Black European Nobility

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Maria Jacoba van Goor

Black nobility in Europe? According to Black Dutch researcher Egmond Codfried and author of the book “Belle van Zuylen’s forgotten grandmother” there was Black nobility in Europe but their story and images were carefully hidden. His claims are controversial and of course rejected by European historians and the man in the street.

Codfried has studied hundreds of paintings of famous and less famous nobility and regularly stumbled upon people who looked Black or coloured, although White, clearly had African facial features.

Of his work he writes:
“This study of historical sources and literature on Black and coloured historic persons was inspired by the chance finding of a portrait of Maria Jacoba van Goor (portraited in the picture).
We get a view of the problems and of the methods to identify these Europeans. This beautiful painting was also a reason to cast an afrocentric view at Belle van Zuylens life and her works, the biographies on the origin of her financial fortune.

Through her coloured grandmother, the Dutch Belle van Zuylen (1740-1805) also known as Madame de Charrière, joins the rank of writers such as the Russian Alexander Pushkin, French Alexander Dumas and Colette, the Britons Elizabeth Barrett and her husband Robert Browning, as well as the German classic composer Ludwig von Beethoven and Queen Charlotte of Britain.

They are Europeans of great merit, who had Black forefathers. Belle was a friend of Pierre Alexander Du Peyrou (1729-1794), a brown coloured and wealthy Surinam plantation owner in Swiss. He is renowned as a close friend, benefactor and publisher of the most famous philosopher of the Enlightenment, Jean Jaques Rousseau.

The reason why he studies nobility rests on the fact that the nobility left traces in the form of portraits and writings.

Some of his claims:

Black European Nobility Anna Boleyn

Queen Charlotte Sophie of Mecklenburg Strelitz (1744-1818), Wife of George III
Described by others in her time as ‘a true mulatto face’ , ‘ brown’ or ‘ yellow.’ Her nose is to wide and her mouth shows the same description.

Black European Nobility Maurits Huygens

Maurits Huygens (painted by Rembrandt in 1632) the older brother of Constantijn Huygens. Constantijn was one the most famous poets in the Golden Century.


The way Black people were portraited

Painting by French-Swiss painter Liotard

A painting of the French-Swiss painter Liotard (1702-1789) “Portrait of a young woman”. Liotard is also considered coloured by Codfried.