Cleopatra, Catherine the Great and the richest women in history
It wasn’t always easy for women to make big money, but these ladies of centuries past did it in style. What was the secret of their financial success?
Image: Catherine the Great reportedly owned 5% of the world's GDP | Public Domain
In the modern age, hardworking women can work their way up from the bottom of the financial ladder. Just think of businesswomen like Oprah Winfrey and Karren Brady.
Centuries ago, loaded ladies were much more likely to have inherited their money than earned it just through sheer hard work. Still, many proved themselves adept political operators. Here’s the Sky HISTORY rundown of history’s richest women – and how they compare in relative wealth (wealth relative to their era’s total economic output).
Isabella of Castile
In 1474, Isabella began reigning as Queen of Castile. Only five years later, she also became Queen of Aragon, consort to King Ferdinand II of Aragon. The marriage, therefore, united the neighbouring states of Castile and Aragon, bringing about the rise of modern Spain.
Isabella didn’t just have a successful marriage to be grateful for. At the time, Spain used a form of gold coin currency known as the ducat. In the run-up to Isabella’s death in 1504, her annual income totalled roughly 1.45 million ducats.
In the 2020s, this moolah would have been worth about $5 billion. This figure doesn’t even include the high value of the jewelry and tapestries known to have also been in Isabella’s personal possession.
Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (to use her full regal name) is one of Ancient Egypt’s greatest pharaohs. We all know about her trysts with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, thanks largely to a certain Elizabeth Taylor.
However, it’s still easy to overlook the true extent of Cleopatra’s wealth. Her country’s most productive industries, including wheat, papyrus and unguents, swelled her annual income to about 12,000 to 15,000 Egyptian talents.
This is thought to have given her a net worth in the region of $96 billion. Not that Cleopatra was always living a life of luxury during her reign of 51 BC to 30 BC. On the contrary, her wars drew heavily on the treasury, leading her to borrow extensively from foreign leaders.
Catherine the Great
How did Russia become a great power? Catherine the Great played a large part. She succeeded to the imperial throne after a coup d’état overthrew her unpopular husband, Paul III, in 1762. For more than three decades, Catherine led Russia through what has since been romanticised as a golden age.
In the event, Catherine failed to abolish serfdom. What she did do was spend big on an array of cultural and military projects. On the face of it, she was able to wield immense financial muscle. The immense size of her empire garnered her a fortune reportedly representing about 5% of the world’s GDP at the time.
To really put this figure into perspective, Catherine the Great’s net worth would have been an estimated $1.5 trillion today. The Empress of Russia’s reign ended with her death in 1796, by which time Europe was being ravaged by the French Revolutionary Wars.
Hatshepsut
Amazingly, Cleopatra wasn’t quite the wealthiest pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. This accolade goes instead to Hatshepsut, who served as her stepson Thutmose III’s regent before becoming co-ruler alongside him in the 1470s BC.
Before Hatshepsut's passing in 1458 BC, she commissioned the construction of many monuments and temples across Egypt. Her deep pockets must have come in pretty useful for these projects. She controlled gold mines that would have been worth about $2 billion today.
Hatshepsut also had access to mines churning out copper and precious stones. Her total net worth is not easy to calculate today. However, according to the Money website, it would have peaked at about 20% of global GDP as it stood then.
Empress Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian married into the imperial Tang dynasty ruling over 7th-century China. Hence, she was long seen as a consort rather than a future political leader. Nonetheless, though a mix of cunning and bloodshed, she eventually rose to the throne in 690.
As China’s ruler, Wu Zetian has been credited with many eye-opening accomplishments. By reopening the Silk Road, she facilitated the flourishing trade of tea and silk.
During her 15-year reign, she is thought to have amassed wealth that would today be valued at about $16 trillion. This kind of money doubtless would have helped the empress with another of her signature achievements – conquering new lands in central Asia.
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