5 enslaved Africans who became royals and noble members of Western societies

Anton Wilhelm Amo

Anton Wilhelm Amo

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Anton Wilhelm Amo was born in Gold Coast, present-day Ghana, in a town in the Central Region called Axim. At the age of four, Anton was taken by slavers and transported by the Dutch West Indies Company to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

There is no accurate date stating when exactly he was born, but research has concluded that he might have been born in 1703 due to the fact that he was just four years old when he was baptized in Germany in 1707. After being captured by slavers and surviving the long sea journey, Aton was presented as a gift to the Duke of Brunswick -Wolfenbuttel in Saxony called Urlic Anton.

After a while, the Duke became fond of little Anton and later decided to adopt him. In  1707, Anton was baptised in the palace’s chapel and was named Anton Wilhelm; he will later grow to add his original name Amo to his name.

Through his new royalty status, Anton received a sound education, royalty treatment and became one of the first black philosophers and lecturers in Europe in the 18th century.