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Featured on PDR in the essay A Princely Ploy: Inside the Ruse of a French-Armenian Scammer

After proclaiming himself the direct descendant of a 12th-century Crusader king, the Armenian priest and educator Ambroise Calfa hit upon an ignoble scheme: grant knighthood to anyone willing to pay. Jennifer Manoukian recovers the cunning exploits of this forgotten 19th-century conman, whose initially honorable intentions quickly escalated into all-out fraud.

The certificate of knighthood in the Order of Mélusine conferred on Clara Barton in 1896

Date

1896


Underlying Rights

Public Domain Worldwide

Digital Rights

No Additional Rights

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Image Size

1915 x 1302