The Prince and the Plunder: How Britain took one small boy and hundreds of treasures from Ethiopia - Hardcover

Heavens, Andrew

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9780750997362: The Prince and the Plunder: How Britain took one small boy and hundreds of treasures from Ethiopia
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0750997362 ISBN 13: 9780750997362
Publisher: The History Press, 2023

Synopsis

Part revisionist history, part treasure hunt, this is the forgotten story of Ethiopia's 'Elgin Marbles' and a young prince taken out of Africa to live in Victorian Britain

'Extraordinary and thrilling ... This story should be known to every man, woman and child' LEMN SISSAY, author, My Name Is Why

In 1868, British troops charged into the mountain empire of Ethiopia, stormed the citadel of its monarch Tewodros II and grabbed piles of his treasures and sacred manuscripts. They also took his son – six-year-old Prince Alamayu – and brought the boy back with them to the cold shores of England.

For the first time, Andrew Heavens tells the whole story of Alamayu, from his early days in his father’s fortress on the roof of Africa to his new home across the seas, where he charmed Queen Victoria, chatted with Lord Tennyson and traveled with his towering red-headed guardian Captain Speedy. The orphan prince was celebrated but stereotyped and never allowed to go home.

The book also follows the loot – Ethiopia’s ‘Elgin Marbles’ – and tracks it down to its current hiding places in bank vaults, museum store cupboards and a boarded-up cavity in Westminster Abbey.

A story of adventure, trauma and tragedy, The Prince and the Plunder is also a tale for our times, as we re-examine Britain’s past, pull down statues of imperial grandees and look for other figures to commemorate and celebrate in their place.

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About the Author

Andrew Heavens has worked for newspapers and press agencies for almost thirty years, including six years as a reporter and photographer in Ethiopia and Sudan. He grew up in Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt, and lives in London.

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Publisher
The History Press
Publication date
2023
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0750997362
ISBN 13 
9780750997362
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
272
Rating
  • 4.04 out of 5 stars
    70 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781803996509: The Prince and the Plunder: How Britain took one small boy and hundreds of treasures from Ethiopia

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  1803996501 ISBN 13:  9781803996509
Publisher: The History Press, 2025
Softcover