Hanno (elephant)

thumb|Sketch of Hanno and [[mahout, by Raphael, c.1514.]]

thumb|Woodcut of Hanno on pamphlet by Philomathes (Rome, c. 1514)

thumb|Sketch of Hanno, the elephant offered to the Pope by [[Manuel I of Portugal, from title page of Leitura Nova.]]

thumb|Baraballo and Hanno, Vatican Apostolic Library

thumb|Sketch of Hanno's memorial [[fresco and epitaph.]]

Hanno (; c. 1510 – 8 June 1516) was the pet white elephant given by King Manuel I of Portugal to Pope Leo X (born Giovanni de' Medici) at his coronation. He was named Annon and Hanno after the Malayalam word Aana (ആന) meaning elephant. Hanno, an Asian elephant, came to Rome in 1514 with the Portuguese ambassador Tristão da Cunha and quickly became the Pope's favorite animal. Hanno died two years later from complications of a treatment for constipation with gold-enriched laxative.

Background

King Manuel had either received him as a gift from the Raja of Cochin, or had asked Afonso de Albuquerque, his viceroy in India, to purchase him. Hanno was said to be white in colour, and arrived by ship from Lisbon to Rome in 1514, aged about four years, and was kept initially in an enclosure in the Belvedere courtyard, then moved to a specially constructed building between St. Peter's Basilica and the Apostolic Palace, near the Borgo Sant'Angelo (a road in the rione of Borgo). His arrival was commemorated in poetry and art. Pasquale Malaspina wrote:

Hanno and the Pope

Keeping exotic animals in menageries was nothing unusual at European courts. Pope Leo X. was used to rare animals due to his father, Lorenzo de' Medici, having a famous enclosure in Florence. He himself had a small zoo in the Vatican, consisting of a bear, two trained leopards and a chameleon.

The pope liked his elephant, which was confirmed by visitors of the papal menagerie. They were allowed to visit on Sundays and could observe Leo X. playing with his pet in a dedicated but clumsy manner. When Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici, the pope’s nephew, asked to borrow Hanno in 1514 for an event in Florence the pope denied his request. He was afraid the long journey would be too much for the large mammal. Specifically, the feet worried the holy father, making him even consider constructing unique footwear to protect the elephant. But even with that he was not willing to lend his pet.

There is evidence of a procession for Baraballo, the poet and jester of the Vatican. Giacomo Barabello, abbot of Gaeta, was a prominent figure at pope Leo’s diverse court. His artistic improvisations often referring to Petrarch have caused great amusement among the pope and his guests because of their involuntary humorous nature. As a further point of entertainment he was rewarded for his efforts, often in an exaggerated way. One such occasion unfolded when Barabello travelled to Rome to be crowned as poet laureate, because he saw himself as an equal to Petrarch. The pope awarded him the title on 27 September 1514 and paraded him around on Hanno afterwards. Initially the elephant endured the ceremony but with more and more people attending the increasing noise made him nervous. He threw Baraballo off his back, creating a lasting memory for the attendees. The poet soon after died, but it is unclear if the incident played a role in that.

On Hanno’s next mission he was involved in a fatal accident. Giuliano de' Medici married Filiberta of Savoy on 25 January 1515. The pair travelled to Rome in March expecting a celebratory reception. Part of that reception was Hanno, who carried a tower with armed men on it. They were part of a noble entourage that was send towards Giuliano. The gun salute and the uproar of the crowd caused the elephant to panic. He tried to flee, wreaking havoc and causing the tower on his back to fall into the Tiber. The commotion led to the death of thirteen people according to an official report.

Two years after he came to Rome, he fell ill suddenly, was given a purgative, and died on 8 June 1516 with the pope by his side. Hanno was interred in the Cortile del Belvedere at the age of seven.

The artist Raphael designed a memorial fresco (which does not survive), and the Pope himself composed the epitaph:

Hanno was also the subject of a satirical pamphlet by Pietro Aretino titled "The Last Will and Testament of the Elephant Hanno." The fictitious will cleverly mocked the leading political and religious figures of Rome at the time, including Pope Leo X himself. The pamphlet was such a success that it kickstarted Aretino's career and established him as a famous satirist, ultimately known as "the Scourge of Princes".

There are four sketches of Hanno, done in life with red chalk, in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford.

In popular culture

Hanno's story is told at length in Silvio Bedini's book, The Pope's Elephant. According to Robert Greene, Aretino's audacious satire catapulted him to fame and, such was Leo's amusement, earned him a post in the papal service.

The Malayalam novel "Aano" Written by G. R. Indugopan is the story of this elephant and its mahout who travelled in Europe as their perspective

Hanno (elephant)

Background

Hanno and the Pope

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading