10. King Mansa Musa
King Mansa Musa I reigned over the Mali Empire and was estimated to have been worth the equivalent of $400 billion in today’s currency! This fact makes King Mansa the richest man to ever walk the planet earth. King Mansa was a supreme Malian king, ruling from 1312 to 1337 and expanded the Mali influence over multiple African city-states such as Timbuktu, Gao, and Djenne. King Mansa had a “golden inheritance” and an abundance of luxuries. His uncle was the epic emperor Sundiata Keita.
Mansa was a great businessman and economist, and gained his wealth through Mali’s supply of gold, salt and ivory- the main luxuries and needs for the majority of the world during that time.
9. Catherine the Great
Catherine II, known as Catherine the Great, was the empress queen of Russia, and led her country into the political, economical, and cultural life of modern Europe, carrying on the labors started by Peter the Great. Catherine sought to contain the power of the Orthodox Church and its prestigious wealth. In the queen’s mind, the wealth of the church should belong to the state- she definitely had radical thoughts for her time. To that end, she made the church part of the state and all of its holdings, including labor and profits that became state property and subject to taxes.
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