-
(#3) Chinese Magnate Wu Duanbiao Gave His Daughter A $150 Million Dowry
In 2013, Chinese billionaire Wu Duanbiao didn't skimp on his daughter Xu's dowry. In total, her trousseau was valued at over £100 million (which would've been around $155 million at the time). Its contents? A little bit of everything, including luxury cars, bank notes, and tons of real estate ranging from villas to storefronts to mansions.
The lucky bride's wedding took place over eight days, and her father bestowed the many presents upon her over the course of the celebration. How did this ceramics magnate afford everything? Who knows. His finances were kept private outside of his previous year's salary, which was just £12,000.
-
(#14) Mary Tudor, Queen of France
- Dec. at 37 (1496-1533)
Henry VIII's sister Mary Tudor's dowry can really best be understood as more of a fine than a gift. After her marriage to France's King Louis XII ended as a result of his demise, Mary Tudor did the unthinkable: she married a man named Charles Brandon for love, and she did so without asking her brother's permission. When Henry VIII found out about the clandestine nuptials, he was furious, and he levied a fine against his sister that roughly corresponded to the dowry from her first marriage plus interest.
Henry VIII required the couple to return all of the dowry from Mary's first marriage, and he took the famous Mirror of Naples jewel from them. Henry also required the couple to pay a fine of £24,000 (£11,610,000 today) in yearly instalments of £1,000 (£484,000).
-
(#8) Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland
- Dec. at 61 (1379-1440)
A 15th century king of Scotland, the future James I, was captured by the English at an early age and raised in captivity for 18 years. James's uncle liked ruling his court and refused to pay his nephew's ransom. But, while in bondage, the future Scottish King fell in love with Joan Beaufort, Henry IV's eventually legitimized niece. James even wrote Joan an epic love poem that survives today.
Marrying a relative to the King of Scotland was a pretty good alliance for the English royal family, so they had an incentive to let James go. Eventually, his uncle-regent died, and his cousin came to power, making the Scots more amenable to welcoming James home, as well. James finally went back after insisting he'd marry Joan and would pay his ransom in installments – by sending Scottish hostages from noble families in his place. However, one of the ransom payments was discounted, serving as Joan's dowry.
-
(#12) Catherine of Aragon
- Dec. at 51 (1485-1536)
Catherine of Aragon married Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, in 1501, bringing with her a sizable dowry of 200,000 escudos. However, Arthur died in 1502, and only half of that bridal money had been paid to the English crown. Normally, it would be considered a bit outré for a king to marry his dead brother's widow - but with the promise of more riches to come, how could Henry VIII resist? The marriage was settled, and Catherine became the first of Henry's many wives.
Just how much was Catherine's dowry worth? Historians estimate that her fortune would have been worth approximately £100,000 at the time, the equivalent of a whole year's income for the English government. It's difficult to say how that would stack up in terms of modern U.S. dollars, but rest assured, it's enough to comfortably retire on.
-
(#5) Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy
- Dec. at 50 (1480-1530)
A highly desirable match, Margaret of Austria had one broken betrothal and two marriages. It was her potential contribution to her first marriage (the one that didn't happen) that's truly astounding. At just three years old, she was betrothed to marry Charles VIII, King of France; as a child of the last heiress of the great dukes of Burgundy, her dowry was to include the vast territories of Artois, Burgundy, Auxerre, and more.
She also had to come live at his court as a child as part of the arrangement. It's no wonder the King of France wanted Margaret for himself—but the match was eventually quashed in favor of others, and Charles had to give back these lands.
-
(#1) Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece
- 50
As daughter of luxury goods billionaire Robert Miller, Marie-Chantal Miller was already rich, but she got more so by marrying a prince in exile. That man was Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, son of the ousted King Constantine and Queen Sophia. Marie-Chantal wasn't royal, but she was super rich and hobnobbed with the highest society worldwide, so this match was a no-brainer.
When Pavlos and Marie-Chantal married in 1995, she got a $200 million dowry from her dad, just like her two sisters Alexandra (who married a German prince) and Pia (who wed a Getty heir). The Miller family also hosted a giant pre-wedding reception for their little girl, which involved 1,300 guests. The royal wedding reception itself involved a tent shaped like the Acropolis, and the bride's pearl-encrusted wedding dress reportedly cost more than $200,000.
New Random Displays Display All By Ranking
About This Tool
The wedding custom of dowry has continued to this day. Many celebrities, especially members of the royal family, will spend a lot of money on gorgeous weddings, they always want and get the best. Sometimes these weddings involve a luxurious dowry, which is an unimaginable wealth even now. Do you want to know who has the most lavish dowry in history?
In fact, the value of some dowries cannot be measured, such as trading rights, higher social status, or the land that belongs to the bride. The indispensable dowry includes gold, jewelry, money, and other rare items, which are still regarded as treasures today. The random tool lists 16 famous brides in history who had lavish dowries.
Our data comes from Ranker, If you want to participate in the ranking of items displayed on this page, please click here.