10 Richest People Of All Time

8. Osman Ali Khan ~ $210 - 300 Billion

Richest Men Augustus Caesar
By S N Barid (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Osman Ali Khan - or, to give him his full title, 'His Exalted Highness Nawab Sir Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi, Bayafandi Asaf Jah... the VIIth - was the final incumbent in the post of Nizam of Hyderabad before it was absorbed by India following the latter's independence. Hyderabad, boasting a rather rare and frankly beautiful maroon flag, existed as a 'princely state' under the British Raj, and appropriately enough, its ruling Nizam lived like one.

Whilst the role of Nizam was still in effect, Osman was reputed to be the wealthiest chap on the planet, even appearing on the cover of Time magazine bearing the sobriquet. Adjusted for inflation, the Nizam's wealth was estimated to be somewhere between $210 - 300 billion. No wonder then, that he was able to use the Jacob Diamond - the fifth largest in the world - as a paperweight. Well, what else is it for?

Perhaps the key to Osman's mammoth fortune lay in him being a tightfisted miser. Despite possessing an estimated £100m in gold and silver, the parsimonious prince restricted himself to a daily budget of just £1 per day. He even stooped to scrounging for cigarettes from his staff - despite having money to literally burn.

The de facto King of Hyderabad also operated his own mint. It's pretty easy to become a multi-billionaire when you can print your own money.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.