Random Most Lavish Dowries In History (16 items)

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  (#16) Consort Jin

  • Dec. at 51 (1873-1924)

  Qing Dynasty concubine Consort Jin received as a part of her dowry settlement an object that has only increased in value and esteem with the passage of time. The Jadeite Cabbage as it is known, is housed in Taiwan's National Palace Museum. The sculpture, which is carved from a single piece of milky white and green jade, features insects hidden among the bok-choy's leaves, as bok-choy was seen as a symbol of purity in the period. The insects symbolize fertility and reproduction, a hope for the newlyweds.

  Though the Jadeite Cabbage was likely not worth an outlandish sum at the time of its creation, it has come to be viewed as an irreplaceable national treasure.
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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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  (#15) Hannah Sewall Received Her Own Weight In Pine Tree Shillings 

  Hannah Sewall, the daughter of 17th-century Massachusetts Bay Colony mint master John Hull, acquired an unusual albeit fitting dowry: her weight in pine tree shillings made from her father's mint. As the story has it, on the day of her wedding, Hannah was placed upon a scale; on the other side went the shillings, and the bride price was reached when the scale evened out. 

  Though the shillings' worth probably didn't equate to an obscene price (100 pounds of silver was only worth the equivalent of about $1,600), the Hulls get bonus points for good old-fashioned American ingenuity.
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  (#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.
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  (#11) Maathorneferure

  Ancient Egyptian pharaohs had many wives and concubines, and they married quite a few foreign royals to cement political alliances. Ramesses II was no exception; he wed a princess from the empire's arch-rivals to the north, the Hittites, and helped solidify a peace treaty. Although her birth name is unknown, the Egyptian moniker for the bride was Maathomeferure. Her dowry included a significant number of male and female slaves and livestock, ranging from goats to horses.

  Also, Ramesses probably outlived Maathomeferure, so he married another Hittite princess after she passed.
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  (#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.

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