The Origin of the AFRICANO last name
The Last name AFRICANO originates in Rome around 200 years BC (before Christ). It was awarded as a title to a Roman general named Publius Cornelius Scipio due to his successes in battle over the Carthaginian Empire and more convincingly in Africa against Hannibal. His military success laid a foundation for the growth and great achievements for the Roman Empire. Without Scipio, the Roman Empire would have perished. The title given was “AFRICANUS”.
Scipio (pronounced in English as per the classic pronunciation in Latin: ‘skeepeeo’ or as pronounced in Italian: ‘ssheepeeo’).
Scipio belonged to one of the royal families in the growing the Roman Empire, the Corneli family. (They were six families known as the “Patricians” who exercised a great deal of influence in ruling the Roman Empire).
But first, let’s go to the historical records.
Origins of Rome
As legend has it, Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars, the god of war. Left to drown in a basket on the Tiber by a king of nearby Alba Longa and rescued by a she-wolf, the twins lived to defeat that king and found their own city on the river’s banks in 753 B.C. After killing his brother, Romulus became the first king of Rome, which is named for him. A line of Sabine, Latin and Etruscan (earlier Italian civilizations) kings followed in a non-hereditary succession.
Rome’s era as a monarchy ended in 509 B.C. with the overthrow of its seventh king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, whom ancient historians portrayed as cruel and tyrannical, compared to his benevolent predecessors. A popular uprising was said to have arisen over the rape of a virtuous noblewoman, Lucretia, by the king’s son. Whatever the cause, Rome turned from a monarchy into a republic, a world derived from ‘res publica’, or “property of the people.”
The Early Republic
The power of the monarch passed to two annually elected magistrates called consuls; they also served as commanders in chief of the army. The magistrates, though elected by the people, were drawn largely from the Senate, which was dominated by the patricians, or the descendants of the original senators from the time of Romulus. Politics in the early republic was marked by the long struggle between patricians and plebeians (the common people), who eventually attained some political power through years of concessions from patricians, including their own political bodies, the tribunes, which could initiate or veto legislation.
In 450 B.C., the first Roman law code was inscribed on 12 bronze tablets–known as the Twelve Tables–and publicly displayed in the Roman Forum. These laws included issues of legal procedure, civil rights and property rights and provided the basis for all future Roman civil law. By around 300 B.C., real political power in Rome was centered in the Senate, which at the time included only members of patrician and wealthy plebeian families.
During the early republic, the Roman state grew exponentially in both size and power gaining control of the entire Italian peninsula by 264 B.C. The Romans expanded through the sharing of knowledge, their appeal in the form of government, the attractiveness of their culture, the facilitation commerce and ease of transportation by building roads connecting village to village to city and guarding them, also Rome grew by treaties and military conquest.
The Carthaginian Empire (covering territories of Spain, Greece, North Africa and parts of Turkey approximately) saw this as a threat. The Roman expansion could thwart their own dominance and control of their empire. Therefore in order to limit the expansion of Romans, the Carthaginians sanctioned a war against the Romans putting their best general, named Hannibal, as a leader in that strategy. Hannibal was famous, experienced, successful, and feared throughout the region. In order to draw Rome into a war, Hannibal destroyed the roads built by the Romans, burned or destroyed towns, villages and settlements that paid tribute to Rome, and killed without mercy. In addition to that civil destruction strategy Hannibal attacked Rome’s forces by land to the north and southeast of Rome.
Note: Differences between the two empires were political and philosophical. These were so fundamental opposed that no affinity or agreement between the two empires could be attained; therefore it was a matter of survival of one versus the other.
Publius Cornelio Scipio Enters The Fray
In one of the battles waged by the Carthaginians, north of what is now Tuscany Italy, Hannibal mortally wounds Scipio’s father, who was a well-known and respected Roman general. At that time Scipio was also in the Roman Military holding the rank of Lieutenant. During that specific battle, upon seen that his father was in peril, Scipio launches forward riding in front of the infantry troops to the location where his father was in order to take that position and save his father. When Hannibal saw Scipio coming, Hannibal separates from the attack and retreats to the safety of his troops. He considered that he had already delivered a defeat to the Roman army so there was no need to remain engaged. Scipio took the position and saves his wounded father, whom unfortunately would later die due to the extent of the injuries incurred. Hannibal wins that battle, but the act of bravery of Scipio fosters respect and admiration from all the soldiers and officers who saw his great display of valor.
Note: That an officer march in an attack in front of the infantry rows was unusual. The officers were always positioned either behind the troops or up on a hill or high ground to observe the maneuvers and provide military instructions during battle with trumpets, flags, signs, etc., which implies they were outside of any personal risk.
That defeat was an overwhelming blow to Rome. The Senate calls upon all Roman generals to protect the empire, but all of them feared Hannibal so much that no one would volunteer to fight. The Senate contemplated surrendering Rome to the Carthaginians, but Scipio objected, demonstrating his love for the empire and loyalty to his deceased father, volunteers to fight Hannibal. The Roman Senate ratifies Scipio in rank as a General and gives him the authority to wage war against the Carthaginians. Scipio’s promotion creates jealousy among most of the other generals, but none of them stood in the way as they considered Scipio’s actions to be the desperate actions of a son desiring revenge and an act of suicide. They did not consider the genius of Scipio in battle, that would eventually be demonstrated.
Scipio had learned a great deal from his father, including many of his father’s friends (generals, officers, gladiators, politicians and philosophers). He was an avid study of war, military strategy, hand to hand combat, government, laws and philosophy. Scipio began to wage his war against the Carthaginians through the north, by land. Winning battle after battle, he recovers and gains control of more and land pushing the Carthaginians forces back, again and again. Scipio inspired trust, confidence and courage in his men. In battle he would often fight among the infantry in hand to hand combat, he would also lead the cavalry attacks riding in front of the troops leaving his lieutenants to follow his exact battle plans. He ate and drank with the rank and file regularly and for this his men loved him. He was fearless and his men considered him a God. During battle, Scipio needed to be as ruthless as Hannibal, taking no prisoners and executing all captured enemies, but he would do something different, Scipio would leave a small troop alive and free, so that they carry the news of the defeat to their leaders and the brutality of the conquest. Scipio already knew the value of psychological warfare as a strategy.
Some time later, Scipio attacks the Carthaginian forces that were posted at the Iberian Peninsula, Spain. Hannibal’s brother Hasdrubal was the leader and general in that battle. Scipio’s military genius included a double attack on land and water. He went as far as calculating the exact time to attack of his ships, on high tide to ensure his ships had maximum penetration on to land and the shortening of his opponents fighting foothold. In such battle, Scipio realizes that within the ranks of the Carthaginians there was a contingency of black men, with a leader of the same race. Hasdrubal is defeated and flees to avoid being taken prisoner, but Scipio takes prisoner the leader of the black men and his troops and realizes that this is a Numidian leader, called Massinissa. Scipio as a gesture of goodwill and incredible insight decides to spare the life of Massinissa and many of his men. Such an act surprised Massinissa, who had heard of Scipio’s voracity in battle, and allows for a partnership of sorts to blossom between them. Scipio’s decisive win in this battle was important because it started the collapse of Carthaginian power. Scipio makes an agreement for the creation of Hispania and moves on to the next challenge.
Note: The Numidians were the inhabitants of northwest Africa, what is south of Tunisia and Algeria primarily, although it was much broader to include Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Senegal, etc. It was a powerful black kingdom ruled by a man called Syphax.
With such success, Scipio then established himself of on the island of Sicily to plan his strategy against Hannibal and reinforce his troops. He decides to attack Hannibal’s forces in Africa (the Carthaginian Empire’s north coast of Africa was is today the Tunisian coast). Hannibal was stationed in Turkey attacking Roman territories there, but when Scipio enters Africa, Hannibal had no choice to mobilize to meet him there to fight as that was the Carthaginian’s ruling and power center. This occurs approximately 203 BC. The war takes a long period, this is known as the Second Punic War.
Scipio’s alliance with Massinissa took away Carthaginian power. He used elephants as part of his stable creating a great advantage front line attacks, but they applied new training techniques to the elephants to make them resilient in their march and obedient in commands. Allied with Massinissa he also added to his ranks Numidian soldiers, who in addition to Roman soldiers, archers, spearmen and horses created an armada with impenetrable rows. Scipio and Massinissa defeat Syphax who was Hannibal’s ally. Massinissa would eventually unite the eastern and western Numidian tribes and founded the Kingdom of Numidia. Scipio establishes a treaty with Massinissa which later would become of great value to the Roman Empire.
Hearing of Syphax’s defeat, Hannibal is forced to fight Scipio in Zama, Africa and is utterly defeated. Hannibal was not able to counter Scipio’s multifaceted strategy. Hannibal, placed this cavalry on the flanks, and each organized his infantry in three lines. But Scipio also made a major tactical change to the standard Roman formation by separating his maniples ( a tactical unit in the Roman Army, each a legion of 120 men in 12 files and 10 ranks) and opening wide lanes through his lines. When Hannibal sent his 80 war elephants forward he faced a different Roman army than the one he had faced before, a tougher and more disciplined army, led by men accustomed to Hannibal’s tactics and a resilient Scipio at the helm. Faced with the choice of smashing into the heavily armed legionnaires or running unimpeded through the gaps in their formations, most of the elephants took the path of least resistance and passed harmlessly through the Roman army opened wide lanes. Others, frightened by the blasts of massed Roman trumpeters, ran down their own cavalry.
Noting the chaos, Scipio’s lieutenants Laelius and Masinissa took the cavalry on each flank and charged the Carthaginian horsemen. These horsemen quickly retreated, with Roman and Numidian cavalry in close pursuit. As the cavalry departed, the legions crashed into the lead Carthaginian line, pressing the mercenaries hard until they turned to escape. But the second line refused to break formation, and as the Romans continued their advance, the Carthaginians began fighting each other. Ultimately, men in the second line also broke and ran for the rear, where they met a similar reception from the third line.
As the defeated first two lines skirted around the ends of Hannibal’s final line, Scipio recalled his troops to within bow shot of the Carthaginians. Before them stood Hannibal’s seasoned veterans, rested, unbowed and in numbers almost equal to his own. Scipio, rather than replace the exhausted legionnaires in his leading ranks, re-formed them into a tightly packed formation and moved the Triarii (the best equipped and fighting legion, like today’s special forces) to each flank, intending to overlap the enemy line. In a testament to Roman discipline, the legions quickly negotiated these complex maneuvers in the face of an unbeaten enemy.
Given a short breather, the Romans came forward at a quickened pace, until at about 20 paces they let fly their throwing spears and drew their short swords. The advance became a rush as thousands of screaming Romans hurled themselves upon the Carthaginian line. For long minutes the issue remained in doubt, until at the peak of battle the Roman and Numidian cavalry returned to the battlefield and charged into the Carthaginian rear. With cavalry at the rear and the Triarii collapsing their flanks, Hannibal’s veterans finally did the unthinkable—they broke.
Though Hannibal himself escaped, his army was lost and Carthaginian military power broken. Rome was now the uncontested master of the Western Mediterranean. The Carthaginians surrender. Such epic war, allowed the Roman Empire to grow peacefully and spread throughout Europe, Middle East and North Africa.
Note: Strategies and military maneuvers of Scipio are taught to this day in the most important military schools around the world. It is noteworthy that Scipio is the only general who never lost a battle, strife or war.
Scipio’s victories earned him tremendous popular support. Upon his return to Rome, the Roman senate gives Scipio the title of “AFRICANUS” as a symbol of great honor, performance and success. Since then, everyone knew him as Scipio Africanus. Scipio Africanus could have been Emperor of Rome, as the Senate ratified him as emperor, but he rejected the position, and instead he accepted the role of Protector of Rome, the military power behind the emperor. He later served in various capacities, as Governor of Sicily, as Senator and as Consul of Rome, which he is most known for.
After living in various regions of the Roman Empire, specially Sicily, he moved to Rome where he died and his body rests today.
Scipio Africanus children with his wife, Aemilia Paulla, also a great woman in her own right, were permitted to carry the title ‘Africanus’ . His children were Pubius, Lucius, Cornelia Major and Cornelia Minor. All achieved greatness in the own right, but Cornelia Major being the most famous of them all. Her son Aemilianus Africanus went on to be a powerful military leader for Rome, known as ‘Africanus The Younger’.
The name ‘Africanus’ changes to ‘AFRICANO’ later with the Italian language replacing the Latin language.
Present Day
Today, AFRICANOS are in many places in the world. In Europe, primarily in Italy (Rome, Sicily, Naples, Pietrasanta, etc.) and Spain. In the Americas, they are primarily in Colombia, Venezuela, USA and Argentina.
How do AFRICANOS reach the new world? Well that’s another story which we reserve for now. But there is some data that indicates that a sailor named Salvatore Africano could have been one of the crew with Christopher Columbus or in later expeditions. More research is needed to ascertain the veracity of that data which goes back to the late 1400s and early 1500s.
More recently, migration records show several brothers or cousins all named AFRICANO lived in the what was the “ViceRoyalty of New Granada” a Spanish territory of is what is now Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and parts of Brazil in the 1700s. Their names: Giuseppe Giancarlo, Giovanni and Giuglio. Migration records in the USA show several brothers arriving through Ellis Island bearing the name AFRICANO coming from Sicily and Rome in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
It is our goal to have all of us, who bear the AFRICANO last name, descendants of Scipio Africano, to contribute to build our family tree and share in our rich family history.