Treasures on the islands of the Indian Ocean have been sought for centuries. One of the most popular destinations for treasure hunters is Madagascar, located off the southeastern coast of Africa. Everyone who goes there dreams of discovering the treasures of King Moritz Benevsky, who ruled in Madagascar in the 18th century.
A NATURAL REBEL
Agree, a somewhat strange name for an African monarch. Yes, the king of Madagascar was not African. Moritz Benevsky, a born adventurer, was a Slovak citizen of the imperial house of the Habsburgs.
Our hero started with a scandal. Not satisfied with the size of the inheritance received after the death of his father, Moritz tried to take the land from the sisters, but was put on trial. Then he served in the Austrian army, then changed his oath and joined the ranks of the Poles who rebelled against Russian rule. He was captured several times, but invariably fled. In the end, they decided to hide him at the very end of the earth - in the Bolsheretsky prison in Kamchatka.
However, Benevsky did not calm down there either; on the contrary, he led the riot. The Slovak was able to unite exiles from various classes and free settlers, as well as merchants and soldiers thanks to his inexhaustible energy and gift of persuasion. In the meantime, he managed to seduce the prison commandant's daughter. Alas, the poor woman in love died in a shootout between the rioters and the soldiers.
The uprising began on April 27, 1771. Benevsky and the group of prisoners led by him seized the packet boat "Saint Apostle Peter", ammunition, food and treasury. Only a crazy or desperate daredevil, which Benevsky was, could go out into the ocean on a ship intended for coastal voyages. As a result, Moritz and his comrades traveled three oceans - from Kamchatka to France.
But then France was still far away. At first, the fugitives headed for the shores of Japan, then they were able to get to Macau, at that time - the Portuguese colony. There the ship, which had served well, was sold, and the further journey of the thinned group of fugitives continued on a chartered French ship.
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Benevsky not just wanted to get into French possession. France at that time had bad relations with Russia, and Moritz hoped that the French would not hand him over to the Russians as a state criminal. By the way, under the command of this very criminal, the Russians crossed the equator for the first time and crossed the Indian Ocean for the first time. If not for a bad biography, Benevsky would shine on a par with Bering, Krusenstern and Bellingshausen.
SERVANT OF TWO LORD
On March 16, 1772, Benevsky landed on the Ile-de-France (present-day Mauritius). There he met several times with the French governor, from whom he first heard about Madagascar. He was fired up with the idea of colonizing the island.
But this operation required money and people. Therefore, to begin with, Benevsky went to France. Of the 70 people who left Kamchatka with him on "St. Peter", only 40 made it to France.
Surprisingly, the fugitive convict not only managed to get an audience with Louis XV, but also convinced him to organize an expedition to a distant island. Rather, he offered to conquer Madagascar for the French crown. As a result, he received from the king 20 officers and 237 soldiers, with whom he landed on the island in February 1774.
Benevsky calculated everything exactly. Madagascar had an extremely advantageous geographical position. Ships passing by the island, going around the Cape of Good Hope, and - accordingly - all the goods that were transported from Europe to Asia, and from Asia to Europe. Not an island, but a pirate's dream! By the way, it was in Madagascar that the pirate republic of Libertalia existed for some time. And even Peter I was thinking about colonizing Madagascar. The fugitive Swedish admiral persuaded to send the tsar's flotilla there, but Peter Alekseevich died before he could take up the adventure.
A couple of years later, Benevsky, who won the trust of the elders of the tribes inhabiting the island, was proclaimed the supreme leader of Madagascar, in fact, an emonarch. The authorities on the Ile-de-France did not like this. The French colonial hierarchy did not envision royal status. Denunciations flew to Paris on the upstart. As a result, funding and supplies were cut off. Benevsky's detachment was sharply reduced: the soldiers were mowing down tropical diseases, and the newly-minted king was forced to leave for France.
There he was awarded the title of count, the rank of brigadier general and the Order of St. Louis. Why is there suddenly such mercy to a person whose name was mentioned in every second denunciation? Historians suggest that Benevsky was well prepared for the meeting with the king - he filled the holds of his ships with a fair amount of treasures, either taken from the aborigines of Madagascar, or taken from discovered pirate treasures. Well, you and I already know Moritz well enough to assume that he gave the king not the last.
From France, Benevsky moved to Albion, where he was engaged in literary activity for eight years - he wrote books about his incredible adventures in the Indian Ocean. At the same time I was looking for sponsors for new adventures, but in Europe there were none. Then Benevsky goes to the New World. There he met a number of major businessmen, became a friend of Benjamin Franklin. And he manages to convince the Americans that Madagascar is worth taking away from the French.
Benevsky once again betrays his oath and is already in a hurry to the cherished Madagascar under the stars and stripes. A well-armed and well-equipped brig "Captain Pratt" shells a French fort. But to recapture the island from the French with a swoop does not work.
BILLION FRANKS
Then Benevsky, who is still remembered on the island as a king, proceeds to subversive work - convincing the aborigines to expel the French. At the same time, he is building a new capital. He names the city after himself, his beloved, Mauritania. And also … Benevsky is engaged in piracy - he robs French and Dutch ships. Researchers assume that Benevsky managed to capture the French galeas "Angheblois", which brought gold and precious stones from India for several million louis. These treasures still excite the imagination of treasure hunters, because even if Benevsky took possession of them, he absolutely hid them on the island. "Captain Pratt" returned to America light, and the French treasury was not replenished with significant sums in the aforementioned years. In support of the version that Madagascar still keeps countless treasures,says the fact that Benevsky simply had no time to take out and even more to spend the loot - he died on March 23, 1876, a little before he was forty years old.
The French, having come to their senses after the attack of the American landing, asked for help. A whole squadron came from India, Mauritania was besieged. During one of the shelling, Benevsky was killed in his palace by an accidental bullet.
The white king of the black island was buried next to two Russians who had once fled with him from Kamchatka. By the way, if Benevsky managed to gain a foothold in Madagascar, perhaps now the main population of the island was made up of ethnic Poles: Moritz really wanted to gather around him Polish patriots who would not be threatened by either Russian, Prussian or Austrian shackles in Madagascar. However, these are dreams. Adventurer's dreams. In fact, Moritz Benevsky preferred the ringing of noble metal to dreams of freedom, equality and brotherhood.
Maria Zhukova-Gladkova