- Publisher: History Press
- Year: 2023
- Format: Hardback
- Pages: 288pp
- Illustrated: Yes
- Dimensions: 240x162mm
- Condition: New
- Weight: 0.6kg
- ISBN: 9780750997362
- Product code: 545951
The Prince and the Plunder
How Britain Took One Small Boy and Hundreds of Treasures from Ethiopia
Andrew Heavens New Hardback Illustrated
Postscript summary
A souring of relations between the British and Tewodros II of Ethiopia eventually resulted in the Battle of Magdala in 1868, following which hordes of manuscripts and cultural artefacts were looted and the Emperor’s young son was taken to England, where he became a favourite of Queen Victoria. This history unravels the mystery of what happened to the treasures and examines the unhappy life of Prince Alamayu.
Product information
Full publisher description
'Extraordinary and thrilling ... This story should be known to every man, woman and child' - Lemn Sissay
In 1868, British troops charged into the mountain empire of Ethiopia, stormed the citadel of its monarch Tewodros II and grabbed piles of his treasures and sacred manuscripts. They also took his son - six-year-old Prince Alamayu - and brought the boy back with them to the cold shores of England.
For the first time, Andrew Heavens tells the whole story of Alamayu, from his early days in his father's fortress on the roof of Africa to his new home across the seas, where he charmed Queen Victoria, chatted with Lord Tennyson and travelled with his towering red-headed guardian Captain Speedy. The orphan prince was celebrated but stereotyped and never allowed to go home.
The book also follows the loot - Ethiopia's 'Elgin Marbles' - and tracks it down to its current hiding places in bank vaults, museum store cupboards and a boarded-up cavity in Westminster Abbey.
A story of adventure, trauma and tragedy, The Prince and the Plunder is also a tale for our times, as we re-examine Britain's past, pull down statues of imperial grandees and look for other figures to commemorate and celebrate in their place.
In 1868, British troops charged into the mountain empire of Ethiopia, stormed the citadel of its monarch Tewodros II and grabbed piles of his treasures and sacred manuscripts. They also took his son - six-year-old Prince Alamayu - and brought the boy back with them to the cold shores of England.
For the first time, Andrew Heavens tells the whole story of Alamayu, from his early days in his father's fortress on the roof of Africa to his new home across the seas, where he charmed Queen Victoria, chatted with Lord Tennyson and travelled with his towering red-headed guardian Captain Speedy. The orphan prince was celebrated but stereotyped and never allowed to go home.
The book also follows the loot - Ethiopia's 'Elgin Marbles' - and tracks it down to its current hiding places in bank vaults, museum store cupboards and a boarded-up cavity in Westminster Abbey.
A story of adventure, trauma and tragedy, The Prince and the Plunder is also a tale for our times, as we re-examine Britain's past, pull down statues of imperial grandees and look for other figures to commemorate and celebrate in their place.
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545951
The Prince and the Plunder
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/History/Categories/Modern History
A souring of relations between the British and Tewodros II of Ethiopia eventually resulted in the Battle of Magdala in 1868, following which hordes of manuscripts and cultural artefacts were looted and the Emperor’s young son was taken to England, where he became a favourite of Queen Victoria. This history unravels the mystery of what happened to the treasures and examines the unhappy life of Prince Alamayu.
Hardback
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rrp_info:£22.99
productId:183226
bic_code:BGH, BGRA, HBJH, HBTB, HBTQ
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£22.99
Andrew Heavens
General
240x162mm
History Press
Yes
Hardback
African
