‘Rodolfo, Deo Gratias Princeps ad Macao’: A Faked Prince of Macao in 18th-Century France

On September 24, 1749, a ‘superb black man’, well dressed, speaking and writing French with surprising resourcefulness, was arrested in the port of Morlaix in Finisterre, often frequented by Breton corsairs. Arrested after a fight in a tavern in the city, the person was identified by the Morlaix pol...

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Published in:Review of Culture
Main Author: Ivo Carneiro de Sousa
Format: Articles
Published: Instituto Cultural de Macau 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40075/4307
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description On September 24, 1749, a ‘superb black man’, well dressed, speaking and writing French with surprising resourcefulness, was arrested in the port of Morlaix in Finisterre, often frequented by Breton corsairs. Arrested after a fight in a tavern in the city, the person was identified by the Morlaix police as someone wanted in several ports of Brittany for having left many unpaid bills and distributing counterfeit bills of debt and exchange. During the police interrogation, the defendant surprisingly identified himself as the ‘Prince of Macao’ and the elder son of its king, the ‘Grand Lord of Macao’. To the astonishment of the officials, he signed his statements with elegance as ‘Rodolfo, Deo Gratias Princeps ad Macao’. This article investigates this well-documented criminal case and then tries to understand the contexts and reasons for this strange falsification of a supposed ‘Prince of Macao’ in mid-18th-century France.
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spelling ‘Rodolfo, Deo Gratias Princeps ad Macao’: A Faked Prince of Macao in 18th-Century France
On September 24, 1749, a ‘superb black man’, well dressed, speaking and writing French with surprising resourcefulness, was arrested in the port of Morlaix in Finisterre, often frequented by Breton corsairs. Arrested after a fight in a tavern in the city, the person was identified by the Morlaix police as someone wanted in several ports of Brittany for having left many unpaid bills and distributing counterfeit bills of debt and exchange. During the police interrogation, the defendant surprisingly identified himself as the ‘Prince of Macao’ and the elder son of its king, the ‘Grand Lord of Macao’. To the astonishment of the officials, he signed his statements with elegance as ‘Rodolfo, Deo Gratias Princeps ad Macao’. This article investigates this well-documented criminal case and then tries to understand the contexts and reasons for this strange falsification of a supposed ‘Prince of Macao’ in mid-18th-century France.
Instituto Cultural de Macau
Macau
Review of Culture
Articles
2024
Bicetre Hospital-Prison
French Britanny
French East India Company.
Morlaix
Prince of Macao
Rodolfo
Ivo Carneiro de Sousa
spellingShingle ‘Rodolfo, Deo Gratias Princeps ad Macao’: A Faked Prince of Macao in 18th-Century France
Ivo Carneiro de Sousa
Bicetre Hospital-Prison
French Britanny
French East India Company.
Morlaix
Prince of Macao
Rodolfo
title ‘Rodolfo, Deo Gratias Princeps ad Macao’: A Faked Prince of Macao in 18th-Century France
title_autocomplete ‘Rodolfo, Deo Gratias Princeps ad Macao’: A Faked Prince of Macao in 18th-Century France
title_full ‘Rodolfo, Deo Gratias Princeps ad Macao’: A Faked Prince of Macao in 18th-Century France
title_fullStr ‘Rodolfo, Deo Gratias Princeps ad Macao’: A Faked Prince of Macao in 18th-Century France
title_full_unstemmed ‘Rodolfo, Deo Gratias Princeps ad Macao’: A Faked Prince of Macao in 18th-Century France
title_short ‘Rodolfo, Deo Gratias Princeps ad Macao’: A Faked Prince of Macao in 18th-Century France
title_sort ‘rodolfo, deo gratias princeps ad macao’: a faked prince of macao in 18th-century france
topic Bicetre Hospital-Prison
French Britanny
French East India Company.
Morlaix
Prince of Macao
Rodolfo
topic_autocomplete Bicetre Hospital-Prison
French Britanny
French East India Company.
Morlaix
Prince of Macao
Rodolfo
topic_facet Bicetre Hospital-Prison
French Britanny
French East India Company.
Morlaix
Prince of Macao
Rodolfo
url https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40075/4307
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