The Mystery Man of Europe

If he were alive today, Sir Basil Zaharoff would be going on 156 years of age. Born in Turkey in 1850, Basil was of Russo-Greek stock. He began his career in financing, then rose up the ranks to become the director and CEO of Vickers, a weapons and ammunition company.

He was an unscrupulous businessman, sabotaging competitor Hiram Maxim's revolutionary Maxim gun when Maxim tried to demonstrate it at expositions. Later, Zaharoff would absorb Maxim's company and take his place on the company's board of directors.

World War I provided an excellent opportunity for Zaharoff to make money. He peddled his weapons to several countries, eventually selling exclusively to the Allies. After the war, Zaharoff was the richest man in Europe.

The King of Britain knighted him. France celebrated him as a hero. But Sir Basil Zaharoff's life was surrounded by an aura of mystery and intrigue. Many accused him of instigating conflicts with his vast wealth in order to sell his munitions. His relationship with several heads of state in Europe was also questioned, especially with Britain's Prime Minister David Lloyd George.

Zaharoff married at the age of 75, but outlived his bride. He spent his final years in solitude, a lonely and melancholy man. Zaharoff died in 1936. Despite all of the money Sir Basil had earned, he was unable to buy happiness in the end. Indeed, perhaps it is fitting, for his wealth was blood money, gained from the suffering of millions of soldiers that died as a result of his Vickers machine gun.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Wikipedia