25.04.2023
Pushkin’s paternal roots can be traced back to a noble family with Lithuanian origins. His great-grandfather, Abram Gannibal, was an Ethiopian prince who was taken captive during a war and brought to Russia as a slave. He was later given as a gift to Peter the Great, who freed him and adopted him as his godson.
Under Peter the Great’s patronage, Gannibal was educated and rose through the ranks of the Russian army, eventually becoming a general. He married a Swedish noblewoman and had several children, including Pushkin’s grandfather, Osip Abramovich Gannibal.
Osip was also a military officer and served as a commander in the Russian army. He married a noblewoman, and their son, Sergey Lvovich Pushkin, was Alexander Pushkin’s father.
Sergey Lvovich Pushkin was an educated man who spoke several languages and held various government positions throughout his life. Despite his noble status, he faced financial difficulties and was eventually forced to retire and live on his family estate in the countryside. It was there that Alexander Pushkin spent much of his childhood, surrounded by the stories and traditions of his family’s noble heritage.
