Jean Amilcar, a young African boy, was kidnapped from Senegal, taken to France by the Governor of French Senegal, Stanislas de Boufflers, and in 1787, was given as a gift to Queen Marie Antoinette, an act that demonstrated how Africans were viewed as mere property and possessions, during that time.
Jean Amilcar was born around 1781 in French Senegal, a key territory within France’s colonial empire. During this period, the Atlantic slave trade devastated African societies, with children often among the most vulnerable victims. Amilcar was enslaved as a young boy and sold to local traders. His fate diverged from the tragic norm when Chevalier de Boufflers, a French colonial official and governor of Senegal, intervened.
Chevalier de Boufflers purchased Amilcar with the intention of saving him from the transatlantic crossing that claimed countless lives. Upon his return to France in 1787, Boufflers presented the boy to Queen Marie Antoinette as a “gift,” a practice not uncommon in European courts where exoticism and colonial acquisitions were often prized.
Unlike many enslaved individuals, Amilcar’s arrival at the French court marked the beginning of a different trajectory. Queen Marie Antoinette, deeply moved by the boy, had him manumitted, baptized, and adopted into her care. It was not unusual for the queen, known for her charitable efforts, to take in foster children. She had previously supported other foster children. However, Amilcar’s case was distinct due to his racial background and status as a former enslaved child.
Rather than raising Amilcar at court, the queen arranged for him to be placed in a boarding school at Saint-Cloud. Marie Antoinette ensured his upkeep and education, paying his expenses even as the French Revolution erupted in 1789.
The outbreak of the French Revolution dramatically altered the fortunes of the royal family and those associated with them. In 1792, Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI were imprisoned, cutting off the financial support that had sustained Jean Amilcar’s education. Without funds, he was expelled from his boarding school.
At just eleven years old, Amilcar was taken in by one of his teachers, Quentin Beldon. Recognizing the boy’s potential, Beldon petitioned the revolutionary government for assistance. The new regime, which had abolished slavery in 1794, extended support to those who had been enslaved under the monarchy.
With state backing, Jean Amilcar continued his education, showing promise as an artist. He was admitted to the National School of Liancourt to train as a painter.
Tragically, Jean Amilcar’s life was cut short in 1796. At around fifteen years old, he fell ill and was admitted to a Paris hospital, where he died later that year. His life, though brief, was defined by his early separation from his homeland and his existence in a society that saw him as property.
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