[MR] BBC: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

And which European king would that have been? None of them.

According to this BBC article, the richest man EVER was a west African king
named Mansa Musa (or Musa I, 1280-1337). He was the ruler of the Mali
Empire, which was the source of over half the world's gold, as well as
unmeasurable amounts salt that was almost as valuable. It all belonged
personally to Mansa Musa. When he went pilgrimage to Mecca, he took a
retinue of 60,000 men, plus 12,000 slaves, and handed out gold like it was
candy. If you've got it, flanunt it. And he did:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47379458 .

More about Mansa Musa is found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musa_I_of_Mali .

We of European origin tend to be very eurocentric, but there's a mess of
fascinating history out there to which we are rarely exposed. Fortunately,
there is a place for this in the SCA for those who would care to look.

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆