The 10 Richest Women of All Time (I) 古往今来最富有的十个女人（上）

克丽·克洛斯 周坤

Historically， women have had a tough time getting rich.

Everything from male primogeniture rules to laws preventing women from holding property have limited the number of female tycoons through the ages. The few that did amass large fortunes typically inherited them from men in their family. “Women with huge personal wealth are a modern phenomenon，” says Walter Scheidel， a professor of ancient history at Stanford University.

Which is why， when we compiled a ranking of the 10 richest people in history last year， the list featured only men. That ranking was challenging in its own way—comparing the wealth of individuals across different eras and geographies in an apples-to-apples way isn’t easy—so we borrowed a technique developed by the historians and economists at MeasuringWorth， which compares an individual’s wealth to total global economic output at the time， but in addition， we’ve chosen to focus on only those women who went beyond just inheritance and took an active business or political role in managing their fortunes， even if they originally acquired them from fathers or husbands. So you won’t find women like Walmart widow Christy Walton and heiress Alice Walton， who have never had a hand in the day-to-day operations of the company.

You also won’t see wealthy royals like English monarchs Victoria and Elizabeth I on the list， or Egyptian queen Nefertiti. While each controlled power and money aplenty， none held a sufficient share of the world’s riches to make the cut. Similarly， in modern times， billionaire business tycoons like Oprah Winfrey1 and Theranos2 founder Elizabeth Holmes—with fortunes of $3 billion and $4.5 billion， respectively—aren’t flush enough relative to global GDP to be included.

To compile our list， we consulted nearly 30 historians and researched dozens of likely candidates. What follows is a meticulous—if debatable—ranking of the wealthiest women in history.

1. Empress Wu

Lived： 624—705 AD

Nation： China

Peak Wealth/Global GDP： 22.7%

You don’t become the richest woman of all time without a little bloodshed. This Chinese empress rose to power as the concubine of two Tang Dynasty emperors， who were father and son. When the son， Emperor Gaozong， gained power， Wu was ruthless in eliminating rivals for his affection. She reportedly killed her own week-old daughter and pinned the crime on one of Gaozong’s main consorts， Empress Wang， who was imprisoned and killed. Once Gaozong died， Wu forced her own sons to abdicate and was named court administrator， a position equivalent to emperor. Her tactics paid off for China’s economy： Under her 15-year reign， the empire expanded its domain far into central Asia， making it one of the largest in the world at the time. National wealth flourished thanks to the trade of tea and silk with western nations along the Silk Road—with more than 300 million units of currency ultimately produced during the Tang Dynasty.

2. Hatshepsut

Lived： 1507—1458 BC

Nation： Egypt

Peak Wealth/Global GDP： about 20%

In order to rule as Egypt’s first female pharaoh， Hatshepsut worked hard to convince her subjects that her reign was the will of the gods. And who could blame her： At stake was control of gold mines with an output that would be worth $2 billion today. She rose to power after the death of her husband （and half-brother）， Thutmose II， and went on to control one of the largest empires in the ancient world， with lands that extended beyond Egypt’s borders into the Middle East. During her two decades of rule， she also exercised control over mines with vast stores of gold， copper， and precious stones.

3. Catherine the Great

Lived： 1729—1796

Nation： Russia

Peak Wealth/Global GDP： 5.4%

Catherine the Great’s moniker may refer not only to her political might but also to her fortune， which today would give her economic power equal to about $1.5 trillion. Catherine’s rule over Russia， historically one of the largest empires in terms of land， gave her control of about 5% of global GDP at the time. Russia’s longest-reigning female also held authority over the Russian Orthodox Church， which controlled about one-third of the empire’s serfs， or indentured servants. While most Russians’ lives did not improve during Catherine’s rule， their labor drove some of the empire’s most ambitious military expeditions and cultural projects.

4. Cleopatra

Lived： 69—30 BC

Nation： Egypt

Peak Wealth/Global GDP： about 2.6%

Cleopatra， one of the world’s best-known female rulers， is remembered as much for her wealth as for her skills of political manipulation. As Egypt’s pharaoh， Cleopatra controlled some of the nation’s largest industries at the time， such as wheat， papyrus and unguents， which gave her an approximate annual income of 12，000 to 15，000 Egyptian talents. Her net worth has been estimated as high as $95.8 billion. However， Cleopatra wasn’t always able to afford her life of luxury in her own right： She borrowed heavily from foreign leaders to finance the many wars she waged during her reign.

5. Isabella of Castile

Lived： 1451—1504

Nation： Spain

Peak Wealth/Global GDP： 1%

As one of the richest monarchs in the world， it didn’t seem like things could get much better for Queen Isabel I of Castile—until she consolidated her control over all of Spain by marrying her cousin Ferdinand of Aragon. At the time of her death， Castile’s crown had an annual income of about 1.45 million ducats， the gold coin that served as Spain’s currency. She also ruled over Spain during a boom in its wool and textile industries， and personally possessed some of the most valuable jewels and tapestries in the world at the time.

6. Liliane Bettencourt

Lived： 192—2017

Nation： France

Peak Wealth/Global GDP： 0.055%

If you’ve ever bought lotion at the Body Shop or applied Maybelline lipstick before leaving the house， you’ve contributed to the fortune of this L’Oreal heiress， whose wealth peaked at $40.7 billion in 2015. She’s now a principal shareholder in the cosmetics company founded by her father in 1907. Under her control， L’Oreal has acquired other brands， such as Lancome in 1964， as well as blockbuster products like the fragrance “Polo” by Ralph Lauren in 1985.

7. Yang Huiyan

Lived： 1981—present

Nation： China

Peak Wealth/Global GDP： 0.025%

Many people were hit hard by the economic recession in 2007， but few so dramatically as Yang Huiyan. The Chinese heiress started off with a $16.2 billion fortune from her father， Yang Guoqiang， founder of property developer Country Garden. Following the financial crisis， her net worth plummeted; she’s now worth $5.2 billion. Huiyan has been involved in the family business since she was a teenager and now serves as vice chairman of the board of governance.

8. Susanne Klatten

Lived： 1962—present

Nation： Germany

Peak Wealth/Global GDP： 0.024%

Germany’s richest woman derived most of her $17.4 billion fortune from one of the country’s most lucrative brands： BMW. Klatten inherited a 12.6% stake in the luxury automaker from her late father， Herbert Quandt. Klatten also invests in multiple business ventures， from pharmaceutical companies （she owns 100% of Altana AG， which has about $2 billion in annual sales） to wind power and water tech businesses.

9. Anne Cox Chambers

Lived： 1919—present

Nation： United States

Peak Wealth/Global GDP： 0.021%

Cox Chambers had a stint as an ambassador to Belgium and received France’s Commander of Legion of Honor title in 2009， but her major claim to fame is as a media mogul. The Georgia resident’s fortune comes from her stake in her late father’s Cox Enterprises， which owns news outlets such as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Palm Beach Post. But most of its revenue comes from its telecommunications division， holding one of the nation’s largest cable television providers. Cox Chambers has served as a member of Cox Enterprise’s board of directors and chair of Atlanta Newspapers. In November 2015， the now-96-year-old businesswoman stepped down from the board， distributing her stake—amounting to a fortune of $15.3 billion—to her three heirs.

10. Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken

Lived： 1954—present

Nation： Netherlands

Peak Wealth/Global GDP： 0.017%

Every time you crack open a Heineken， you’re adding to the fortune of this Dutch brewery tycoon， whose wealth peaked at $12.7 billion in 2016. De Carvalho-Heineken is the only child of Freddy Heineken， who served as CEO of the world’s third-largest brewer from 1971 to 1989. She inherited her 25% stake in Heineken International when her father died in 2002. Without any formal business education， de Carvalho-Heineken was a driving force behind the selection of the company’s current CEO， Jean-Francois van Boxmeer. He’s overseen $30 billion in brewery acquisitions since he took the helm

历史上，女性在致富道路上历尽艰难。

几个世纪以来，无论是长子继承制还是女子不得享有财产的法律都限制了女性富豪的数量。仅有的几个也不过是典型的继承者，她们积累的大量财富是从家族中男性成员那里继承而来。斯坦福大学古代历史专业教授沃尔特·沙伊德尔指出：“女性拥有大量个人财富是现代才有的现象。”

这也是为什么去年我们整理“史上十大富豪”排名榜单时发现入榜的竟全是男性。这份榜单在整理时充满挑战——以两两相较的方式对不同时代、不同地域的个人财富量进行比较并非易事，因此我们借用了一项由世界货币价值研究网的历史学家和经济学家共同研发的测量技术。这种技术将个人财富量与当时全球经济产出总量进行对比。于此之外，我们决定只注重那些除遗产继承之外还在财富管理上积极经营或掌握實权的女性富豪们，即便她们最初的财产是从父亲或者丈夫手中继承而来。所以，在这份榜单中你不会看到沃尔玛继承人的遗孀克里斯蒂·沃尔顿及创始人长女爱丽丝·沃尔顿，因为她们从未插手公司的日常运营。

在这份榜单上你也不会看到诸如英国女王维多利亚和伊丽莎白一世，或者埃及王后纳芙蒂蒂这样富有的王室成员。尽管她们每个人都拥有无上权力和无尽财富，但其财富却不足以让她们在世界总财富中占据一席之地。同样，榜单中也不会出现像奥普拉·温弗瑞以及Theranos创始人伊丽莎白·霍姆斯这样的现代亿万商业巨贾，尽管她们分别拥有30亿美元和45亿美元的财产，但相较于全球生产总值，她们算不上特别有钱。

为了编写榜单，我们咨询了近30位历史学家并对数十位可能入榜者进行了调研。尽管仍可能存在争议，但下面呈现的是我们精心整理出来的“史上十大最富有女性”排名。

1. 武则天

时代：624—705

国家：中国

财富峰值在全球GDP占比：22.7%

没有一点儿杀戮你是无法入围史上女富豪榜单的。这位中国女皇曾为大唐父子两代皇帝的宠妃，而后独掌皇权。高宗在位时，武则天为了独享圣宠，不择手段排除异己。据说她曾杀害自己一周大的女儿，转而嫁祸给当时的王皇后，最终致其入狱被害。高宗一死，她便逼迫自己的两个儿子相继退位并自己临朝称制，位同皇帝。她治国有方，在国家经济上卓有成效。在她统治的15年里，大唐的疆土远扩至中亚，成为当时世界上最大的国家之一。此外，大唐与丝绸之路沿途的西方国家进行茶叶、丝绸贸易，国家财富巨增。最终，有唐一代创造了超过30亿货币单位。

2. 哈谢普苏

时代：前1507—前1458

国家：埃及

财富峰值在全球GDP占比：约20%

为了成为埃及第一位女法老，哈谢普苏费心尽力令百姓相信她的统治是神的旨意。而金矿在握，其产值相当于现在的20亿美元，谁又能怪她呢？她的丈夫图特摩斯二世（她同父异母的兄弟）死后，她便独揽大权，继而成为这个古代最强帝国之一的统治者，其时埃及疆土已延至中东。在她统治的20年中，她还控制了储量丰沛的金、铜以及各种珍稀矿石资源。

3. 叶卡捷琳娜二世

时代：1729—1796

国家：俄国

财富峰值在全球GDP占比：5.4%

叶卡捷琳娜二世（后世尊称其为叶卡捷琳娜大帝）的名号指的不仅仅是她的政治地位，同时也指她所拥有的财富。她的财富总值相当于现今的1.5万亿美元左右。俄国在历史上曾是土地面积最大的帝国之一，叶卡捷琳娜二世对俄国的统治让她在当时掌控了全球GDP的5%左右。这位在位时间最长的俄国女君主还是俄国东正教的权威，此教派控制着俄国大约三分之一的农奴或契约佣工。尽管在叶卡捷琳娜二世统治期间，大多数俄国人民的生活并没有得到改善，但是民众的劳作还是推动了俄国的部分军事扩张大业以及文化项目。

4. 克娄巴特拉

时代：前69—前30

国家：埃及

财富峰值在全球GDP占比：约2.6%

作为世上最知名的女性统治者之一，克娄巴特拉为世人所铭记不仅是因为她高深的政治手段，还因为她的巨额财富。作为埃及的法老，克娄巴特拉掌控了当时国家的一些重要行业，例如小麦、莎草纸和药膏行业。这些令她的年收入相当于1.2万至1.5万埃及人的收入总额。据评估她的资产净值高达958亿美元。尽管如此，克娄巴特拉还是无法仅凭自己来维持其奢靡的生活：在统治期间，她不得不举债他国元首来为她发动的诸多战事提供财政支持。

5. 卡斯蒂利亚女王伊莎贝拉一世

时代：1451—1504

国家：西班牙

财富峰值在全球GDP占比：1%

作为世上最富有的君主之一，卡斯蒂利亚女王伊莎贝拉一世的地位已经是尊崇荣耀、无以复加。等到她嫁给堂弟阿拉贡的斐迪南时，她的权力更是覆及整个西班牙。在她过世时，卡斯蒂利亚君王的年收入约为145万达克特（当时西班牙的通行货币）。其统治正逢西班牙羊毛和纺织业的鼎盛时期。此外，她个人还拥有许多当时世上价值连城的珠宝和壁毯。 （未完待续）                   □

6.利莉亚娜·贝当古

时代：1922—2017

国家：法国

财富峰值在全球GDP占比：0.055%

如果你曾在化妆品公司美体小铺购买过润肤露或者出门前涂过美宝莲口红，那么你就为这位化妆品企业欧莱雅集团继承人的财富贡献了一份力量。2015年，利莉亚娜·贝当古的财富达至巅峰，共计407亿美元。如今她是这家由她父亲于1907年创立的化妆品企业的大股东。在她的管理下，欧莱雅收购了其他知名品牌及风靡一时的产品，例如1964年收购的法国品牌兰蔻，以及1985年拉夫劳伦公司生产的保罗香水。

7.杨惠妍

时代：1981—

国家：中国

财富峰值在全球GDP占比：0.025%

2007年金融危机时，很多人都遭受了经济重創，但没个人像杨惠妍这样损失如此惨烈。这位中国女富豪最初从她的父亲，碧桂园地产开发公司创始人杨国强手里继承了162亿美元。金融危机后，她的资产净值骤然下跌：如今为52亿美元。杨惠妍十几岁时便开始参与家族事业，如今她在碧桂园董事局担任副主席一职。

8. 苏珊·克拉滕

时代：1962—

国家：德国

财富峰值在全球GDP占比：0.024%

这位坐拥174亿美元的德国最富有女性的大部分财产都是从宝马而来。宝马是德国最赚钱的品牌之一。克拉滕从她已故的父亲赫伯特·科万特手里继承了这家豪车制造公司12.6%的股份。同时，她还投资了从制药公司（她拥有阿尔塔纳制药公司100%的股份，每年销售额近20亿美元）到风能和水能科技公司等的多个企业。

9. 安妮·考克斯·钱伯斯

时代：1919—

国家：美国

财富峰值在全球GDP占比：0.021%

考克斯·钱伯斯曾做过美国驻比利时大使，并在2009年获得了法国荣誉军团勋章，但她之所以闻名于世主要还是因为其传媒大亨的身份。这位乔治亚州女富豪的财产来自于她在考克斯企业的股份。这家企业由她已故父亲创办，拥有包括《亚特兰大宪报》《棕榈滩邮报》在内的多家新闻媒体公司，其大部分盈利来自旗下电视传媒公司，是美国最大有线电视供应商之一。除了考克斯企业董事局成员身份之外，考克斯·钱伯斯还是亚特兰大报业的主席。直到2015年11月，这位时年96岁的女性商业大亨才从董事局卸任，并将她价值153亿美元的股份分给3位继承人。

10. 查伦·德卡瓦略·海内肯

时代：1954—

国家：荷兰

财富峰值在全球GDP占比：0.017%

每当你开启一罐喜力啤酒，你就为这位荷兰啤酒大亨的财产贡献了一份力量。2016年她的财富峰值达127亿美元。她的父亲弗雷迪·海内肯曾于1971至1989年间出任喜力这个世界第三大啤酒制造商的首席执行官。2002年弗雷迪过世，作为独生女，德卡瓦略·海内肯从父亲那里继承了喜力国际25%的股份。虽然没有任何正规商科教育背景，但德卡瓦略·海内肯却是公司现任首席执行官让-弗朗索瓦·范博克斯梅尔得以获选的背后推手。自他接手公司以来，喜力耗资300亿美元用以收购其他啤酒公司。□