A MOMENT IN BLACK HISTORY ⚫
Allesandro de’ Medici (1511-37) was the first black head of state in the history of the modern world. Nicknamed “the moor” and “the mule of the Medici, Allesandro was born to an enslaved woman and a Medici father. With the blessing of his father, Allesandro served as Duke of Florence from the age of 19 to 26. Allesandro’s African ancestry was captured in many paintings and written evidence more than sufficiently proved his Blackness, yet museum curators and art historians downplayed his blackness probably because many royal families can trace their bloodlines directly to Allesandro. Only after a team of researchers diligently researched and publicized his ancestry, was Allesandro’s African ethnicity generally embraced by scholars. 📷 Portrait of Duke Alessandro de’ Medici (1510-37) Hermitage Museum
