Henry Stafford, the Duke Of Buckingham

Henry Stafford succeeded his grandfather as Duke of Buckingham in 1460, and six years later he married Catherine Woodville, sister of Edward IV's queen, Elizabeth Woodville. At the age of 16 he was allowed to assume the full rights of his title and become a Knight of the Garter. After he got his inheritance he became head of the wealthiest and longest established of the English magnate families.

After the death of Edward IV (r. 1461-1470, 1471-1483) Buckingham moved to help Richard, duke of Gloucester, usurp the throne of the dead king’s son and successor, the 12-year-old king Edward V (r. 9 April 1483 – 26 June 1483). After the coronation of Richard as Richard III (r. 1483-1485) Buckingham demanded the rest of his inheritance, the suzerainty of Wales and of the Marcher lands, each of which brought more acres and more revenues. He got all he demanded but has rebelled against Richard with fatal consequences. He was captured and but was beheaded on 2 November 1483.

At the time of his death Buckingham was worth £60,000 at a time when net national income was £3.6m and he accounted for 1.66% of that, making him worth about £18.4bn in 2010.