In this article:
- It’s speculated that the wealthiest man in history was Mansa Musa, an African emperor who ruled the Mali empire during its heyday.
- The Mali empire was known for trading gold and salt, giving it a vast wealth that Mansa Musa inherited at the ripe old age of…his 20s.
- This supposed wealthiest man ever had his name cemented into legend by a visit he made to Egypt that coincided with the influx of so much gold into the nation that the price of gold tanked.
When we think of the wealthiest people in the world the usual names come to mind: Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates. It’s been reported that the ten richest people today—who are all white men, by the way—possess “six times more wealth than the poorest 3.1 billion people”. And, according to global wealth distribution data, the top 1.1% own 45.8% of the world’s total wealth.
Today, some of the wealthiest individuals come from similar backgrounds. Bezos, Musk, and Gates are the successful startup and tech guys, while Warren Buffet and Larry Ellison represent those who make millions to billions of dollars through investing.
At certain points, these guys became the richest person alive. But as rich as they are, and they are inconceivably rich, none have yet to claim that they are the wealthiest man to ever live. Historians say that the title still belongs to Mansa Musa, arguably the greatest emperor of the Mali Empire, an African empire.
Who is Mansa Musa of the Mali Empire?
The western region of Africa was once home to the Mali Empire. It was founded in the early 1200s by Sundiata Keita, Africa’s revered Lion King who became the inspiration for the Disney classic. Not a bad legacy for what could be the origins of the wealthiest man in history.
According to oral tradition, Sundiata Keita was a great leader who began the expansion of what is to become the Mali Empire.
The throne remained within the house of Keita, but a break in tradition shifted the line of succession from his direct descendants to that of his brother. One of his great nephews was Musa, an Arabic name for Moses. An ambitious and intelligent young man, Musa became the right-hand man of his predecessor Mansa Muhammad. He served as the emperor’s deputy when he went on a long voyage. And when Mansa Muhammad didn’t return, Musa ascended to the throne.
And thus began what historians agree to be Mali Empire’s golden age. Mansa Musa, still in his 20s at this time, inherited and became responsible for the kingdom’s wealth. The Mali Empire was known for its bounty of gold and salt, which became central to their trade.
What made Mansa Musa memorable, at least according to oral tradition and written accounts still being passed on today, is the pilgrimage he embarked on. Adult Muslims are mandated to go on a hajj or a voyage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Mansa Musa spent the beginning of his reign preparing for his pilgrimage to the Holy City, not just to fulfil his duty as a Muslim but also as an emperor to Mali.
Unlike most Muslim men who complete their hajj alone, Mansa Musa had a whole entourage of about 60,000 people and a few hundred animals. He was accompanied by soldiers, civilians, and slaves decked in Persian silk, as well as camels and horses carrying their supplies and gold.
As he passed through different cities, from Africa to the Middle East, Mansa Musa gave away gold or traded it for supplies. It is said that he also built mosques to spread Islam in the places he visited. News of this wealthy and generous emperor spread across continents.
On July 1324, Mansa Musa and his caravan arrived in Cairo, where he reportedly stayed for three months before completing his hajj. He rubbed elbows with Egyptian leaders and exchanged gifts with them in a continuous display of extravagant wealth. During this time, the price of gold in Egypt plummeted due to its sudden influx into the country. Mansa Musa gave away so much gold during his brief stay that he caused a dip in the value of the precious metal.
His mission to spread the news about the wealthy kingdom of Mali did not stop at Mecca. On his journey home, he continued to annex his empire and claimed the city of Timbuktu. Here, he established a major trade route for gold, salt, and slaves. He also built buildings, mosques, and universities with the help of architects and scholars he met on his pilgrimage, marking the peak of the Mali Empire under his reign.
Okay, But Was Mansa Musa Really the Wealthiest Man in History?
If Mansa Musa were alive today, we’d be able to tell how rich he was based on reports of his net worth. These reports support the notion that he may be the wealthiest man in history. The best description that we have of his wealth comes from accounts of the people he met along the way, who claimed he was indescribably rich.
Some historians did try to give a ballpark figure based on the amount of gold he brought along his journey, and how much wealth Mali Empire could have had. They believe Mansa Musa’s wealth would total $400 billion in today’s value, making him even richer than the richest man today. For comparison, Elon Musk’s personal net worth is around $214 billion — just a little over half of what Mansa Musa owned.
Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-American industrialist who expanded the steel industry in the US, came very close, having amassed a value of $372 billion. John D. Rockefeller would have a net worth of $360 billion when adjusted for inflation, while Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov of the Russian royal family would be worth an estimated $300 billion.
What’s even more noteworthy about Mansa Musa, the supposed wealthiest man in history, is his heritage. He was African and the only Black man in the list of the richest people to ever live. Today’s top ten list of living wealthy people don’t have any Black people — and the net worths of the richest Black people today are chump change compared to what white billionaires own.
Though Mansa Musa may be the wealthiest man in history, he wasn’t what some people today would describe as a self-made billionaire. He ascended into an empire that was already abundant in natural resources. Africa, before the long and dark period of transatlantic enslavement, was once the wealthiest continent. Mansa Musa helped put Mali on the map through his extravagant pilgrimage. In fact, it was because of word of his travel that traders from the Mediterranean and Southern Europe added Mali to their trade routes — and the rest is history.
So while we’ll never know the exact figures of Mansa Musa’s wealth, making it difficult to know for certain whether he really was the wealthiest man in history, we do know that he’s one of the wealthiest men ever and that he could probably qualify as one of history’s biggest showoffs.
