Ibrahim Hannibal: biography, interesting facts, photo

Everyone knows that Tsar Peter I had a "arap" at his court. This is written in the textbooks of literature, where it is said that the great Pushkin is the successor of the genus precisely in his line. In addition, the poet immortalized the name of his amazing ancestor by writing the eponymous titled "Arap of Peter the Great." His name was Ibrahim Hannibal.

Biography

When in 1697 the nineteenth son appeared in the family of the Abyssinian prince, no one even imagined what a wonderful life his life had prepared for him. As a child, the boy was sent to Constantinople, to the courtyard of the Turkish Sultan as a hostage to the loyal attitude of his tribe. There the future Russian military engineer Hannibal Abram Petrovich was a servant in the seraglio. This version is considered by the historians to be the most plausible. Although the more accurate origin of the Petrine "arap", known as Ibrahim Hannibal, historians and ethnographers are still arguing. Even the writer V. Nabokov was looking for the true homeland of great-grandfather of the great Pushkin. It was he who suggested that Hannibal Abram Petrovich, whose short biography is just a legend invented by him, by chance has achieved in Russia ranks and positions in society. Having reached a certain place at the court, the "arap" invented for himself a more noble genealogical tree. Although in fact Ibrahim Hannibal was the most common and childless boy who, stealing in Cameroon, the slavers were brought to Turkey, where they sold it to the sultan in seraglio.

Russia is the second motherland

According to another version, it was at this time that Tsar Peter, who was a big fan of all sorts of wonders, conceived the idea of replenishing his collection in a very original way. At that time in Europe the fashion for "Arapchonks" was in full swing. Black beautiful boys, dressed in richly embroidered suits, almost at every ball or feast of nobles and even kings, the nobility served. That's why Peter also began to demand that he also be found "Arapchonka." This task was entrusted to the Russian envoy in Constantinople in the courtyard. He used all the connections that he had with the Turkish court. So Ibrahim Hannibal was bought out, whose biography has changed dramatically from this moment.

Moving to the Russian yard

So began another trip of a small black boy to a distant and cold for a resident of a hot country of St. Petersburg. Peter liked the wanderer first of all with his living mind, the tsar appreciated his quickness and "the propensity to different sciences". Having grown up a little, Ibrahim Hannibal began to perform not only the role of servant and valet of the Russian emperor, but even his secretary. Until 1716 the arap, permanently at the time of the tsar, gradually became his favorite, and this despite the fact that at the Russian court there were many other black servants.

New life

Knowingly Peter I was considered Great. He was wise in almost everything, even in his manifestations of eccentricity. Noticing the mind and great diligence in the Arapchonka, the emperor decides to send his maturing secretary to Paris, so that he learns military science. At that time, a lot of boyar or noble children were sent to Europe by order of Peter, "inexperienced", who, not wishing to learn anything, often did not engage in overseas countries other than "polytheses" or gluttony. Ibrahim Hannibal was sent to Europe by Peter as if mocking these noble lobotryas. The tsar wished to prove to them that diligence and diligence to the sciences, even from such an African savage, could make an educated man - a state husband.

And Peter was not mistaken: the young "arapchunok" justified the hopes of the godfather. From now on, his name was Hannibal Abram Petrovich. Date of birth of the newly-born godson of the emperor in all documents is conditionally dated 1697. He received the patronymic Petrovich according to Peter I, who baptized him personally. At the Russian court, "Arapchunok", having accepted the Christian faith, received a biblical name - Abram, and Hannibal left the name in honor of the winner of the Romans and the famous Carthaginian commander. In all this historians saw another Peter's wisdom: the sovereign wished his young favorite to do great things.

Training

From Russia, Hannibal Abram Petrovich, whose biography has since changed abruptly, left with a letter of recommendation from Peter I personally to the Duke of De Menu. The latter was a relative of Louis XV and commanded all the royal artillery. In his godson, the emperor was not mistaken. The young man stubbornly studied mathematics and engineering, studied ballistics and fortification. He graduated from military education with the rank of artillery captain. "Practice" it was in the Spanish war, where he showed remarkable bravery and was even wounded.

Carier start

This approach to learning was exactly what the Russian Tsar wanted to see in his pets. Peter asked his pet back to Russia, but Ibrahim Hannibal unexpectedly "stuck" in Paris. The city of love and comfort deeply enticed him in the network. Moreover, a handsome, elderly countess "put an eye" on a handsome black handsome man. She deceived Ibrahim, a stormy romance began between them, which surprised many in the Parisian world. Moreover, the story almost ended in a scandal. Countess, pregnant, gave birth. And, as expected, a black child appeared. The scandal managed to be hushed up, though with difficulty. A real husband - a count who did not suspect anything about the betrayal of his wife, was sent far away for the time of birth, and instead of black in a cradle they put a white one, bought from some poor family. The real baby was given "in safe hands" for upbringing.

Riddle of the black "Arapchonka"

Where did he come from, the mysterious Ibrahim Hannibal? What really was the life of a man so unexpectedly arisen in the history of Russia? I must say that it is not at all what Mitta described in his film. What did Hannibal Abram Petrovich really look like? Photo of it for obvious reasons does not exist, but in the Paris National Museum there is a portrait, which is often attributed to the young godson of Great Peter. In general, the person is shrouded in numerous riddles. To begin with, the artist who created the portrait was born seventeen years after Ibrahim's death, so he could not see the original.

In addition, no one knows what happened to the first-born of the royal godson, whom the Countess gave birth to. Although Pushkin carefully collected information about his amazing ancestor, he wrote down everything from the words of his relatives. Therefore, it is impossible to say for certain whether the child or this invention was Alexander Sergeevich. One thing is certain, Ibrahim Petrovich was not red tape and did not chase skirts. He was more concerned with career and service to the throne of the king.

Ups and downs

Returning to Russia, caressed by Peter, the young man gave himself completely to his service. He continued it after the death of the godfather. In total, Ibrahim Hannibal survived as many as seven Russian emperors and empresses. He did not have to fight anymore. All his life, his godchild Peter built docks, fortresses and arsenals, conducted fortification works in many famous buildings of Peter and the Petrine era, including in Kronstadt and Peter and Paul Fortress.
During his life Hannibal Abram Petrovich, whose descendants are still collecting materials about him, saw both disgrace and even a short exile to Siberia. But he continued to build in the distance from the yard. And when he returned from exile, he again managed to gain rank and wealth. The peak of his career, the godson of Peter reached under Empress Elizabeth. In 1759, he was awarded the high military rank of the general-anshefa and the Alexander ribbon on his chest. From that time he began to head the engineering corps under the emperor. Such high estimation of the merits from the empress was received by Hannibal Abram Petrovich.

A family

His personal life was far from smooth and smooth. Alien frivolous connections, he approached marriage as a practical necessity - with the purpose of procreation. When Ibrahim Hannibal in 1731-m combined the first marriage, Petra next to him was no more. The first choice of the Arab was the Greek Diopter, the daughter of the captain of the Galere fleet. The father himself had married Evdokia for him: although the groom was black, but in ranks he is rich. But Hannibal Abram Petrovich did not long rejoice in family happiness. His wife loved another. She went under the crown against her will, on the orders of her father. The elect of her heart was Lieutenant Kaisarovich, whom she loved madly. In a marriage she was unhappy and, as she could, avenged her black husband. Soon Hannibal, having received the "highest" appointment, moved with his family to the city of Pernov. The meetings between Evdokia and Kaisarovich were involuntarily stopped, but she quickly found a new lover - the young conductor Yakov Shishkov. And soon his wife became pregnant. Hannibal waited impatiently for his son, but a white girl appeared. And although this also happens with mixed marriages, the husband nevertheless became enraged. He brutally beat his wife. Moreover, Ibrahim insulted by it did not stop there: he managed to imprison a traitor in a torture chamber. Eudokia ended her life in the monastery.

Ibrahim did not remain alone for long. Soon he was married to a new bride. This time it was German Hristina von Schaberg. Being the daughter of an officer of the Pernovsky Regiment, she is considered to be the great-grandmother of Pushkin, the poet, in which African, Russian and German blood was mixed. In 1736, Ibrahim Hannibal married for the second time officially. However, he still could not get a divorce from Evdokia, so for several years Ibrahim Petrovich was a bigamist. And only his high position allowed to avoid scandal and, of course, the troubles associated with it. Finally, the divorce with Evdokia, he managed to issue only seventeen years later - in 1753.

Descendants

Marriage Ibrahim with Christina was extremely durable and prolific. They had four daughters and five sons. Hannibal Abram Petrovich, whose children were either black, or very swarthy, in the second marriage was happy. But the second generation - grandchildren - slowly acquired a European skin color and German features. In general, a mixture of burning African and cold German blood produced surprising results. Among the descendants of Hannibal were blue-eyed or blond, and black-eyed or dark-skinned. One of his sons - Osip - served in the Navy. He married the daughter of a Tambov governor. From this marriage a charming daughter was born - Nadezhda, who in the world was nicknamed the "beautiful creole". She had dark hair and eyes and yellow palms - a sign of African genes. In 1796, the "beautiful Creole" married a modest Lieutenant of the Izmailovsky Regiment, Sergei Pushkin, and in 1799 they had a son - Alexander Sergeevich, the future great poet, whose grandfather was Hannibal Abram Petrovich.

Interesting Facts

Known is the great contribution of the godson Peter to the development of potato cultivation in our country. The first beds with potatoes, as is known, appeared in Russia even at the first Emperor. Peter the Great cultivated this culture in Strelna, hoping to use it as a medicinal plant. Catherine II, having decided that the "earth apple" could be used in the famine years, instructed Hannibal, who is well acquainted with this plant, to try to cultivate potatoes in his estate. The Suida estate, owned by Ibrahim, was the first place on the Russian land, where for the first time small, and then extensive, fields were planted with this culture. Ibrahim Hannibal wrote memoirs, and in French, but at the end of his life he destroyed them.

His attitude towards serfs was unusual. In 1743, when he handed over part of his village called Ragola to von Tiren, he included in the treaty some surprising for that time items, for example prohibiting corporal punishment in relation to peasants, an increase in the established standards of corvée, etc. A When the professor broke them, Hannibal terminated the agreement on the court. The process aroused bewilderment among local landlords, who, in their opinion, had to admit von Tiren guilty, which according to local laws was not considered such. Abram Hannibal managed to win this process, although in fact it was done by Estonian peasants. For the first time in the history of serfdom in Russia, the landlord was brought to trial for punishing and defaming peasants, not observing the established standards of corvée.

Until now, much remains to be found in the biography of Hannibal. The traditional version of its origin and place of birth linked the homeland of the arap of Peter with Abyssinia - the north of Ethiopia. But recent studies conducted by the Sorbonne graduate, the Benin slavicist Dieudonne Gnammank, the author of the book "Abram Hannibal," identify his homeland as the boundary of modern Chad and Cameroon. There once was the Sultanate of the Logonian Kotoko. And it is the descendant of this civilization, according to the author, and was Hannibal.

End of life

Most of the descendants of the godson Peter the first and second generations are long-livers. The founder of this loud name died at the age of eighty-five, two months after his faithful wife, Christina, died. He left in 1761 to retire, spent the rest of his life in one of the numerous estates in complete solitude.