The wealthiest man in written history was King Mansa Musa I (Kankou Musa, Kankan Musa, and Kanku Musa). Born in 1280, he ruled the Mali empire in medieval times during the early 1300’s and had an estimated wealth of $400 billion.

Emir of Melle, Lord of the Mines of Wangara, Conqueror of Ghanata were among the many names he was called. The young king gained his fortune from gold production and salt mines that he established within his kingdom. King Mansa Musa was best known for his extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca. During this venture in 1324 he was accompanied by 60 000 men, and 12 000 indentured servants. It has been said that the servants were carrying four pounds of gold and the 80 camels that came with them were carrying up to 300lbs of gold dust. It was after this pilgrimage that the world became aware of the empire`s riches. King Musa also built the Great Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu which still stands today.

He died in the 1330’s (1331 or 1337) and the wealth he had amassed was lost over time as a result of invaders and war. Still his legacy remains standing today, and he will go down in the history as the richest king to ever live.

side note: Hands up if you think Idris Elba should star in a movie about King Mansa Musa

sources

1. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/meet-mansa-musa-i-of-mali–the-richest-human-being-in-all-history-8213453.html

2. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/398420/Musa

“MALI empire map”. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MALI_empire_map.PNG#mediaviewer/File:MALI_empire_map.PNG

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