The richest person who ever lived - BBC Reel (2024)

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The richest person who ever lived - BBC Reel? ›

Mansa Musa was emperor of the West African Mali Empire - and the richest person who ever lived.

Wealth. Mansa Musa is renowned for his wealth and generosity. Online articles in the 21st century have claimed that Mansa Musa was the richest person of all time. Historians such as Hadrien Collet have argued that Musa's wealth is impossible to accurately calculate.

Historians say he was the richest person to have ever lived. Today, his wealth would be worth more than 400 billion USD. 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.

Mansa Musa died in 1337 and was succeeded by his sons. His skillful administration left his empire well-off at the time of his death, but eventually, the empire fell apart. Well after his death, Mansa Musa remained engrained in the imagination of the world as a symbol of fabulous wealth.

No individual has claimed the status of trillionaire just yet. But a net worth equal to at least one trillion in U.S. dollars or a similarly valued currency isn't unattainable, but it will be a couple of years yet. Only 18 countries have a GDP that exceeds that amount.

Mansa Musa was the ruler of Mali during the 14th century. Map showing Musa's most extravagant pilgrimage to Hajj, which added to his historical legacy!

Not Jeff Bezos, or Bill Gates: Mali's Mansa Musa was the richest man ever. Ask anyone who the world's all-time richest person is and you'll probably hear Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Gates or Warren Buffett - but that is of course, wrong.

Fourteenth century Arab historian Shihab al-'Umari wrote that Mansa Musa “flooded Cairo with his benefactions. He left no court emir nor holder of a royal office without the gift of a load of gold. … They spent gold until they depressed its value in Egypt and caused its price to fall.”

How many wives did Mansa Musa have? ›

It has been said that of all of Mansa Musa's wives (there were four), one was. nót only the most beautiful but also his favorite. She had many interests but, most of all, she loved to swim each even- ing with her ladies-in-waiting at a-special place in tie Niger which flowed through her husband's kingdom.

No uncontroversial evidence of pre-Columbian contact between Africa and the Americas has ever been found. Regardless of whether any of the Malian ships ever reached the Americas, they apparently never returned to Africa and there were not any long-term economic consequences of the voyage.

Mansa Musa Keita was succeeded by his son, Maghan Keita I, in 1337. Mansa Maghan Keita I spent wastefully and was the first lacklustre emperor since Khalifa Keita. But the Mali Empire built by his predecessors was too strong for even his misrule and it passed intact to Musa's brother, Souleyman Keita in 1341.

Meet Philip Anschutz, who has been dubbed "America's most reclusive billionaire." His net worth sits at $15.2 billion, according to Forbes.

1. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers. With an eye-watering net worth of $99 billion, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, a French businesswoman and philanthropist, is the richest woman in the world.

Back in August 2017, Forbes reported that Taylor was worth $280 million. Then in June 2023, Forbes revealed that her net worth had increased to $740 million—up from $365 million in 2020. And now, as of February 2024? Bloomberg reported that Taylor's net worth is officially $1.1 billion.

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.

The Rockefellers Are Still One of the Richest Families of All Time — 5 Ways They Created Generational Wealth.

However, many believe Mansa Musa's wealth outdoes that of all modern billionaires. 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?

King Solomon Net Worth = $2.1 Trillion

It was all the harvest that came from his SEED (sacrifice) in 1 Kings that made God to swear a blessing on his head. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.