Wealth has always been a measure of influence, with some of history’s most powerful people amassing fortunes that seem unimaginable.

Empress Wu Zetian was China's first and only female emperor and controlled around 23 percent of the global economy during the Tang Dynasty.

In a surprising development, President-elect Donald Trump shared on social media that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates had requested a meeting with him. The post, which appeared to be directed at Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk,

The British Royal family has a net worth of around £69 billion ($88 billion), but this pales in comparison to the wealth of the House of Saud, the ruling Royal family of Saudi Arabia

Trump and Gates initially met in December 2016, prior to Trump's first term as president. Since Trump's recent election victory, numerous tech CEOs have sought meetings with him, aiming to establish a positive relationship with the president-elect.

Today, names like Elon Musk and Bill Gates dominate conversations about wealth, but their combined net worth is absolutely nothing compared to one of China's emperors. Wu Zetian, better known as Empress Wu,

The world's 500 richest people had a combined net worth of $10 trillion, with Elon Musk gaining the most while Lee Jae Yong's wealth declined.