Zamor
Encyclopedia
Zamor (b. 1762? - d. 7 February 1820) was a French revolutionary of Bengali
origin, who as a boy of eleven, was picked from Chittagong
by slave traders and sold to Countess du Barry
who nurtured and educated him. Later, he turned on his mistress and betrayed her to the Committee of Public Safety
.
He participated in the French Revolution and was imprisoned by the Girondins for six months. He spent his later life in a house in Rue Maître d’Albert, Paris
as a school teacher. He died on 7 February 1820.
. In 1773, when he was eleven years old, he was captured by English
slave traders who trafficked him into France
via Madagascar
and sold him to Louis XV of France
who gifted the young boy to his mistress, Countess du Barry
. The boy was christened as Louis Benedict or Louis Benoit. The Countess developed a liking for the boy and educated him. Zamor developed a taste for literature
and was inspired by the works of Rousseau. Till her death, the Countess was under the wrong impression that Zamor was African.
Records of the period suggest that Zamor might have been extremely mischievous as a child. She noted in her memoirs:
broke out, Zamor took the side of the revolutionaries and joined the Jacobins
. He began to detest Countess du Barry under whom he worked as a page and deplored her lavish lifestyle. He also protested her repeated visits to England with the intention of retrieving her lost jewellery and warned her against protecting aristocrats
. But the Countess refused to comply. Hence, using his influential position in the Committee of public safety
, Zamor got the police to arrest the Countess in 1792 on her return from one of her many visits to England. The Countess, however, secured her release from jail and found out that the arrest was the handiwork of her page. She promptly dismissed Zamor from service. Infuriated, Zamor became more vocal and open in his support to the Revolution. He brought out charges against the Countess eventually leading to her arrest and execution at the guillotine
. At the trial, Zamor gave Chittagong
as his birthplace.
, a detective series created by Maurice Tillieux
. Set in 1953 it has Jourdan trying to find out why a fake guillotine
blade is hanging outside the door of a black African friend. The one responsible turns out to be a man obsessed with Madame du Barry and taking his anger at her death out on Jourdan's friend who looks like Zamor. The action is set in Rue Maître Albert where Zamor lived before his death.
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
origin, who as a boy of eleven, was picked from Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
by slave traders and sold to Countess du Barry
Madame du Barry
Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry was the last Maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XV of France and one of the victims of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.-Early life:...
who nurtured and educated him. Later, he turned on his mistress and betrayed her to the Committee of Public Safety
Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety , created in April 1793 by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, formed the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror , a stage of the French Revolution...
.
He participated in the French Revolution and was imprisoned by the Girondins for six months. He spent his later life in a house in Rue Maître d’Albert, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
as a school teacher. He died on 7 February 1820.
Zamor's early life and upbringing
Zamor was born in the town of Chittagong in the state of BengalNawab of Bengal
The Nawabs of Bengal were the hereditary nazims or subadars of the subah of Bengal during the Mughal rule and the de-facto rulers of the province.-History:...
. In 1773, when he was eleven years old, he was captured by English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
slave traders who trafficked him into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
via Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and sold him to Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
who gifted the young boy to his mistress, Countess du Barry
Madame du Barry
Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry was the last Maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XV of France and one of the victims of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.-Early life:...
. The boy was christened as Louis Benedict or Louis Benoit. The Countess developed a liking for the boy and educated him. Zamor developed a taste for literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and was inspired by the works of Rousseau. Till her death, the Countess was under the wrong impression that Zamor was African.
Records of the period suggest that Zamor might have been extremely mischievous as a child. She noted in her memoirs:
Role in the French Revolution
When the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
broke out, Zamor took the side of the revolutionaries and joined the Jacobins
Jacobin (politics)
A Jacobin , in the context of the French Revolution, was a member of the Jacobin Club, a revolutionary far-left political movement. The Jacobin Club was the most famous political club of the French Revolution. So called from the Dominican convent where they originally met, in the Rue St. Jacques ,...
. He began to detest Countess du Barry under whom he worked as a page and deplored her lavish lifestyle. He also protested her repeated visits to England with the intention of retrieving her lost jewellery and warned her against protecting aristocrats
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
. But the Countess refused to comply. Hence, using his influential position in the Committee of public safety
Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety , created in April 1793 by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, formed the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror , a stage of the French Revolution...
, Zamor got the police to arrest the Countess in 1792 on her return from one of her many visits to England. The Countess, however, secured her release from jail and found out that the arrest was the handiwork of her page. She promptly dismissed Zamor from service. Infuriated, Zamor became more vocal and open in his support to the Revolution. He brought out charges against the Countess eventually leading to her arrest and execution at the guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
. At the trial, Zamor gave Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
as his birthplace.
Imprisonment
Soon after the execution of the Countess, Zamor was arrested by the Girondins on suspicion of being an accomplice of the Countess and on being a Jacobin. He was tried and imprisoned but was able to secure his release after spending six weeks in jail. Zamor fled France re-appearing only in 1815 after the fall of Napoleon. Zamor bought a house in Rue Maître d’Albert near the Latin Quarter of Paris and spent the last days of his life as a school teacher.Death
Zamor died on 7 February 1820 and was buried in Paris. His funeral, reportedly, had a very little attendance.In popular culture
A short two-page comic strip La Rue perdue ("The Lost Street") was published in 1978, featuring Gil JourdanGil Jourdan
Gil Jourdan is a Belgian detective comic strip created by Maurice Tillieux. It is considered a great combination of mystery, adventure and humour, and a masterpiece of European comics.-Origin and Premise:...
, a detective series created by Maurice Tillieux
Maurice Tillieux
Maurice Tillieux was a Belgian writer and comic artist. He is regarded by many as a major figure of post-war Belgian comics.-Early life:...
. Set in 1953 it has Jourdan trying to find out why a fake guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
blade is hanging outside the door of a black African friend. The one responsible turns out to be a man obsessed with Madame du Barry and taking his anger at her death out on Jourdan's friend who looks like Zamor. The action is set in Rue Maître Albert where Zamor lived before his death.