Benyowsky's mansion in Vrbove

Maurice Benyowsky (1741/1746-1786) left a legacy as a visionary, a brave explorer, an entrepreneur, a knight carrying the flag of liberty over four continents, and as a citizen of the world. He was a nobleman of the Kingdom of Hungary, which encompassed present day Slovakia. Born in Vrbove, he was proud of his Slovak, Hungarian and Polish background. Because of his rebellious attitude in matters of religion and towards authority, however, he had to leave the country. Benyowsky joined the Polish Confederation to fight for independence from Russia, side by side with the Pulaski brothers, achieving the rank of General.

After he was taken captive, he managed to escape from Siberia and started a discovery trip heading to California through the Northern Pacific (years before Capt. Cook and LaPerouse). He navigated through the Aleutian Islands, but had to change course to Japan, Formosa, and Macao. When he arrived in France in 1772, he was empowered by King Louis XV to establish trading posts on Madagascar. Besides building the posts and exploring the interior of the fourth largest island in the world, Benyowsky also unified its tribes. Local kings elected him as their "Ampansacabe" (Emperor).

Back in France in 1776, Benyowsky was promoted to General in the french army and was awarded the Order of Saint Louis. Later he was pardoned by Roman Empress and Queen of Hungary Maria Theresa and the title Count was bestowed upon him. Benyowsky prepared a project to develop trade and an imperial fleet in the Mediterranean. He was then empowered by Emperor Joseph II to set up a colony on Madagascar.

While in Paris he became a close friend of Benjamin Franklin, and the two were often joined by Casimir Pulaski. Pulaski then proposed to the Continental Congress to take over Madagascar. In 1779, Benyowsky arrived in Philadelphia to offer his services to the American Revolution. With the help of the Continental Congress, he joined Pulaski at the Battle of Savannah, arriving in time to witness his friends tragic end.

In 1782, Benyowsky returned to America with a proposal to recruit an American Legion in Europe to aid the Revolution. The project was favorably evaluated by the Secretary of War, Benjamin Lincoln, and Benyowsky met George Washington at Newburgh to explain the proposal. A change in British attitudes prevented the project from being fulfilled. Benyowsky's brother Francis, aide-de-camp to Major John Polerecky, collected the weapons surrendered by the British at Yorktown.

Benyowsky sends an early version of his memoirs to Franklin, December 24, 1781

In 1783, Benyowsky presented his Memoirs and Travels to Hyacinth de Magellan for publication in Britain, and in the same year, he founded an American-British company for trade with Madagascar. In 1784, he left Baltimore on board the Intrepid, the passage provided by the merchants Zollikofer and Messonier. Count and General Benyowsky perished in Madagascar in 1786.

Thanks to the help of Benjamin Franklin, Benyowsky's family was able to return to the Slovak town of Beckovska Vieska. Benyowsky's descendants have kept the spirit of cosmopolitanism alive, and can be found all across Europe and the U.S.

Besides being the author of a bestseller translated into many languages, Benyowsky became a rich source of inspiration for writers, poets, composers, and painters. The play Count Benyowsky by the German playwright August Friedrich von Kotzebue had its American premiere together with the premiere of the future national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, in Baltimore on October 19, 1814.

Testimony of birth date by Rev. Paval Macunda as September 20, 1741

The name of our protagonist is found in the literature of America, France, Germany, and several other European countries as Benyowsky, similar to the Polish spelling. Historically, the original spelling was Benyovszky, the Hungarian spelling, and the Slovak version is Benovsky. One of the still unanswered questions is his real year or birth: 1741 or 1746.