Silvester Trnovec's Lecture at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Paris: Móric Beňovský and His Activities in Madagascar
On Wednesday, 3 June 2026, a lecture by Silvester Trnovec from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Slovak Academy of Sciences took place at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Paris. The lecture focused on Móric Beňovský and his activities in Madagascar in the context of French rule and was held on the occasion of the 240th anniversary of his death there.
Móric Beňovský (1746–1786), a native of Vrbové near Piešťany, is an important figure in the history of the French presence in the Indian Ocean and Madagascar during the 18th century. Representatives of the Academy of Overseas Sciences in Paris, with which Silvester Trnovec closely cooperates in researching colonial archives, also attended the lecture. The event included a presentation of the latest publication on archival documents relating to Beňovský in Madagascar, which is one of the outcomes of this French-Slovak academic collaboration.
Prepared by: Martina Herbst, Institute of Oriental Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences
Photo: Archive of Silvester Trnovec