10 Richest People Who Ever Lived

5. King William I - £157bn ($236bn)

William the Conqueror took the English throne by force at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 - and this added to his already considerable wealth from his Norman Empire. Already owning lands on the French mainland, King William I used an extremely efficient and harsh taxation system in England to gain as much wealth from the land as possible. If his assets and wealth were converted into present-day money, William I is likely to have been worth £157billion ($236billion).