Tybalt Rosembraise
Encyclopedia
Born on the island of La Désirade in 1798, of a French hebertist
father fleeing the repression of the Committee of public Salute, and of a slave mother descended from the Carib Indians. Tybalt Rosembraise was an adventurer who crossed his era as dilettantist : a revolutionary in Argentina
, a peasant on the Pampa
, a dandy in Paris
, a pirate on the Mediterranean Sea, a fisherman in Siberia
, a smuggler in China, he led a life free of thought and action to disappear finally in France
in 1839. A witness of his time, catalyst of uprisings, he multiplied his encounters and « identities » to the point that today it is difficult to say who this man really was.
His parents not taking interest in his education, Tybalt would have spent his childhood between Les Galets, left the West of the island frequented by smugglers, and Baie-Mahaus in the extreme east, where he would have worked in the leper-house.
on a merchant ship.
Maurice Magre asserts that between 1812 and 1814 Rosembraise lived among natives of Amazonia.
In Buenos Aires
, he made friends with Samuel Spiro
, lieutenant of the marines, that he would see die on 28 March 1814, while Rosembraise had just been captured by the enemy. A little while later he was won in a game of chance by a rich owner, but he managed to run away and join the Argentina freedom fighters.
In May 1814, the young Rosembraise took part in The combat of Buceo where from which he would emerge wounded in his arm. Then He was taken in by Gaucho
of the Argentine pampa, with whom some fought the royalist armies. Introduced as « rastreador » (specialist of the "tracking" of animals and people), he organized numerous sabotages against the Spanish colonizers. In November 1816, he participated in the battle of India Muerta
again Portuguese troops. If from a military point of view it was a defeat, Tybalt Rosembraise had a significant meeting with a Portuguese deserter
that he followed to Europe.
where he made a long-lasting friendship with a librarian of Coimbra
, Jorge Ramos whom he would find again later. He helped some Resistance fighters in Spain
to fight against the Napoleonic armies, before leaving for Paris.
Of his Parisian journey we know very little, except the story of Dorothea von Biron
who might have been his lover. She spoke about a man « with loose morals but had hard look » who was successful with a number of women from good families. It would be issues with women which would force him to run away from France
in 1819 for the Maghreb
.
. He ran away from the army then roamed without water or food in the desert of Syria for several days, and was finally saved by Bedouin people. They presented him to « the queen of Palmyre », Lady Stanhope, with whom he had a relationship until he refused to follow her into the country of the Druze
, preferring to leave on the caravan roads connecting the East in Asia.
, the Kazakh
steppes and then the Mongolian steppes as far as lake Baikal
, where he had been told as it was he would find one of the most beautiful places of the world. Welcomed warmly by the local people and exhausted by the journey, he would become established in the region as a fisherman, and lead a simple and peaceful life for 3 years.
Afterwards, he investigated the Amur River during the spring and summer of 1827, before he crossed North of Empire Qing
(China) the following winter, attending a mystic school close to Taoism
, but his desire for the women and his contempt for conforming saw him rejected by the community, and three months in prison.
After these months, he was contacted by the East Indian Trading Company to illegally organize and transport boxes of opium
to China
via Lingding
.
Although he did not deliver any boxes, Tybalt Rosembraise took the money of the English, making a success of a swindle which made him famous among the storekeepers and local sailors, but hated by the English traders and Chinese administration, some wanting to get back the money and others seeing him an uncontrollable opium trafficker. Under the cover of a false identity (he was called « Baudi Grisolia ») he discreetly left Asia on a clipper
.
In December 1837, he found his librarian friend Jorge Ramos with whom he studied literature, fine art and philosophy. He told him about some of his adventures which he had noted on several pads (today all missing). Jorge Ramos dedicated one book to him, called Recordações de Tybalt Rosembraise (translation: Tybalt Rosembraise's Memories); memories of their discussions and his journeys. We learn among other things, of Tybalt Rosembraise's taste for poppies
, Italian wines, oriental music and love stories. He loved to describe the life like a long sequence of accidents, mishaps, chance meetings and unexpected moments, and more especially, he thought that life history is discontinuous it is made up of ruptures and limits, breaks and transformations, not always progress. We also discover his personality: discreet but sometimes provocative, seductive but often loving, close to an ideology which we can qualify as anarchist today without ever being partisan, alife never stopped being carried by a constant movement of justice and libertarian revolt.
In 1839, Tybalt Rosembraise decided to come back to Paris to find « an old friend » the name of which he did not clarify (a woman?). He refers simply to his friend « a meeting near the street of Furstenberg ».
All these questions remain unresolved, because after 1839 we lose any of Tybalt Rosembraise's track.
Hébertists
The Hébertists were an ultra-revolutionary political faction associated with the populist journalist Jacques Hébert. They came to power during the Reign of Terror and played a significant role in the French Revolution....
father fleeing the repression of the Committee of public Salute, and of a slave mother descended from the Carib Indians. Tybalt Rosembraise was an adventurer who crossed his era as dilettantist : a revolutionary in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, a peasant on the Pampa
Pampa
The Pampas are the fertile South American lowlands, covering more than , that include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and Córdoba, most of Uruguay, and the southernmost Brazilian State, Rio Grande do Sul...
, a dandy in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, a pirate on the Mediterranean Sea, a fisherman in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, a smuggler in China, he led a life free of thought and action to disappear finally in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1839. A witness of his time, catalyst of uprisings, he multiplied his encounters and « identities » to the point that today it is difficult to say who this man really was.
Childhood
The only source which we have concerning Tybalt's youth is the testimony of his friend Jorge Ramos.His parents not taking interest in his education, Tybalt would have spent his childhood between Les Galets, left the West of the island frequented by smugglers, and Baie-Mahaus in the extreme east, where he would have worked in the leper-house.
South America
At the age of 14, he understood that he would not inherit any title and it would be labor or employment which would condemn him not to have life choices and to create wealth in exchange for an awful salary. Refusing this fate, he decided to leave for South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
on a merchant ship.
Maurice Magre asserts that between 1812 and 1814 Rosembraise lived among natives of Amazonia.
In Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, he made friends with Samuel Spiro
Samuel Spiro
Miguel Samuel Spiro was born in Hydra Island, Greece. He emigrated to Buenos Aires with his two brothers in 1810, and was an early supporter of the May Revolution that year....
, lieutenant of the marines, that he would see die on 28 March 1814, while Rosembraise had just been captured by the enemy. A little while later he was won in a game of chance by a rich owner, but he managed to run away and join the Argentina freedom fighters.
In May 1814, the young Rosembraise took part in The combat of Buceo where from which he would emerge wounded in his arm. Then He was taken in by Gaucho
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
of the Argentine pampa, with whom some fought the royalist armies. Introduced as « rastreador » (specialist of the "tracking" of animals and people), he organized numerous sabotages against the Spanish colonizers. In November 1816, he participated in the battle of India Muerta
Battle of India Muerta
The Battle of India Muerta was a battle between the Portuguese forces under Alejandro Queiró in Rocha, modern-day Uruguay. The Portuguese were victorious....
again Portuguese troops. If from a military point of view it was a defeat, Tybalt Rosembraise had a significant meeting with a Portuguese deserter
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
that he followed to Europe.
Europe
Now, he was 18 years old. Leading his life as he wanted, he did not stay for a long time in PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
where he made a long-lasting friendship with a librarian of Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
, Jorge Ramos whom he would find again later. He helped some Resistance fighters in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to fight against the Napoleonic armies, before leaving for Paris.
Of his Parisian journey we know very little, except the story of Dorothea von Biron
Dorothea von Biron
Dorothea von Biron, Princess of Courland, self-styled Dorothée de Courlande , was a Baltic German noblewoman. Her mother was Dorothea von Medem, Duchess of Courland, and although her mother's husband, Duke Peter von Biron, acknowledged her as his own, her true father was a Polish statesman...
who might have been his lover. She spoke about a man « with loose morals but had hard look » who was successful with a number of women from good families. It would be issues with women which would force him to run away from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1819 for the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
.
North Africa and The Middle East
In some circumstances, Tybalt Rosembraise practised piracy with the Barbaresques. Following his refusal to murder a prisoner, he was rejected and sent to an Ottoman cargo in SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. He ran away from the army then roamed without water or food in the desert of Syria for several days, and was finally saved by Bedouin people. They presented him to « the queen of Palmyre », Lady Stanhope, with whom he had a relationship until he refused to follow her into the country of the Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
, preferring to leave on the caravan roads connecting the East in Asia.
Asia
Traveling by foot and horse, he crossed SamarkandSamarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
, the Kazakh
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
steppes and then the Mongolian steppes as far as lake Baikal
Baikal
Baykal commonly refers to Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, Russia.Baykal or Baikal may also refer to:-Russia:*Baykal, Irkutsk Oblast, an urban-type settlement*Baykal, Aurgazinsky District, Republic of Bashkortostan, a village...
, where he had been told as it was he would find one of the most beautiful places of the world. Welcomed warmly by the local people and exhausted by the journey, he would become established in the region as a fisherman, and lead a simple and peaceful life for 3 years.
Afterwards, he investigated the Amur River during the spring and summer of 1827, before he crossed North of Empire Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
(China) the following winter, attending a mystic school close to Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
, but his desire for the women and his contempt for conforming saw him rejected by the community, and three months in prison.
After these months, he was contacted by the East Indian Trading Company to illegally organize and transport boxes of opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
via Lingding
Nei Lingding Island
Nei Lingding Island |Pearl River]] estuary in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. Although it is located closer to the eastern shore of the estuary, it is administratively part of the prefecture-level city of Zhuhai, whose main administrative center is located on the west shore of the...
.
Although he did not deliver any boxes, Tybalt Rosembraise took the money of the English, making a success of a swindle which made him famous among the storekeepers and local sailors, but hated by the English traders and Chinese administration, some wanting to get back the money and others seeing him an uncontrollable opium trafficker. Under the cover of a false identity (he was called « Baudi Grisolia ») he discreetly left Asia on a clipper
Clipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
.
Coming back to Europe
Although sometimes evoked , Tybalt Rosembraise's exact route from 1830 till 1837 (except places previously quoted) remains to us in fact a complete mystery.In December 1837, he found his librarian friend Jorge Ramos with whom he studied literature, fine art and philosophy. He told him about some of his adventures which he had noted on several pads (today all missing). Jorge Ramos dedicated one book to him, called Recordações de Tybalt Rosembraise (translation: Tybalt Rosembraise's Memories); memories of their discussions and his journeys. We learn among other things, of Tybalt Rosembraise's taste for poppies
Poppy
A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime....
, Italian wines, oriental music and love stories. He loved to describe the life like a long sequence of accidents, mishaps, chance meetings and unexpected moments, and more especially, he thought that life history is discontinuous it is made up of ruptures and limits, breaks and transformations, not always progress. We also discover his personality: discreet but sometimes provocative, seductive but often loving, close to an ideology which we can qualify as anarchist today without ever being partisan, alife never stopped being carried by a constant movement of justice and libertarian revolt.
In 1839, Tybalt Rosembraise decided to come back to Paris to find « an old friend » the name of which he did not clarify (a woman?). He refers simply to his friend « a meeting near the street of Furstenberg ».
Disappearance
What excited, and still excites the imagination most about the life of Tybalt Rosembraise, is his sudden and total disappearance after his departure for Paris in 1839, while he was only 34 years old. Did he finally arrive in Paris? Did he « line up », find honest employment, and end his wandering? Did he sink into poverty or was he murdered along the way? How long did he live? Months? Or long years?All these questions remain unresolved, because after 1839 we lose any of Tybalt Rosembraise's track.
First-hand testimony
- Duchesse de Dino, Chronique de 1831 à 1862, 1909, éd. par Marie de Castellane.
- Charles Lewis Meryon, Memoirs of the Lady Hester Stanhope, as relaled by herself in conversations with her physician, comprising her opinions and anecdotes of some of the most remarquable persons of her lime, 3 volumes, Londres, H. Colburn, 1845.
- Jorge Ramos, Recordações de Tybalt Rosembraise, Lisboa, Livraria Ferreira Editora, 1869
Works study
- M. Magre, Les Aventuriers d’Amérique du Sud, Grasset, 1935.
- G.Meinass, Les grands voyageurs contemporains, Hachette, 1894.