Slovak Explorer Móric Beňovský Participated in Slave Trade, Historian Says

Slovak historian and Africanist reveals that Móric Beňovský, the 18th-century explorer known as the "King of Madagascar," participated in the slave trade, highlighting Slovakia's historical connections to colonialism. Beňovský, born in Vrbové near Piešťany in 1741, died on Madagascar in 1786 after a dramatic life that included participation in an anti-Russian uprising in Poland in 1769, capture and exile to Kamchatka, and a subsequent escape that took him around half the world. Despite his popular reputation as Madagascar's king, Beňovský never succeeded in unifying or controlling the island. The historian's research sheds new light on how Slovak historical figures were connected to colonial-era practices, challenging romanticized narratives of the country's past explorers.