History of elephants in Europe facts for kids
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Elephants have a long and interesting history in Europe! Long before people brought them over, elephant relatives like mammoths roamed across Europe during the Ice Age. These giant creatures lived in the northern parts of the world, from Europe all the way to North America.
Another type, the straight-tusked elephant, mostly lived in the warmer Mediterranean areas. It sometimes moved into other parts of Europe during warm periods between ice ages. While most of these ancient elephants died out during the last Ice Age, some smaller, "dwarf" elephants survived on islands like Cyprus and Tilos. The very last Mediterranean elephant species lived on Tilos until about 4,000 years ago. After that, any elephants in Europe were brought there by humans.
Elephants Arrive in Europe
Europeans first met live elephants in 327 BC. This happened when Alexander the Great traveled to India. Alexander quickly learned to appreciate these amazing animals. Four elephants even guarded his tent! After he died, his friend Ptolemy put Alexander's image on coins, showing him wearing an elephant headdress. This became a symbol for kings in the Hellenized East.
The ancient Greek thinker Aristotle wrote about elephants. He got his information from people who had seen them. However, like many Westerners at the time, he believed elephants lived for 200 years!
Elephants were also part of the famous circuses in Rome. But they largely disappeared from Europe after the Roman Empire ended.
Elephants as Royal Gifts
Because elephants were so rare and expensive, they became special gifts between rulers. European kings and queens loved to show them off as luxury pets. One of the earliest examples was when Harun ar-Rashid, a powerful ruler from the Middle East, gave an elephant to Charlemagne, a famous European emperor.
Famous Elephants in Europe
Here are some stories of elephants that made history in Europe:
Pyrrhus's War Elephants
In 280 BC, Pyrrhus of Epirus brought 20 elephants with his army to Taranto in Italy. This was for the first Battle of Heraclea. Many ancient writers like Plutarch and Livy wrote about these events.
One elephant, named Victor, was especially famous. It had served in Pyrrhus's army for a long time. When its mahout (the person who rides and trains an elephant) was killed, Victor rushed to get him. It bravely lifted its mahout onto its tusks. Then, it angrily trampled both friends and enemies, seeking revenge for the man it loved. After this battle, coins from Taranto even showed elephants!
Hannibal's Journey with Elephants
Another famous event was when Hannibal crossed the Rhône River in 218 BC. He had 37 elephants with his army during the Second Punic War. This incredible journey was also recorded by Livy.
Claudius's Elephant in Britain
The first elephant ever recorded in northern Europe arrived in AD 43. The Roman emperor Claudius brought it during the Roman invasion of Britain. It went to the British capital, Colchester. For a while, people thought a skeleton found in England with flint weapons belonged to this elephant. But later, scientists found out it was actually a mammoth skeleton from the Stone Age!
Abul-Abbas: Charlemagne's Elephant
Abul-Abbas was an Asian elephant given to Charlemagne by Harun al-Rashid. This special gift arrived in 797 or 802 AD. Sadly, the elephant died in 810 from a lung infection.
The Cremona Elephant
In 1229, the ruler Al-Kamil gave an elephant to Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. This elephant became known as the Cremona elephant.
Henry III's Tower of London Elephant
In 1255, Louis IX of France gave an elephant to Henry III of England. This elephant joined Henry's animal collection at the Tower of London. It was the first elephant seen in England since Claudius's war elephant.
A historian named Matthew Paris drew this elephant while it was alive. His drawing is in his book, Chronica Majora. The book says that while at the Tower of London, the elephant ate expensive cuts of beef and red wine. It was even claimed to have died in 1257 from drinking too much wine!
The text also shows what Europeans believed about elephants back then. They thought elephants didn't have knees and couldn't get up if they fell. The book even has a drawing of one elephant dragging another that has fallen over. People also thought Indian elephants could carry real stone castles on their backs, big enough for three or four men. While war elephants did have towers, they weren't made of stone.
A carving of this elephant can be seen in Exeter Cathedral. This animal might have inspired the famous 'Elephant and Castle' symbol. This symbol is used by the Cutlers' Company of London, a group that made knives and scissors. The symbol later appeared on an 18th-century pub sign, which then gave its name to a modern district in South London.
The Order of the Elephant
In the 1470s, King Christian I of Denmark started a special knightly group called the Order of the Elephant. This group was approved by Pope Sixtus IV. The order got its name from battle elephants, which symbolized the Christian Crusades. Even today, this order is still awarded under rules set by King Christian V in 1693. Since 1958, women can also join the order.
Hanno: The Pope's White Elephant
Hanno, also called Annone, was a rare white elephant. King Manuel I of Portugal gave him to Pope Leo X in 1514, when the Pope was crowned. Hanno died in 1518, probably from a problem with his stomach. Pope Leo was by his side.
The story of Hanno is told in a book called The Pope's Elephant. At the Villa Madama in Rome, there's an Elephant Fountain designed by Giovanni da Udine that shows Hanno. Even Raphael himself designed Hanno's tomb.
Hansken: The Traveling Elephant
Hansken was a female elephant from Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka). She became very famous in Europe in the early 1600s. Hansken traveled through many countries, performing circus tricks. Famous artists like Rembrandt and Stefano della Bella even sketched her!
