The great-grandfather of the famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin Abram Hannibal lived a long and eventful life. The son of a noble African prince, he was abducted in early childhood by the Turks and taken to Constantinople. At the age of seven, the boy came to Moscow and became the favorite arachnochka of Peter I. Subsequently, he managed to get an excellent education and make a brilliant military career, rising to the rank of general-general. Abram Petrovich went down in history thanks to his famous grandson A. S. Pushkin, who dedicated the historical work “Arap of Peter the Great” to him.
Date and place of birth of Hannibal
The dark skin and dark curly hair of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin came from his great-grandfather, Abram Hannibal, who was born in distant and hot Africa. The black-skinned ancestor of the great poet was an extraordinary person, personally acquainted with Peter the Great, Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth and other outstanding personalities of the 18th century. What was the fate of the famous great-grandfather of Pushkin? You can find out about this by reading his biography.
Abram Petrovich Hannibal was born in the last years of the XVII century. The date of his birth is 1696 or 1697. The most likely homeland of Hannibal is considered to be Abyssinia - an area in the north of Ethiopia. But some scholars of the biography of Pushkin’s ancestors are inclined to believe that his great-grandfather was born in the Logon Sultanate, located on the border of Cameroon and Chad. In favor of this opinion is the letter of Hannibal addressed to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, in which he called the place of his birth the city of Logon. However, to date, it has not been possible to find documentary evidence of this version.
First years of life
At birth, Pushkin's great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich Hannibal, bore the name Ibrahim. His father was a noble African prince, who had many wives and children. At the age of seven, Ibrahim, along with his older brother, was abducted by the Turks and sent to Constantinople. There, dark-skinned boys were settled in a palace (seraglio) and began to cook the Sultan in pages. And it is not known how their fate would have developed if Count Savva Raguzinsky-Vladislavich had not arrived in Constantinople in 1705 and acquired them as a gift to Peter the Great.
Why did the Russian tsar need African children, whom in Russia it was customary to call the Ararapians? Peter the Great traveled extensively throughout Europe and often watched black boys serve foreign kings in the palaces. A lover of everything overseas and unusual, he wanted to have an arachno in his service. But not some, but competent and trained in good manners. Meeting the wishes of Peter I, Raguzinsky-Vladislavich looked after the black boys most suitable for service in the tsar’s palace and bought (according to other sources - stole) them from the head of the serral. So Ibrahim and his brother came to Russia.
Baptism, service to Peter I
In the summer of 1705, the newly arrived Arapchat converted to Orthodoxy in the Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Church in Vilnius. During the baptismal rite, Ibrahim was given the name Abram, and his brother, Alexey. The godparents of Pushkin's great-grandfather were Peter the Great and the wife of the Polish king Augustus II, Christian Ebergardin. The middle name was given to the arapchon by the name of the Russian Tsar who baptized them. After that, the African boy Ibrahim became Abram Petrovich. For a long time he bore the name Petrov (in honor of the godfather) and only in the early 40s of the XVIII century changed it.
Abram Hannibal became the favorite arachnochka of Peter the Great. At first, he acted as a servant-plantain (a boy who lived at the threshold of the royal chambers), then became a valet and secretary of the sovereign. Peter I trusted his arap so much that he allowed him to protect the books, maps, and drawings in his office, and also gave him secret orders. In 1716, Pushkin's great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich Hannibal, went with the king on a trip to Europe. In France, he was assigned to study at an engineering school. Having studied in it, Abram Petrovich was included in the French army and took part in the War of the Fourth Union of 1718-1820, where he was wounded in the head.
With the rank of captain, Hannibal returned to Russia in 1723 and was assigned to the Preobrazhensky regiment under the command of Peter I. Thanks to his brilliant knowledge of mathematics gained in Europe, he became the first engineer-general in the history of the Russian army. In addition to the exact sciences, Abram Petrovich was well versed in history and philosophy, knew French and Latin, therefore, in society he was treated as a highly educated person. On Peter's orders, Pushkin's great-grandfather taught young officers mathematics and engineering. In addition, he was instructed to translate foreign books in the imperial court.
In the link
The service of Abram Petrovich Hannibal to Peter continued until his death in 1725. After the death of the sovereign, the arap was out of favor with Prince Alexander Menshikov, who became the de facto ruler of the country. This happened due to the fact that Hannibal knew his sins and secrets too well. He knew about the prince’s intrigues and abuses, and about his close relations with Catherine I. Wanting to get rid of a dangerous witness, Menshikov removed him from the court in 1727 and sent him to Siberia. Abram Hannibal was in exile for more than three years. Until the end of 1729, he was detained in Tomsk, giving out 10 rubles each month.
Service in Pernov
In January 1730, the niece of Peter the Great, Anna Ioannovna, ascended the imperial throne. From childhood, she remembered Abram Petrovich and always treated him well. The new empress abolished the punishment of Hannibal and allowed him to continue military service. From January to September 1730 he was considered a major in the garrison of Tobolsk, after which he was recalled from Siberia and transferred to the city of Pernov in Estonia (now Pärnu in Estonia). Here the arap of Peter the Great was granted the rank of engineer-captain. During the years 1731-1733 he served as commandant in the Pernovsky fortified area and at the same time taught the conductors (junior military engineers) drawing, fortification and mathematics at the garrison school. In 1733, Hannibal resigned, motivating his decision with health problems.
Marriage with Dioper
Shortly after moving to Pernov, Pushkin's great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich Hannibal, for the first time in his life thought about getting married. An inveterate bachelor, who managed to exchange his fourth decade in the early 30s of the 18th century, did not suffer from a lack of attention from the weaker sex. Hannibal’s unusual appearance attracted Russian beauties, and the ardent Arap had a lot of novels, but he never put amorous affairs above military service. His bachelor life continued until at the end of 1730, while on a business trip in St. Petersburg, he met the beautiful Greek woman Evdokia Dioper. Having inflamed the girl with passionate feelings, the African decided to marry her.
Evdokia was the youngest daughter of the Greek galley fleet officer from St. Petersburg, Andrei Diopera, whom Hannibal had to meet on a business trip. Staying in the Northern capital longer than expected, Abram Petrovich was introduced to his family. Ardent Arap really liked the young daughter of Diopera, and he made her an offer of marriage. Despite the fact that Evdokia Andreyevna was in love with the young lieutenant Alexander Kaisarov and was preparing to marry him, her father decided that the godson of Peter the Great would be the best party for her. In early 1731, he forcibly married her with Abram Petrovich in the St. Petersburg church of St. Simeon the God-Receiver. After the wedding, the newlyweds went to Pernov, where Hannibal served. So that Lieutenant Kaysarov would not get confused at Hannibal under his feet, he was transferred to Astrakhan.
Treason and judgment
Forced marriage did not bring happiness to either Abram Petrovich or his young wife. Evdokia did not love her husband and did not keep loyalty to him. In Pernov, she stared at the young military and soon became the mistress of the local don Juan Shishkin, who was a pupil of her husband. In the fall of 1731, Dioper gave birth to a white-skinned and fair-haired girl who could not have been the daughter of Abram Hannibal, a native of Africa. In Pernov, which at that time had only 2 thousand inhabitants, the news of the birth of a black engineer-captain of a white child became a real sensation. The great-grandfather of Pushkin, Abram Petrovich Hannibal, caught the mocking glances of those around him and worried heavily about his wife’s infidelity. It was during this period that he wrote a letter of resignation, which was only satisfied in 1733. After his dismissal, Abram Petrovich moved to Karyakyula Manor, located near Revel.
Hannibal could not forgive the traitorous wife. Rumor had it that he mercilessly beat her, kept her locked up and threatened to kill her. Not wanting to live with Evdokia in the same house anymore, he started a high-profile divorce proceedings, accusing her of adultery. A military court found Dioper guilty and decided to send her to the Hospital yard, where all prisoners were kept. There the unfaithful wife spent a long 11 years. Despite the fact that Evdokia's guilt was proven, the court did not divorce her with her husband, but only punished her fornication.
Second marriage
While Evdokia Dioper was serving a sentence for treason, her husband married a second time. The chosen one of Abram Petrovich was a noble noblewoman of Swedish origin Christina Regina von Sheberg, who lived in Pernov. She was 20 years younger than her husband. Abram Petrovich concluded a marriage with her in 1736, providing instead of a certificate of divorce a certificate of a military court confirming the fact of betrayal of his first wife. After the wedding, he brought his wife to Karyakyula Manor.
1743 Evdokia Dioper was released from prison and soon became pregnant. To marry a new lover, she submitted to the spiritual consistory a request for a divorce from Hannibal, in which she confessed to her past betrayals. Evdokia's unexpected act almost cost Abram Petrovich freedom and career, because he could be accused of bigamy. The divorce proceedings lasted until 1753 and ended unexpectedly safely for Hannibal: he was ordered to repent and pay a fine. The Consistory recognized his marriage with Christina Sheberg as valid, finding the military court guilty in this situation, which should not have considered the case of adultery without the presence of representatives of the Holy Synod. Evdokia was much less fortunate. For the adultery committed in her youth, she was sentenced to imprisonment in the Staroladozhsky Monastery, where she remained until the end of her life.
Progeny
In the marriage with Christina Sheberg, the poet’s great-grandfather had 11 children, of whom only seven survived to adulthood (Ivan, Osip, Isaac, Peter, Sophia, Elizabeth and Anna). The children of Abram Hannibal gave him many grandchildren. His son Osip in 1773 married Maria Alekseevna Pushkina, who, after 2 years, gave birth to a daughter, Nadezhda, the mother of Russian genius Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin.
Of the children of the black godson Peter I, his eldest son Ivan became the most outstanding. He was a famous Russian commander and commander in chief of the Black Sea Fleet. During the Russo-Turkish war of 1768-1774, Ivan commanded the Battle of Navarino and participated in the Chesme battle. Under his direct supervision in 1778, Kherson was founded. As you can see, the descendants of Abram Hannibal have become outstanding and respectable people.
Military career under Elizabeth I
In 1741, Abram Petrovich returned to military service. During this period, the daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth I, ascended the throne, who favored the arap and contributed to the growth of his career. The biography of Abram Hannibal testifies that in 1742 he received a gift from the Empress to Karjakylu Manor, in which he lived, and several other estates. In the same year, Hannibal was elevated to the position of Chief Commandant Revel and awarded the palace lands near Pskov, where he subsequently founded the Petrovskoye estate. At the beginning of the 1840s, on the initiative of Elizabeth, Abram Petrovich changed the name Petrov to the more sonorous Hannibal, taking it in honor of the legendary commander of antiquity, who, like him, was a native of Africa.
In 1752, Abram Hannibal was transferred from Revel to Petersburg. The African great-grandfather of the Russian genius held the post of manager of the engineering part, and later supervised the construction of the Kronstadt and Ladoga canals and founded a school for the children of craftsmen and workers. Abram Petrovich rose to the rank of general-general and resigned at the age of 66.
last years of life
After the dismissal, the dark-skinned great-grandfather of Pushkin settled with his wife in the village of Suida near St. Petersburg. He was a very wealthy landowner, who owned more than 3 thousand serfs. Hannibal lived in Suida for the last 19 years of his life. Alexander Suvorov came to visit him more than once, with whose father Abram Petrovich was friends for a long time. According to rumors, it was he who convinced his friend to teach his son military affairs.
In the winter of 1781, at the age of 64, Christina Sheberg died. Hannibal survived her only 2 months and died on April 20, 1781. He was 85 years old. Abram Petrovich was buried in a village cemetery in Suida. Unfortunately, his grave has not been preserved to this day. Now in the house where Hannibal spent his last years, is his museum-estate.
Disputes around the portrait of great-grandfather Pushkin
Our contemporaries do not know exactly what Abram Hannibal looked like. The photo of his portrait in military uniform, which is presented in books and on the Internet, is not finally identified by the researchers. According to one version, the man depicted on the old canvas is really great-grandfather of A.S. Pushkin Abram Hannibal, according to another - the general-chief of the times of Catherine II, Ivan Meller-Zakomelsky. One way or another, but the portrait of a dark-skinned man in military uniform that has survived to our days is considered by most of Pushkin’s biographers to be one of the few surviving images of Abram Petrovich.
The memory of Hannibal in literature and cinema
Abram Hannibal Pushkin did not find. The legendary Russian poet was born 18 years after the death of his African great-grandfather. Alexander Sergeyevich was always interested in the biography of Abram Petrovich and described his life in his unfinished historical work “The Arap of Peter the Great”. In 1976, the Soviet director A. Mitt, based on the Pushkin novel, made the feature film The Tale of How Tsar Peter Arapa Married. The role of Hannibal in the film was played by Vladimir Vysotsky.