Heshen – peak net worth: $132 billion

No doubt the wealthiest government official in history, Heshen, who was born in 1750, was an administrator of the Qing Dynasty and a favorite of the emperor...

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Heshen – peak net worth: $132 billion

When he died in 1799, the corrupt official was found to have stockpiled a personal fortune of $132 billion in today's money.

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Bill Gates – peak net worth: $144 billion

Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates is today worth $132.4 billion, based on the very latest figures from Forbes. However...

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Bill Gates – peak net worth: $144 billion

The Microsoft founder's personal fortune hit $101 billion for a short time in 1999. Adjusted for inflation, this brings his peak net worth up to $144 billion.

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William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey – $146 billion

This 11th-century Norman nobleman was England's number one real estate mogul of his time. According to the Domesday Book survey of 1086...

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William de Warenne

Owned land in 13 English counties, as well as manors and castles in Norfolk, Suffolk, Yorkshire and Essex, worth the modern day equivalent of $146B.

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John Jacob Astor – peak net worth: $168 billion

America's first multimillionaire, the German-born merchant was the first prominent member of the Astor family.

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John Jacob Astor – peak net worth: $168 billion

He made his fortune trading in furs and built a powerful monopoly in the early 19th century, controlling the trade in the US and Canada.

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John Jacob Astor – peak net worth: $168 billion

At the time of his death in 1848, Astor was worth $20 million, around  1/107 of US GDP, which translates to $168 billion in today's money.

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Alan Rufus, 1st Lord of Richmond – $195 B

This medieval aristocrat amassed a huge fortune during his lifetime thanks to the patronage of William the Conqueror (later King William I of England).

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Alan Rufus, 1st Lord of Richmond – peak net worth: $195 billion

His ridiculously rich uncle and close companion. According to historian William Rubenstein, Rufus was worth £11,000

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Alan Rufus, 1st Lord of Richmond – peak net worth: $195 billion

When he died in 1093, around 7% of England's GDP at the time, which is the equivalent of $195 billion today.

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Bernard Arnault – peak net worth: $199.5 billion

The CEO of luxury goods conglomerate LMVH, which numbers Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy among its portfolio of brands...

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Bernard Arnault – $199.5 billion

Arnault saw his fortune plummet in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it has spectacularly skyrocketed as the demand for luxury goods has returned

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Bernard Arnault – peak net worth: $199.5 billion

Particularly from China. His net worth has so far peaked at $199.5 billion in 2021, according to Forbes, and he was briefly the world's richest person.

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