Samson Cerfberr of Medelsheim

Samson Cerfberr de Medelsheim or Manzour Ibrahim Effendi (* 1778 in Strasbourg, † December 8, 1826 in Paris) was a French adventurer and writer. His first book, published in 1826 contains his own biography and then describes the main part of Albania, Serbia and Greece under the notorious Ali Pasha. After the book was a financial failure, he burned himself and became famous.

Life

Samson, who came from a Jewish family of Strasbourg, was the eldest son of Marx Cerfberrs de Medelsheim and grandson of the famous Cerfberr de Medelsheim. He served at its own representation in the winter 1798/1799 in Paris by the French army, went to the Peace of Amiens in 1802 the Turkish army, converted to Islam and served there from 1803 to 1809, from 1811 to 1813 in the Kingdom of Westphalia, 1813 in Bosnia where he again converted to Islam and took the name Ibrahim Manzour - Effendi. In the years 1816-1819 he came into closer contact with Ali Pasha. Most recently, he lived up to his suicide in Paris.

Work

• Mémoires sur la Grèce et l' Albanie pendant le gouvernement d' Ali - Pacha, Paris 1826, 2nd edition, Paris 1827. Online at Google books German translation by E. Schulz: Ali Pasha, tyrant of Albania, 1914