Random Most Lavish Dowries In History (16 items)

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  (#2) Eleanor of Aquitaine

  • Dec. at 82 (1122-1204)

  Medieval France wasn't a united country; it was divided into a bunch of individual duchies ruled by independent dukes, over whom the king of France held only nominal power. One such duchy was the wealthy Aquitaine – AKA most of southwestern France – upon which the Capetian dynasty of French kings had often cast covetous eyes. When Duke William X of Aquitaine named his eldest daughter Eleanor as his heiress (and died soon thereafter), King Louis VI (AKA "Louis the Fat") of France quickly snatched her up to marry his son and heir, the eventual Louis VII (who was super-religious, since he grew up in a monastery), in 1137.

  Eleanor united Aquitaine with Louis's territory, which was mostly just located around Paris. They stayed together for some times, but Eleanor was unhappy, and she never gave Louis a son. Once they split in 1152, Louis had to give back Aquitaine, but Eleanor soon married again – to Louis's arch-rival Henry Plantagenet, the Duke of Normandy and later England's King Henry II.
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  (#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). 
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  (#10) Cicero

  • Dec. at 63 (105 BC-42 BC)

  Famed ancient Roman politician/orator/lawyer Marcus Tullius Cicero got married twice, both times for some big money. As a novus homo, a "new man" (indicating that he was the first from his family to enter the Senate), Cicero had a lot of social obstacles to overcome, and a wealthy wife would help. His first and best-known wife was Terentia, who brought a bunch of assets with her, including a mountain estate, a farm, and landlordship of Roman apartment blocks.

  This cash helped Cicero get a head start in politics, although Terentia didn't hand over her dowry to him. She was reluctant to let him splurge and managed his affairs well on his behalf when he was in exile. She also gave him two kids – a daughter, Tullia, and a son, also named Cicero. At around 60, in need of more cash, Cicero divorced Terentia and married a teenager named Publilia, of whom he was the guardian. They only stayed together for a few months, though, after Cicero got an inheritance from a friend.
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  (#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.
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  (#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.
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  (#6) Catherine of Braganza

  • Dec. at 67 (1638-1705)

  The Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza brought quite the dowry with her when she was engaged to marry King Charles II of England and Scotland. Not only did she allegedly introduce forks and oranges to the Brits, but she also brought $500,000 and a few major ports – Tangier, Mumbai, and Morocco – under British control.

  In case that wasn't enough, she also brought rights to trade with Portuguese colonies all over the world. Sadly, she didn't have any kids that survived with Charles, but England sure benefited.

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