Georg Anton Schäffer (rarely russified as ''Yegor Nikolayevich'' or ''Egor Antonovich'' ''Sheffer''; ''

von The term () is used in German surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means or . Nobility directories like the often abbreviate the noble term to ''v.'' ...

Schaeffer'' in Portuguese sources; 27 January 1779 – 1836) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

in the employ of the

Russian-American Company The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the Shelikhov-Golikov Company, United American Company. Emperor Paul I of Russia chartered the c ...

who attempted to conquer

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

for the Company and, ultimately, the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. The bloodless Schäffer affair (1815–1817) or the Hawaiian spectacular, as it was called by contemporary Russians, became a significant financial blunder for the Company. In the 1820s Schäffer became an agent of the

Empire of Brazil The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and Uruguay until the latter achieved independence in 1828. The empire's government was a Representative democracy, representative Par ...

and recruited thousands of German emigrants, the ancestors of many members of the present-day

German Brazilian German Brazilians (German language, German: ''Deutschbrasilianer'', Hunsrik: ''Deitschbrasiliooner'', ) refers to Brazilians of full or partial Germans, German ancestry. German Brazilians live mostly in the country's South Region, Brazil, South ...

community, for resettlement in Brazil.

Early life

Georg Anton Schäffer was born at

Münnerstadt Münnerstadt is a town in the district of Bad Kissingen in Bavaria, Germany. It has a population of around 7,600. Geography It borders on the towns of Burglauer, Bad Bocklet, Nüdlingen, Maßbach, Großbardorf, and Strahlungen. The municip ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

on 27 January 1779, in the

Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...

region,Gomes, p. 19 as son of a

distillery Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...

owner. He studied medicine at

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

's Juliusspital College of Medicine.Croft, p. 53 He joined Imperial Russian service as a surgeon, serving in Moscow before 1812. During the

Napoleon's invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the continent ...

(1812) he was involved in Frantz Leppich's ill-fated combat balloon project. In 1813, he was a ship surgeon on board the ''Suvorov''. Disagreements with the captain prompted Schäffer to disembark the ship in New Archangel (present day

Sitka, Alaska Sitka (; ) is a municipal home rule, unified Consolidated city-county, city-borough in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Alaska. It was under Russian America, Russian rule from 1799 to 1867. The city is situated on the west side of Ba ...

). Governor of the

, Alexander Baranov, who also happened to be at odds with ''Suvorovs captain, hired Schäffer into the Company's service.

Schäffer affair

In 1815 Schäffer sailed to

to retrieve the Company goods left in the wreck of the '' Bering'', which had been seized by Kaumualii, chief of

Kauai Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...

island.Khlebnikov, K.T., 1973, ''Baranov, Chief Manager of the Russian Colonies in America'', Kingston: The Limestone Press, A simple mission led by an inexperienced but ambitious physician unfolded into a major blunder for the Company. Kaumualii, who sought outside help in his domestic rivalry with king

Kamehameha Kamehameha may refer to: House of Kamehameha *House of Kamehameha, the dynasty of the Hawaiian Kings **Kamehameha I (1736–1819), first king of the Hawaiian Islands **Kamehameha II (1797–1824), second king of the Kingdom of Hawaii **Kamehameha ...

, invited Schäffer to his island and manipulated him into believing that the Russian-American Company could easily take over and colonize Hawaii. Schäffer, "losing all touch with reality",Bolkhovitinov 1973, p. 60. planned a full-blown naval assault of the rest of Hawaiian islands and sought support for his "conquest" in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. Mounting resistance of

Native Hawaiians Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was settled at least 800 years ago by Polynesian ...

and American traders forced Schäffer to admit defeat and leave Hawaii in July 1817, before his triumphant reports from Kauai reached the Russian court. The Company recognized a loss of not less than 200,000

rouble The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are s ...

s but continued entertaining "The Hawaiian project" until 1821. The Company then sued Schäffer for damages, but after an inconclusive legal standoff found it easier to let him go back to Germany.

Return to Europe

In July 1818 Schäffer arrived in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

where he learned that

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...

left Russia to attend a congress in Aachen.Bolkhovitinov 1973, p. 68. He did not get through to the tsar, instead sending his reports to Nesselrode and

Ioannis Kapodistrias Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (; February 1776 –27 September 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias, was a Greek statesman who was one of the most distinguished politicians and diplomats of 19th-century Europe. Kapodistrias's ...

. He pleaded the tsar to give a go-ahead for another incursion, taking Hawaii "in one blow, with such a military force that would be sufficient to both guarantee Russian possession and instill respect". Schäffer claimed that "though not of the military profession, I am quite familiar with weaponry and, moreover, I have enough experience and courage..." for the job. The case was delayed until Alexander's return to Russia, and again involved bureaucratic review by various state offices.Bolkhovitinov 1973, p. 69. In March 1819 Schaffer, fearing a final refusal, submitted another proposal. This time he demonized the Americans and their alleged goal of pushing the Russians out of the region, one colony at a time. According to Schäffer, leaving Hawaii to the Americans would spell a loss of all Russian possessions in the region. A

preemptive strike A preemptive war is a war that is commenced in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived imminent offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending (allegedly unavoidable) war ''shortly before'' that attack materializes. I ...

at Hawaii, he wrote, was essential to retain the Russian America. The directors of the Company continued raising similar proposals, until Nesselrode voiced his and Alexander's firm aversion against any conflicts in the Pacific.Bolkhovitinov 1973, p. 71 Remnants of the Hawaiian project promoted by Peter Dobell and

Anders Ljungstedt Anders Ljungstedt (; 23 March 1759 – 10 November 1835) was a Swedish merchant and historian. Early career Ljungstedt was born to a poor family in Linköping and attended Uppsala University for a time, but was forced to withdraw for lack of f ...

circulated inside the Company until 1821.Bolkhovitinov 1973, p. 72 Matvey Myravyov, the Governor of the Russian-American Company in 1820–1825, closed the debate saying that "Schäffer staged a funny comedy and the Company paid dearly for it. I do not think that it can ever be played again. As for merely having a midway harbor and a supply of fresh food—there are no and there will be no obstacles to it anyway." The Company attempted suing Schäffer for damages but he counter-attacked, demanding reimbursement for his alleged business expenses, and in the end the Company found it easier to simply let him go back to Germany. By this time the United States established a permanent

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth countries, a ...

in Honolulu; Kaumualii, the only ally of Russians, was subdued by Kamehameha's son and successor Liholiho.Bolkhovitinov 1973, p. 73.

Brazilian adventures

Instead of settling in Europe, in 1821 Schäffer organized a group of 47 Germans aspiring to flee their homeland and took them on a journey across the Atlantic, to

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

.Mills, p. 32. Schäffer's group was granted lands in

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

and set up Frankenthal, the first successful German settlement in Brazil (present-day

Ilhéus Ilhéus () is a major city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia, Brazil, 211 km south of Salvador, Brazil, Salvador, the state's capital. The city was founded in 1534 as Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus and is known as one of the mos ...

). In September 1822 the Brazilian government dispatched Schäffer to

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

to recruit more European settlers. He arrived in 1823, styling himself as a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

and a

plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of a sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word can als ...

of Dom

Pedro I of Brazil ''Don (honorific), Dom'' Pedro I (12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), known in Brazil and in Portugal as "the Liberator" () or "the Soldier King" () in Portugal, was the founder and List of monarchs of Brazil, first ruler of the Empire of ...

. This mission effectively launched the German emigration to Brazil. Schäffer was credited with bringing 5,000 Germans over five years (1824–1828). They settled in rural colonies; some of these ultimately failed (e.g. São João das Missões), others (

São Leopoldo São Leopoldo () (Portuguese for ''Saint Leopold'') is a Brazilian industrial city located in the south state of Rio Grande do Sul. Geography It occupies a total area of 103.9 km2 (around 80 km2 urban area) at ''circa'' 30 km fr ...

Novo Hamburgo Novo Hamburgo ('New Hamburg', ; ) is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, located in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, the state capital. As of 2020, its population was 247,032. Th ...

) exist to date. Schäffer's Germans also formed the core of the first foreign units of the emerging Brazilian Army: all unmarried men landing in Brazil faced compulsory military service, a fact that Schäffer did not advertise in advanceMacaulay, p. 188 (his German recruits had to sign a thorough eight-part contract that did not mention the draft obligations). Carlos Oberacker suggested that militarization of German settlers was Schäffer's own proposal, based on his knowledge of the Russian

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

.Degen, p. 5. Note that Degen, who cites Oberacker, calls Schäffer "secretary to Princess Leopoldina". Schäffer's unorthodox sense of reality backfired in Brazil, twice. In 1827 Schäffer returned to Brazil and applied to the king for a noble style of

marquis A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wido ...

; Dom Pedro refused, providing only a cash reward. In 1829 Schäffer demanded a different favor, this time of being appointed the Brazilian ambassador to a European court, and was rejected again. Schäffer stayed in Brazil despite these setbacks, until his death at Jacarandá,Von Tschudi, p. 200 in 1836.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Nikolay Bolkhovitinov (1973)
Adventures of Doctor Schäffer in Hawaii, 1815–1819
''Hawaiian Journal of History'', 1973 volume 7 pp. 55–78. *Nikolay Bolkhovitinov (1997, in Russian)

(''История Русской Америки''). . Volume 2, chapter 7, pp. 276–302: ''Russians on the Hawaii, 1804–1825''. Contains a revised version of the 1973 article on the ''Adventures of Doctor Schäffer in Hawaii''. *Lee B Croft (2012). George Anton Schaeffer: Killing Napoleon From the Air. Sphynx Publications. . pp. 14, 53. *Lee B Croft (2012). George Anton Schaeffer: Arm Wrestling Kamehameha. Sphynx Publications. . *Lee B Croft (2012). George Anton Schaeffer: Shipping Germans to Brazil. Sphynx Publications. . p. 141. *Gavan Daws (1968)
Shoal of time: a history of the Hawaiian Islands
University of Hawaii Press. . pp. 49–53. *Lars Degen (2008, in German)
Aspekte deutscher Auswanderung nach Lateinamerika: Das Beispiel Brasilien
GRIN Verlag. *Angela Maria de Castro Gomes (2002, in Portuguese
Histórias de imigrantes e de imigração no Rio de Janeiro
7Letras. *Neill Macaulay (1986)
Dom Pedro: the struggle for liberty in Brazil and Portugal, 1798–1834
Duke University Press. . p. 188 *Peter R. Mills (2002)
Hawaii's Russian adventure: a new look at old history
University of Hawaii Press. . *Claus Naske, Herman E. Slotnick (1994)
Alaska: A History of the 49th State
Oklahoma University Press. . *

Johann Jakob von Tschudi Johann Jakob von Tschudi (25 July 1818 – 8 October 1889) was a Switzerland, Swiss naturalist, explorer, and diplomat. He is known for his travels in South America, his scientific contributions to zoology and anthropology, and his diplomatic se ...

(1867, in German)
Reisen durch Südamerika, Volumes 3–4
F. A. Brockhaus. {{DEFAULTSORT:Schaffer, Georg Anton 1779 births 1836 deaths German military doctors 19th-century German physicians People from Bad Kissingen (district)