The Black Count

The son of a nobleman and a slave, General Alexandre Dumas was a black man who rose, in a world of whites, to command entire armies. Reknowned for his strength, swordmanship, bravery and pulling victory out of the toughest situations he was feared by the enemy and loved by his men.

He once fought three duels in a day. Napoleon Bonaparte, threatened by the physical prowess and popularity of this black nobleman, conspired to bring about his downfall and Dumas found himself imprisoned in a fortress without hope of appeal. If some of this sounds familiar, it is because Dumas' son's novels - The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo -were inspired by his achievements and tragic fate.