Julius Soubise

Julius Soubise ( – 25 August 1798) was a Saint-Kittian-born socialite active in 18th-century London. Born in Saint Kitts into slavery, Soubise (then named Othello) was purchased by a Royal Navy captain before being brought to England in 1764, where the captain gave him to a relative, Catherine Douglas, Duchess of Queensberry. Othello was manumitted by Queensberry, who renamed him "Julius Soubise" after Charles, Prince of Soubise and lavished her favour on him. This allowed Soubise to enter British high society and live a life of luxury, in addition to serving as Queensberry's riding and fencing master. In 1777, Soubise fled England for India for unclear reasons, settling in Calcutta where he opened a unisex riding and fencing school. In 1798, Soubise died from injuries sustained while trying to break a horse.

Biography

Soubise was born on Saint Kitts in the British West Indies, the son of an enslaved Jamaican woman. He was bought by Royal Navy Captain Stair Douglas In 1764, he was given to Catherine Douglas, Duchess of Queensberry, a relative of Douglas and an eccentric emblem of London's high society, who manumitted him. He was renamed after Charles, Prince of Soubise by the Duchess.

Trained by Domenico Angelo (whom Soubise also regularly accompanied as usher to Eton and Windsor He became a popular acquaintance among young noblemen and rose as a figure in upper-class social circles, becoming the member of many fashionable clubs such as the Thatched House Club. or "The Black Prince", claiming to be African royalty. It was rumoured that his relationship with the Duchess developed into a sexual one.

In the collected letters of the famous freed slave Ignatius Sancho, Letter XIIII (dated 11 October 1772) is addressed to Soubise, whom Sancho encourages to consider his lucky position as an unusually privileged black person and so live a more seemly life.

However, on 15 July 1777 Soubise fled Britain for India. The venture does not appear to have been successful, as records show multiple notices of insolvency, and Soubise was for a time imprisoned in a debtor's jail. In 1794, he married Catherine Pawson, the white daughter of a disgraced paymaster general with the East India Company. Contemporary accounts suggest it was a happy marriage. The fall came after a year of ailing health due to rheumatism, and he succumbed to his injuries, dying the following day at the age of 44. In previous contexts, use of the term "mungo" was often aimed towards luxury slaves, an application of the character to those treated theatrically like elite's pets. Applying the epithet to Soubise in combination with "macaroni" was intended to mock the identity he had assumed for himself. These accounts were satirized by Austin in a way which addresses Soubise and the duchess’ uncustomary relationship, depicting Soubise as Mungo the servant. In the print, text shows Soubise saying, “Mungo here, Mungo dere, Mungo every where; Above and below. Hah! Vat your gracy tink of me now?,” direct lines from the Mungo character. This work has reappeared historically under several titles, including “The Eccentric Duchess of Queensbury fencing with her protégé the Creole Soubise (otherwise ‘Mungo’)” and “The Duchess of Queensberry playing at foils with her favourite Lap Dog Mungo after Expending near £10,000 to make him a—.” A Mungo Macaroni depicts Soubise sporting a luxurious hat, ruffles, a cane, and an adorned sword. He was known to wear large powdered wigs, fine fabrics such as silk, and styles fitted tightly to his body. There are also accounts of him wearing diamond-buckled shoes with red heels. Such styles meant that Soubise and other fops were associated with effeminacy and excess, supported by the caricatures, but Soubise also assumed a unique black identity that could be associated with extravagance.