Kammermohr
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Kammermohr (or Hofmohr) was a German-speaking term since the 18th century for a court servant of black skin colour, which had by that time long been a common feature in European courts.[1]
History
People of black skin colour from the Orient, Africa and America have often been taken to Europe as valets during the time of Colonialism. This became common in the 16th-century and continuted to be fashionable until the early 19th-century. The term Kammermohr was first used as an official term in a court protocol in 1747 in Saxon.
The splendidly decorated Kammermohr, often in livery, served a ruler, church dignitaries or wealthy merchants as an exotic object of prestige and as a status symbol, showcasing their wealth and luxury lifestyle. Above all, however, the valets symbolized the worldwide relations of their employer.
Notable examples
- Anton Wilhelm Amo, kammermohr of Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
- Adriaan de Bruin, kammermohr
- Angelo Soliman, kammermohr of Austrian Emperor Joseph II.
- Ignatius Fortuna, kammermohr of Countess Palatine Francisca Christina of Sulzbach
- Gustav Badin, kammermohr of first Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden and then Princess Sophia Albertine of Sweden.
- Abraham Petrovich Hannibal, kammermohr of Peter the Great
See also
References
- ^ Atlantic understandings: essays on European and American history in honor of Hermann Wellenreuther (in German). LIT Verlag. 2007. p. 88. ISBN 978-3825896072.