Abram Petrovich Hannibal

Ibrahim Hannibal, Pushkin's great-grandfather and a well-known black figure in pre-revolutionary Russia, was a military engineer. His story is familiar to many. He was the son of an African ruler, a vassal of the Turkish sultan, and along with his brother, was captured as a result of a conflict between the vassal and his suzerain, ending up in Constantinople. A Russian ambassador transported the boys to Moscow. Peter I, moved by their fate, became their godfather, and in Moscow, the brothers were baptized into Orthodoxy, receiving the names Abram and Alexei. Their godmother was the Polish queen.

A few years later, Ibrahim, who took the surname Hannibal in honor of the famous general, received an education in France. He served briefly in the French army, but after being wounded, he retired and returned to Russia, where he re-enlisted in the military.

Notably, Hannibal was known for his humane treatment of serfs, prohibiting corporal punishment, but he exhibited cruelty towards his wife out of jealousy, even resorting to torture.

Ibrahim Hannibal was involved in the construction of the Kronstadt Canal, opening a hospital for workers and later a school for their children. He also built several military fortifications on the border with Sweden. After Peter's death, he taught mathematics and drawing to non-commissioned officers in Pernov, now known as the Estonian city of Pärnu.