10 Royal And Rich Families Whose Descendants Have The Royal Blood But Not The Money

Once upon a time the stories of these families’ wealth and luxury were known throughout the world. Back then nobody would have imagined, that few generations later, most of the descendants of these great families will be struggling to meet their ends.

Here’s look at some of the wealthiest families who lost their glory and fortunes.

 1. The Mughals

Ziauddin Tucy, one of last remaining descendants of the family, currently lives in a rented house.

There was a time when the Mughals were the rulers of almost the entire country. The stories of their riches and grandeur were known to the entire world. For many generations, they were the undisputed rulers of India. But it changed once the Britishers came to India.

After the revolt of 1857, the last Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar II was dethroned and captured. Today the descendants of the great dynasty live in extreme poverty.

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2. The Nawabs of Awadh

Prince Ali Raza, one of the last descendants, lives in a depleted ancestral house called Malcha Mahal, which neither has electricity nor a water connection.

The Nawabs of Awadh were known for their famous delicacies and luxury. They were great patrons of art. But just like the Mughals, they also lost most of their wealth after the Britishers came to India.

Nawab Wajid Ali was the last nawab of Awadh. When the Britishers attacked his Kingdom he fled to Kolkata.

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3. The Kings Of Travancore

Marthanda Varma led a simple life with his wife in Bangalore for many years. He once tried to establish his own factory but failed.

The Kings of Travancore ruled over an area that now falls under present day Kerela. The family was so rich that it decided to donate a large chunk of their fortune to the famous  Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Their donations made it one of the richest temples in the world.

Marthanda Varma, the successor of the Travancore’s royal family, had to give his life of luxury soon after independence.

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4. The Vanderbilt Family

After 6 generations, one of the richest families in America, has lost almost all of its wealth.

Although not technically a royal family, but once upon a time they were one of the richest families in America.

Today, they live their lives is just like any other American family. Although they do use the famous Vanderbilt surname, but they no longer have the money, that once made them famous throughout America.

 

5. The Pulitzers

The grandson of the famous Joseph Pulitzer, Peter Pulitzer, had to be bailed out financially by the husband of his ex-wife.

The famous Pulitzer price was once sponsored by them. The stories of their wealth and glory were known all over the world. Nobody could have imagined even in their wildest dreams that even this great family could one day lose all its money.

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6. The Mahapatras of Tigiria

The last king of the dynasty Raja Brajraj Kshatriya Birbar Chamupati Singh spent his last days on the mercy of his neighbours. He died penniless and poor.

The Mahapatra of Tigiria were once the rulers of Odisha. Before Independence, they were one of the richest families in India.

The last king of the dynasty Raja Brajraj Kshatriya Birbar Chamupati Singh, once owned more than 25 cars but soon after Independence, their wealth started to perish.

The final nail in the coffin was in 1975 when the government decided to withdraw all royal privileges.

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7. The Nizams

Mukarram Jah, one of the direct descendants of the family, is fighting diabetes and lives a pretty ordinary life in Istanbul, as compared to his great ancestors.

The Nizams were not only one of the richest families in India but they were also very powerful. Just like most of other royal families of India, Independence spelled doomed for them. They tried to fight for their own state but failed.

Their kingdom became an integral part of India and the Nizams had to say goodbye to their wealth and power.

The last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi left behind more than 400 legal heirs.

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8. The Czars of Russia

Leonida Georgievna was one of the last surviving members of the family, and her wealth was nowhere close to that of the great Czars.

Nicholas Czar II was the last ruling Czar of Russia. The Romanov dynasty was ousted in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and many of members of the royal family were murdered.

Leonida Georgievna was one of the last surviving members of the family after she had managed to escape from Russia.

Although the supreme court has ruled in favor of the Czars still it looks quite unlikely that they would ever be able to rule Russia again. The days of their glory are now long gone.

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9. The Ottoman Turks

Princess Neslisah one of the last surviving rulers of the great Ottoman empire had to spend most of her life in France in exile with her husband.

Once they were one of the most powerful rulers in the world. After the empire perished one of its last surviving members of the family was married to the King Of Eygpt. But as luck would have it, soon Egypt became a republic and the royal family had to go into exile.

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10. Descendants of Tipu Sultan

Today, one of his descendants plies rickshaw while another one is a kerosene dealer.

Tipu Sultan was known for his bravery and valor. He was one of the first Indian Kings to rise aginst the British. Although his descendants continue to be heirs of the country’s biggest and richest Muslim trusts, the Prince Ghulam Mohammed Trust, they still live a life of extreme poverty. The descendants of the famous King has to do all sorts of jobs to meet their ends.

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It is said that all that goes up has to come down and the stories of these families exactly prove it.

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