The site took the high-point estimate of each man’s net worth and adjusted the fortunes for inflation. In total, the group held more than $4.3 trillion.
Fourteen of the 25 were Americans – with Microsoft founder Bill Gates as the richest living member. Carlos Slim Helu, currently the richest person worldwide, came in 22nd.
Billionaire investor and Berkshire Hathaway chief Warren Buffett rounded out the list with $64 billion, closely following Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton’s $65 billion.
1. Mansa Musa I - $400 billion
The ancient king, who died in the early 14th century, ruled the Malian Empire in modern West Africa. His massive wealth is attributed to his control of vast natural resources that helped produce more than half of the global supply of salt and gold at the time. When the devout Muslim made his pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, historians said he brought more than 10,000 slaves bearing gold bars and dozens of camels laden with gold dust. The monarch is credited with raising the Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu, which still stands.
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