As a king in the 16th and 17th centuries, what was the best way to show off your enormous wealth?

Oh sure you could have a massive castle or a collection of jewels. But the real hot ticket was to own dwarfs. You know, people. Like they were pets.

Yes, every royal worth their salt had multiple little people (the accepted modern nomenclature, per the Internet, is dwarf, little person, LP, or person of short stature). In Russia, Spain, Austria, etc., these people were particularly prized possessions and were purchased, traded, or sold amongst the rich and powerful.

Charles VI, however, had a special little person: Jacob Ries, the Jewish son of a rabbi. In 1710 he was Court Dwarf and Court Jester to the Holy Roman Empire. He may have even served as an advisor to Charles. Later, Jacob served as Court Dwarf to August the Strong of Poland. The fact that he's still remembered over 300 years later is quite the compliment to Jacob's role in history.

Of course, not every ruler collected dwarfs. King Frederick William of Prussia kept giants, instead.

Sigh.