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Article: Distinguished Africansin the European Renaissance

(Part 1 of a Series on GreatAfrican Men in European

History)By: Runoo Rashidi| September 28th, 2014 | 10:40 am

September 28, 2014 | Posted by Runoko Rashidi | Originay posted onAtlanta!lacStar"co#!

B" R#$O%O R&S'()(*

Alessandro de$ Medici: %irst Due of %lorence and %irst !lacHead of State in the Modern &estern &orld

+e hae aready dis-ussed in earier essays the Seeran )ynasty o.(mperia Rome, the /oors o. Spain and %enneth the $iger o. S-otand! But&.ri-an bood in uropes royaty aso appears denitey in 13th -entury

(tay! et us speak no5 o. distinguished &.ri-an men in the uropeanRenaissan-e! (ndeed, &essandro de /edi-i, eary 13th -entury )uke o.

6oren-e, has the distin-tion o. being the rst Ba-k head o. state inmodern +estern history!

&--ording to historian 7!&! Rogers, 9o students o. -oor dis-rimination,uropean history oers no more astonishing gure than &essandro de

/edi-i, ;9he /oor, rst reigning )uke o. 6oren-e!10 ? 7an! 3, 1>@A, -aed i /oro< =the

/oor


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re-ogniCed as the ony son o. orenCo (( de /edi-i =grandson o. orenCode /edi-i, the /agni-ent, athough many s-hoars today regard him tobe in .a-t the iegitimate son o. Diuio de /edi-i =ater Pope Eement F((G nephe5 o. orenCo de /edi-i! 'istorians beiee that he 5as born to an&.ri-an 5oman 5orking in the /edi-i househod identied as Simonetta da

Eoae-hio!

&s )uke o. 6oren-e, &essandro, a -ontemporary o. /i-heangeo,be-ame the head o. one o. the most iustrious .amiies in uropean

history G a .amiy that .urnished a ong ro o. statesmen and patrons o.art, as 5e as three popes, three kings o. 6ran-e, three Hueens and a

mother o. one o. ngands kings!@2! 9he6oren-e o. &essandros day 5as ri.e 5ith poiti-a intrigue and the )uke

.e i-tim, sad to say, to an assassination or-hestrated by his -ousinorenCino de /edi-i 5hie ony in his ate 20s in 1>@A! (t 5as an

assassination -ompared to the murder o. 7uius Eaesar!

&essandro 5as suried by his t5o -hidren 5ith 9addea /aespina! 9hese-hidren 5ere Diuio, a son, and Diuia, a daughter G a painting o. 5hi-h in

the +aters &rt /useum in Batimore, /aryand, does not .ai to portrayher &.ri-an boodines! +hen Diuia, in 1>>0, at about the age o. 1>,

be-ame engaged to 6ran-es-o Eantemo, the Eount o. &ito and the )ukeo. Popoi, she 5as proided a do5ry eHuiaent today to about #SI8

miion!

Saint !enedict the Moor

9he &.ri-an presen-e in urope, as 5e hae tried to demonstrate, rangesin status .rom the ery high to the ery o5 G .rom the eJated to thehumbe! 9his period in history, the 13th -entury, and this part o. the

5ord, (tay, 5e iustrates this!

9he man 5ho be-ame kno5n as Saint Benedi-t the /oor, aso kno5n as

St! Benedi-t the Ba-k and St! Benedi-t o. San Phiadephio =aso kno5n asSan 6rateo, 5as born to ensaed &.ri-ans =Ehristian -onerts


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Ehristopher and )iana /anasseri, near /essina, Si-iy, on either &pri 24or &pri 23, 1>23! Benedi-t 5as a -ontemporary o. &essandro de /edi-i

o. 6oren-e, (tay!

&s a re5ard .or the oya seri-e o. his parents to their o5ners, Benedi-t

5as gien his .reedom at the age o. 18! 'e did not attend any s-hoo andremained iiterate his entire i.e! &s a young man, Benedi-t 5as inited toKoin o-a hermits in /onte Peegrino, eentuay be-ame their eader and

made a pigrimage to Syria and gypt!

&though unabe to read or 5rite, Benedi-t, neertheess, oer timebe-ame highy respe-ted .or his deep, broad and intuitie understandingo. both theoogy and the s-riptures, and 5as .reHuenty appeaed to .or

guidan-e and -ounseing!

'e is said to hae died on the day and at the time that he predi-ted, &pri4, 1>8L in Paermo, (tay! 'e 5as beatied by Pope Benedi-t M(F in 1A4@

and -anoniCed in 180A by Pope Pius F((! 'omage to Saint Benedi-t the/oor is re-ogniCed throughout the #nited States, /eJi-o, Eentra and

South &meri-a, in-uding &rgentina, BraCi and FeneCuea! 'is 6east )ay is&pri 4!

'uan atino: A Distinguished African Scholar in 1th *entury Spain

9he 5riter 5as not engendered in Nthis region! 'e -omes, atino, .romthe and o. the thiopians to sing the mareous deeds o. &ustria 5ith the

art o. song!18Q1>LA! Born to ensaed &.ri-ans, possiby in Duinea, +est &.ri-a,he be-ame pro.essor o. Rhetori-, Dreek and atin at the #niersity o.

Dranada in the 13th -entury!

(n 1>28, he 5as brought .rom &.ri-a =perhaps Duinea to Spain! &s a

youth, he earned atin and Dreek and graduated .rom the #niersity o.Dranada in 1>>A! 'e 5as so pro-ient in atin that he dropped his saename and be-ame .amous as 7uan atino! 'e 5as the author o.

theAustriad, a heroi- poem in atin dedi-ated to )on 7uan o. &ustria a.terhis i-tory oer the /oris-o insurre-tion in Dranada, kno5n as the +ar o.

the &puKarras =1>38?1>A2! 'enry ouis Dates re.ers to 7uan atino asthe rst person o. subQSaharan &.ri-an des-ent to pubish a book o.

poems in a +estern anguage!3

in a )ut-h .ort!

9he /artin uther #niersity o. 'aeQ+ittenberg no5 has an annua &nton

+ihem &mo PriCe o. )/ 2,000 in his honor!

&ngeo Soiman 5as the edu-ator o. a hereditary prin-e and an asso-iateo. /oCart! 'e 5as -eebrated in i.e and humiiated in death, his body

eentuay being put on dispay!

Soiman 5as born in &.ri-a, probaby in 5hat is no5 northeastern $igeria,around 1A21! 'is origina name may hae been /madi /ake! &s a young

boy, around 1A28, he 5as -aptured by sae hunters and brought on aSpanish ship to $orth &.ri-a! (n 1A@0, he 5as taken to /essina, Si-iy, and

raised in a 5eathy househod! Soon baptiCed as a Eathoi-, he 5asao5ed to -hoose the name &ngeo< in a--ordan-e 5ith &ngeina,< the

name o. an &.ri-an serant in the same house 5hom he oed ery mu-h!'is surname Soiman< 5as added at the same time!

Sometime bet5een 1A@2 and 1A@4 Soiman 5as made a gi.t to Prin-e7ohann Deorg Ehristian obko5itC G the then &ustrian goernor o. Si-iy,

5ho desired to hae Soiman as a member o. his -ourt! Ja-ty 5hatSoimans attributes 5ere that ed to his i.e o. reatie priiege 5e are not

-ertain, as it 5oud seem that athough ser.dom 5as preaent, -hattesaery itse. did not .ormay eJist in the Derman mpire! +e do kno5

that it 5as in ogue 5ithin the -ir-e o. uropean aristo-ra-y at the timeto hae one or more &.ri-an serants! &nd some o. these &.ri-ans rose to

ery high positions 5ithin so-iety! &pparenty &ngeo Soiman, highytaented and bessed 5ith great intee-tua gi.ts 5as one o. these

&.ri-ans!

obko5itC took Soiman to Bohemia, 5here the youth 5as instru-ted inDerman, (taian, 6ren-h, atin, ECe-h and ngish! 6inay, Soiman 5ith

obko5itC 5ent to 5ar, as Huaied serants 5ere ao5ed to, on-e eensaing the i.e o. the 5ounded by -arrying him a5ay .rom the ed o.

batte on his o5n shouders!

&.ter obko5itCs death in 1A>@, Soiman entered the seri-e o. Prin-e

7oseph +enCe ie-htensteins =13L3Q1AA2! (n 1A31, he a--ompanied


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ie-htenstein to 6rank.urt, 5here 7oseph ( 5as see-ted king o. theDerman mpire!

Soimans reputation as a nobe /oor< and a prote-tor o. the poor anddo5ntrodden gre5 rapidy! (n 1A38, he married /agdaena Ehristiani!

+hen ie-htenstein heard o. Soimans marriage, he red himimmediatey! &.ter his dismissa, Soiman and his 5i.e ied in their o5nsma house in a Fienna suburb, and enKoyed the -ompany o. an eite

-ir-e o. highy edu-ated peope! 9heir ony -hid 7osephine 5as born in1AA2!

(n 1AA@, Prin-e 6ranC 7oseph o. ie-htenstein =1A23Q81, nephe5 o. 7oseph+enCe, paid Soiman an annua saary in return .or Soiman per.orming

the superision oer the edu-ation o. ie-htensteins son, hereditaryprin-e &ois =1A>LQ180>! 9hus haing se-ured on-e again a ee o.

nan-ia se-urity, the Soiman .amiy moed again to Fienna and ied inthe ie-htenstein paa-e! Soiman 5as no5 the edu-ator o. a hereditaryprin-e, a simiar position hed by &braham 'anniba =13L3Q1A81, the

materna greatQgrand.ather o. &eJander Pushkin, 5ho taughtmathemati-s to the thenQ-ro5n prin-e o. Russia in 1A2>! Soiman

maintained this position unti 1A84!

(n September 1A81 Soiman Koined an eite Fienna odge o. 6reemasonskno5n as the 9rue Eon-ord!< Other members o. the odge in-uded+o.gang &madeus /oCart and 7oseph 'aydn! Soiman Us 6reemasons

name 5as /assinissa!< /assinissa =240Q148 B!E!! 5as the ong iedking o. $orth &.ri-as $umidian empire =in present day &geria, and

SoimanVs identi-ation 5ith him indi-ates a -ear a5areness o. his &.ri-anan-estry!

On $o! 21, 1AL3, Soiman, at the age o. A>, died .rom a stroke 5hie5aking in the streets o. Fienna! 'e 5as brought home, and there beganthe great s-anda by 5hi-h he is 5idey kno5n! Shorty a.ter his death,Soimans interna organs may hae been remoed as some part o. hisbody 5as buried t5o days ater! 9hen, at the eJpress orders o. mperor6ran-is ((, the -orpse 5as trans.erred to the .a-uty o. medi-ine 5here

eJperiments< 5ere -arried out! SubseHuenty, the remains 5eredeiered by the reHuest o. an &bbW bere, under 5hose -are the body

5as skinned, stued, and put on dispay in the $atura 'istory /useum o.the (mperia 'ouse o. &ustria! &--ording to one a--ount, the -orpse 5as

skinned, the skin stret-hed oer 5ood, and the irie gure o. &ngeoSoiman restored 5ith striking erisimiitude! 6or 10 years, it 5as eJhibitedto pubi- ie5!< 9he rst sour-e .or these .a-ts 5as an pis-opa appea,

addressed to the (mperia goernment and re.erring to a no5Qost etter o.Soimans daughter! 9he thenQdire-tor o. the (mperia /useum de-ared

that Soimans beauty -aused in the thenQemperor the desire to et him bedispayed as a stued arti.a-t in his museum!

6or >2 years, Soimans stued skin, dispayed as an &.ri-an, 5aseJhibited aongside stued animas in-uding marsh birds and an

aardark! 6inay, in 1848, during a reoutionary uprising, the buidinghousing Soimans morta remains 5as set on re and his body destroyed,


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thus ending perhaps both the most remarkabe and grotesHue eJampe o.Eentra uropes itteQkno5n &.ri-an )iaspora!

Sources:

&)O6 B&)($, &$9O$ +('/ &/O &$) &$DO SO(/&$: &

B(B(ODR&P'"

An+elo &oli-an: The Princely !oor.9rae Beyond Borders, Foume 1,(ssue 1 =September 1LLL: >Q3!

)iakite, /adubuko &!A"rican %iasporans in &'eden: An (n)nishedHistory.und, S5eden, 200>!

6ira, /onika! n &earch o" the $iennese A"rican, An+elo &oli-an /ca. 01#02345: Fro- Educator o" a Hereditary Prince to &tu6ed E7hiit.9($&B&$9#

=Eape 9o5n, Foume 2, $o! 1 =2004: A>QL0

6eming, Beatri-e 7a-kson!An+elo &oli-an.$egro 'istory Buetin, Foume4, $o! @ =)e-ember 1L40!

/-Eendon (((, 7ohn '!Anton Wilhel- A-o: A"rican Philosopher in Europe8 A Brie" Bio+raphy and Historical Considerations. Paper submitted at 9he

Eon.eren-e on &.ri-ans in urope be.ore the 20th Eentury! )e-ember 8Q10, 200>! #niersity o. 9ououse! 9ououse, 6ran-e!

$ett, Pau!An+elo &oli-an 8 Friend o" !o*art! Phyon, Foume A, $o! 1=1L43: 41Q43!

Pred, &an! The Past is 9ot %ead: Facts, Fictions, and Endurin+ acial

&tereotypes./inneapois: #niersity o. /innesota, 2004!Sauer, +ater! %as a"rikanische Wien.Fienna: S&)OEE, 1LL3!

Article: Great !lac Russians:23rahi# Petro4ich Hanni3aland Ale5andre Sergei4ich

Pushin (Part 6 of a Series onGreat African Men in European

History)By:Runoo Rashidi| O-tober 12th, 2014 | 10:41 am

O-tober 12, 2014 | Posted by Runoko Rashidi | Originay posted onAtlanta!lacStar"co#!
http://runokorashidi.com/blog/author/runoko/http://runokorashidi.com/blog/author/runoko/http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/10/12/great-black-russians-ibrahim-petrovich-hannibal-alexandre-sergeivich-pushkin-part-3-series-great-african-men-european-history/http://runokorashidi.com/blog/author/runoko/http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/10/12/great-black-russians-ibrahim-petrovich-hannibal-alexandre-sergeivich-pushkin-part-3-series-great-african-men-european-history/


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))(E&9) 9O (" DO)$ &$))(#)O$$ D$&//&$%O#

B" R#$O%O R&S'()(*

Born in /os-o5 on /ay 23, 1ALL =seera dierent birthdates hae beenoered, &eJandre Sergeii-h Pushkin, the patriar-h o. Russian iterature,5as des-ended on his mothers side .rom /aKorQDenera (brahim Petroi-h'anniba G an &.ri-an =probaby .rom Eameroon and perhaps des-ended.rom royaty 5ho be-ame a .aorite o. Russian ECar Peter ( =1382Q1A2>!

By a a--ounts, 'anniba 5as an eJtraordinary gure and, .rom an &.ri-anperspe-tie, it is Huite interesting that he assumed the name 'anniba Ghimse. an &.ri-an as 5e as one o. the great miitary -ommanders and

strategists in history, and one o. the most outstanding gures .romantiHuity! (n an oX-ia do-ument that 'anniba submitted in 1A42 to

mpress iCabeth, 5hie petitioning .or the rank o. nobiity and a -oat o.arms, he asked .or the right to use a .amiy -rest embaConed 5ith an

&.ri-an eephant!

(n 1A0@, at the age o. A, 'anniba 5as taken to the -ourt o. the OttomanSutan at Eonstantinope! (n 1A04, a.ter a year in the -apita, he 5as taken

a5ay by the deputy o. the Russian ambassador Saa RaguCinsky, 5ho5as .oo5ing the orders o. his superiors =one o. 5hom 5as Pyotr

&ndreyei-h 9ostoy, greatQgrand.ather o. the great 5riter e 9ostoy!

'anniba 5as baptiCed in 1A0> in St! Paraskeas Ehur-h in Finius, 5ithRussian ECar Peter ( =Peter the Dreat as his god.ather! (n 1A1A, he 5ent toParis to -ontinue an edu-ation in the arts, s-ien-es and 5ar.are! By then,

he 5as Yuent in seera anguages and kne5 mathemati-s and geometry!'e .ought 5ith the .or-es o. ouis MF o. 6ran-e against those o. ouisun-e Phiip F o. Spain, and rose to the rank o. -aptain! (t 5as during histime in 6ran-e that he adopted his surname in honor o. the Earthaginiangenera 'anniba! (n Paris, he met and be.riended su-h nightenment

gures as )enis )iderot and Fotaire! Fotaire -aed him the dark star o.the nightenment!2! 9he


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mpress iCabeth had in 1A42 gien him the /ikhaioskoye estate inPsko proin-e 5ith hundreds o. ser.s! 'ere, he retired in 1A32! (t isrumored that the great genera &eksandr Suoro o5ed his i.e as a

sodier to 'anniba, 5ho -onin-ed Suoros .ather to et his son pursue amiitary -areer!

Pushkin 5as eJtremey proud o. his materna greatQgrand.ather, and in anunnished 5ork, The !oor o" Peter thereat, paid great homage to hisiustrious an-estor, repeatedy re.erring to 'anniba as the /oor,< the

Ba-k< and the &.ri-an!!

%ake, (brahima Baba!Ale7ander Pushkin, A reat Black Poet in C*arist

ussia! 9ransated by +ima SukapdKo! &.riHue 'istoire #!S! 1, $o! 1=1L82: 42Q48!


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%emp, Ruth!Ale7ander Pushkin.$egro 'istory Buetin =)e- 1L40!

%iens, 7ohn Oier! reat Black ussian: A 9oBlack ussian Poet.9he Ba-kS-hoar @0, $o! 2 =1L8L 2QL!

9royat, 'enri! Pushkins Ethiopian Ancestry.thiopia Obserer 3 =7uy1L>A!

Fitae, Serena! Pushkins Button: The &tory o" theFatal %uel Which ?illedussias reatest Poet.9ransated .rom the (taian by &nn Dodstein and

7on Roth-hid! ondon: 6ourth state, 1LLL!


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Article: Great Men of African

Heritage in %rance, fro# theGolden Age 7hrough the%rench Re4olution (Part 8 of a

8 Part Series)By: Runoo Rashidi| $oember 1@th, 2014 | 3:23 pm

O-tober 1L, 2014 | Posted by Runoko Rashidi | Originay posted onAtlanta!lacStar"co#!

!9 R./-- RASH2D2;

'oseph !ologne: 7he *he4alier de Saint


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7oseph Boogne, 5ho 5as to be-ome the Eheaier de SaintQDeorges, 5asborn on Ehristmas )ay 1A4> and moed to 6ran-e in 1A>>! (n spite o. his

.athers status, SaintQDeorges &.ri-an heritage made him ineigibe .or thenobiity and its tites under 6ren-h a5! entuay, ega or not, he tookthe tites any5ay! 9his 5as the age o. nightenment in 6ran-e, and yet

phiosophers ike Fotaire 5ere among those 5ho argued that &.ri-ans5ere geneti-ay in.erior to uropeans!

& Code 9oir @La' o" Blacks, restri-ting and reguating the ies o. &.ri-anpeope, had been on the books in 6ran-e sin-e the 1Ath -entury! (t is

undeniabe that he 5as gi.ted, but his inborn taents 5ere magnied byreentess eort, permitting him not ony to be better, but aboe a to

oer-ome the ra-ia barrier that put him in the disdained so-ia -ass o./[atres< =/uattos


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/u-h has been made o. SaintQDeorges reputation as a )on 7uan $oirNBa-k )on 7uan! SaintQDeorges did hae at east one serious romanti-reationship, but ra-ia attitudes made it impossibe .or him to marry

anyone at his ee o. so-iety!

By 1AA8, SaintQDeorges had rea-hed his pro.essiona peak as a-omposer! 'e pubished t5o symphony -on-ertantes in 1AA3 and t5omore in 1AA8! (n 1AAA, he 5rote three ioin -on-ertos and siJ string

Huartets! Some peope -a SaintQDeorges the Ba-k /oCart! ary in 1AAL,SaintQDeorges began per.orming musi- 5ith ueen /arieQ&ntoinette at

Fersaies, at her reHuest! 'e 5as one o. the rst Ba-k /asons in 6ran-e!

SaintQDeorges trips to ngand introdu-ed him to the antiQsaerymoement! entuay, he heped .ound a 6ren-h group -aed the So-iWtWdes amis des noirs NSo-iety o. the 6riends o. Ba-k Peope! SaintQDeorgessupport .or the iberation o. ensaed &.ri-ans 5as 5e kno5n in ngand,and no doubt suX-ienty irritating to Britains sae -arte to make them

try to eiminate him!

(n September 1AL1, a deegation o. Ba-ks asked the $ationa &ssemby o.6ran-e to ao5 them to ght in de.ense o. the Reoution and its

egaitarian ideas! 9he &ssemby approed a -orps -omprised mainy o.Ba-ks, 5ith 800 in.antry and 200 -aary personne! SaintQDeorges 5as

appointed to be its -oone! (ts oX-ia name 5as Wgion .ran-he de-aaerie des &mWri-ains, but it soon be-ame kno5n to a as the WgionSaintQDeorge NSaintQDeorge egion! 9he -oone -hose his .riend and

protege &eJandre )umas as ieutenantQ-oone! ike his -oone, he 5asthe son o. a 6ren-h aristo-rat and an ensaed &.ri-an 5oman! 'e ater

had a son, aso named &eJandre )umas, 5ho 5on .ame as author o. TheThree !usketeers!

SaintQDeorges ied aone in a sma apartment in Paris during the ast t5oyears o. his i.e! (n ate spring 1ALL, an untreated badder in.e-tion -ausedhim to be-ome 5eak and .eerish! 'e died on 7une 10, 1ALL =the year that

&eJandre Pushkin 5as born! 9he ne5spapers -eebrated his memory5ith respe-t and emotion! Sin-e 1L12, a street in Duadeoupe bears his

name! (n )e-ember 2001, the Paris Eity Eoun-i oted to -hange thename o. a Paris street name .rom Rue Ri-hepan-e to Rue du Eheaier deSaintQDeorges! 9he name -hange 5as reHuested by &.ri-an peope .rom

the 6ren-h Earibbean!


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7he Du#as %a#ily in %rance

9he name &eJandre )umas is more than 6ren-h G it is uniersa!

runoko rashidi

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