African Prince at the Court of the - College of William and Mary

8 The Monitor - Summer 2011
the Dominicans or Aniaba himself of fabricating the story of his royal
origins. Whether or not he was a prince, the saga of Aniaba— baptized
Louis in honor of the king in 1691—is noteworthy in what it reveals
about the intersection of racial attitudes and religious thought in
early modern France. 2
In light of the religious division of the late seventeenth century
and the passage of racial legislation such as the Code Noir in 1685,
Aniaba’s story demonstrates the ostensible erasure or accommodation
of racial distinction by religious activity and instruction when it suited
political policy—which is itself inextricably tied to religious concerns and
issues. As Louis XIV’s policy near the end of his reign was largely fuelled
by asserting Roman Catholicism—specifically, his hold on the French or
Gallican Church—the attraction of welcoming to court and ultimately
converting an African sovereign was great. The fact that Aniaba was
touted as a prince could only have made things easier for a king whose
reputation was built on the image of glory, grandeur, and display.
Baroque Bodies: Africans at Court in the Grand Siècle
Aniaba and Banga would not have seemed entirely out of
place to the Sun King’s court. African visitors had made their way
to the French court as early as 1479 when “Antoine de Neyne,
Nègre,” visited Louis XI. 3 By the fifteenth century, Portuguese
traders were returning home with objects from West Africa—turned
ivory drinking vessels and eating utensils—that were destined
for aristocratic tables and curiosity cabinets. 4 African-inspired
entertainments had been a part of the Bourbon court spectacles
since the reign of Henri IV. Pseudo African- and even Amerindianinspired
music was a mainstay in court ballets, where European
interpretations of the comba and other exotic dances were regularly
featured on-stage at court, at Paris theatres and opera houses, and
in popular street theatre during fairs. African animals, including
rhinoceroses, lions, flamingos, and elephants were kept at the
royal menagerie to the delight of the king’s court and visitors to
Versailles. Christian religious tradition also incorporated African
figures. Balthasar—one of the three Biblical Magi—was often
represented as an “Ethiopian” or black African in illuminations,