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How a captured boy from Ethiopia became the ancestor of European royals.
The birth name of Abram Gannibal is unknown and his origins are cloudy, as is common for enslaved Africans of the time. Historians believe that Abram was the son of a minor chief in modern day Cameroon. Abram’s father was said to be wealthy, with multiple wives and at least nineteen children. However, Abram’s father was killed in battled and Abram was captured by Ottoman Turks. Abram was forced on a ship and his sister, Lagan, drowned in an attempt to save her brother.
Abram was taken to Constantinople and enslaved in Sultan Ahmed III’s household. After a year of captivity, a Russian envoy visited the Sultan’s house, looking for clever slaves for the Tsar. The Russian envoy bribed the Ottoman’s and selected Abram, who was then dispatched to Moscow.
Upon Abram’s arrival in Moscow, the Tsar, Peter the Great, took a liking to the boy. Peter had Abram baptized and stood as the boy’s godfather. As Abram didn’t know his birthdate, he would use his baptismal date as the date of his birth for the rest of his life. Abram would serve as the Tsar’s valet, accompanying him on military campaigns. He also had a warm relationship with the Tsar’s daughter, Elizabeth.
