An nondescript building on the main square of Spišská Sobota, one of the communities within the city of Poprad, boasts an odd history. The home once gave refuge to a Slovak King… of Madagascar! Though that certainly isn’t how he began.
Maurice Benyovszky (Móric Beňovský by Slovak spelling), was born in the Slovak town of Verbó, then a part of the Hungarian empire, in the year 1746. He was well educated as all elite were and attended university near Bratislava. His family made up part of the Hungarian aristocracy and like most young noblemen, Maurice bore expectations to become either a man of the military or the clergy. Adventurous from the start and still in his teens, young Benyovszky joined the army and fought in the 7 years war. He was fairly successful, that is, until his parents died. Sibling troubles and disputes over inheritance resulted in Maurice breaking the law, deserting the military and fleeing to live with his Uncle, a nobleman in Poland.
For a time, Maurice returned to Slovakia, in the care of a butcher in Spišská Sobota, near Poprad as mentioned above. While residing here, he fell in love with the man’s daughter, married her and conceived a child. Before the baby was born, he was found by local authorities and imprisoned for conspiring to create a militia in Poland.
He escaped his confines and again returned to Poland, where he continued the work which had caused his arrest. Maurice was one of the leaders organizing the Confederation of Bar, a militia that opposed Russian control of Poland. The rebellion went sour and he and his fellows were exiled to Eastern Siberia. There he organized another rebellion, this time rallying the local peasants and capturing provisions and a shoddy riverboat. These men, women and children fled Russia, sailing south towards Macau. On the way, they made stops at a few islands near Alaska, the Kuril Islands, just south of the Eastern coast of Russia, and Japan. In Kuril, they abandoned a crew member, one Izmailov, for suspected mutiny. This man would later make his way back to Alaska and provided information to the British explorer James Cook during his expeditions.
When they finally reached Macau, the resident French, British and other foreign traders practically fought over Benyovszky. In his little river boat, he had been the first European to sail the northern pacific and he had mapped the entire journey! Maurice made a deal with the French and secured transport for he and his crew back to Europe. The trip took its toll on the Siberian escapees. Only 27 of the original 70 remained by the time they reached European soil once more.
Undisturbed by the grim results of his plans, Maurice immediately went to work on his next endeavor. He spoke to French nobles and even the King, preaching of his plan to establish a French colony on Madagascar. Eventually, Benyovszky’s charisma won out and the French gave him all the supplies and funding he would need. With this superpower at his back, Maurice quickly sailed to the African island and set up a trading post. His effect on the locals was profound. They adored him and he soon became know among the natives as Ampansakebe in Malagasy—the King of Madagascar. However, despite his success with them, Maurice continued to lose his own men to illness and conflict with less friendly tribes. Hearing the progressively worsening news, the French pulled the plug on his venture.
Back in Paris, Maurice met the American diplomat Benjamin Franklin on whom he made a great impression. Our old national sage invited Maurice to come to America with him and speak to Congress. Seizing any opportunity for other people to pay for his adventures, Benyovszky proposed to Congress and Washington himself, a legion of foreign soldiers that could aid in America’s ongoing conflict with the British. Seemingly the only person unaffected by Maurice’s charms, George Washington denied his proposal and sent him away.
It was no great loss for our adventurer. He turned around, met a few American merchants and convinced them to fund his return to Madagascar in exchange for a steady supply of slaves. This… Maurice never did. Once in Madagascar, he reported an encounter with hostile natives and vanished. He was presumed dead, until the French heard whispers of another trading post on the opposite side of THEIR island.
French troops marched on the camp and, at last, Maurice Benyovszky’s adventures were put to an end.
Never have I heard of a man who did more, yet accomplished so little. Benyovszky’s ventures had little effect on the world and that is why most of us are unaware of this grand personality. He was the first Slovak to visit four continents, the first European to sail in the Northern Pacific Ocean, the first European to investigate the western coast of Alaska, and a true Slovak king, even if he didn’t rule Slovaks. Now, to crown all that off, most of what we know of his life comes from his memoirs… which are full to the brim of lies and fiction. Most of what is in this post stands a better chance of being true than most of the other content, but we just can’t be certain with this man whose life exemplifies the phrase “stranger than fiction”.
Signed,
Andrew
Sources:
- Radio Slovakia International, Zuzana Botíková, “Meet the Slovak king of Madagascar”
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland, “Poland’s “King” of Madagascar Remembered”
(Above you see a bit of a quirk in Maurice’s remembrance, two entries from different nations about their King of Madagascar. Just like both Illinois and Kentucky like to claim to be the home of Abraham Lincoln, so Slovakia, Hungary and Poland fight over Benyovszky. In truth he was a Hungarian descendant, born and raised in Slovakia who identified himself as a Pole. I honestly can’t say what was.)
