In St. James’s Palace’s grand halls, a shocking event occurred on May 31, 1810. Joseph Sellis, an Italian valet to the Duke of Cumberland, was found dead with his throat brutally cut. This wasn’t just any ordinary death – it sparked a mystery that would captivate the British public for years to come. But why did Sellis’s Italian background play such a big role in the theories about his death? Let’s dive into this royal scandal and explore how being Italian shaped the story of Joseph Sellis.
The Mysterious Death at the Palace
A Night of Violence
On that fateful night, the Duke of Cumberland claimed he was attacked in his bedroom. He said he woke up around 2:45 am to a strange hissing sound. Then, someone hit him on the head four times. The Duke said he fought off the attacker and ran from his room, yelling for help.
When people searched the palace, they found Joseph Sellis dead in his bed. His throat was cut so badly that his head was almost off. The official story said Sellis had tried to kill the Duke and then killed himself when he failed. But many people didn’t believe this explanation.
The Italian Valet
Joseph Sellis wasn’t just any servant. He was born in Piedmont-Sardinia, now part of Italy, around 1775. He spoke French and very good English. In 1793, he came to Britain to work for rich and important people. By 1796 or 1798, he got a job as a valet for the Duke of Cumberland at St. James’s Palace.
This was a big deal. Sellis had only been in Britain briefly, but he got a job working for royalty. Surprisingly, he was trusted so quickly with such an important job.
The Stereotypes Begin
“The Revenge-Driven Italian”
After Sellis’s death, newspapers were quick to blame his Italian background for what happened. One newspaper, the Morning Post, wrote on June 7, 1810:
“The degree of revenge to which an Italian may be driven is proverbial.”
This means they thought Italians were known for seeking revenge. The newspaper went even further, saying:
“Of all European countries, we confess our dislike of the Italians is the most keen. We did not want this most glaring and abominable instance of the foul association of so many detestable vices to confirm and justify our aversion to that race of men.”
These words show how some people in Britain looked down on Italians. They used Sellis’s death as an excuse to say bad things about all Italian people.
The Problems with the Italian Theory
A Motive Mystery
Even though some newspapers quickly blamed Sellis’s Italian background, others weren’t so sure. The Cheltenham Chronicle, a more careful newspaper, said:
“No sufficient motive is made out, even for an Italian mind. No important or recent dissatisfaction is stated, and still less is any cause of jealousy made out the only one that might be adequate to so desperate a retaliation.”
This means they couldn’t determine why Sellis would want to kill the Duke. Even if they thought Italians were more likely to seek revenge, they couldn’t find a good reason for Sellis to be so angry.
A Gentle Man?
People who knew Sellis didn’t think he was the violent type. His wife, Mary Anne Sellis, said he was calm and caring. He didn’t drink or gamble and owed no money to anyone. She said he had no bad habits or vices.
Other people who worked at the palace said Sellis was pleasant and not easily upset. This doesn’t fit the idea of a revenge-driven Italian that some newspapers tried to sell.
The Italian Spy Theory
A Secret Past?
Some people came up with another theory about Sellis’s background. They found three servants who had known Sellis years earlier in New York. These servants said Sellis was “an intemperate man” who had been known to say, “damn the king and all the royal family, and damn the Almighty.”
This led to a new idea: What if Sellis was an Italian spy? Some thought he might have been sent to infiltrate the British royal family. They were surprised he had gotten such an important job so quickly after coming to Britain.
The French Connection
Remember, Sellis was born when his home region was under French control. In 1791, he was in Marseille and went to Paris. But in 1792, the French Revolutionary Wars started, and things got chaotic.
Some people wondered if Sellis had connections to the French revolutionaries. Could he have been sent to spy on the British royal family? This theory played into fears about foreigners and revolution common in Britain at the time.
The Truth Behind the Stereotypes
A Man of Many Talents
While some people focused on negative stereotypes about Italians, the truth about Sellis was more complex. He was well-educated and spoke multiple languages. He had worked for important people in both America and Britain before getting his job with the Duke.
Sellis was also a family man. He was married and had five children. His youngest child was even named Ernest Augustus after the Duke of Cumberland. This doesn’t sound like someone planning to murder his employer.
The Real Conflict
The real tension in Sellis’s life wasn’t about being Italian. It was about his relationship with another valet, Cornelius Neale. Sellis had been complaining about Neale for at least two years. He even wrote letters calling Neale “the greatest rogue that ever lived.”
Sellis was angry because he thought Neale was cheating the Duke by overcharging for small items like toothpicks. This might seem like a small thing, but to Sellis, it was a big deal. He thought Neale deserved to go to jail for this!
The Legacy of Stereotypes
A Lasting Impact
The way people talked about Sellis’s Italian background had a lasting impact. It made it easier for some people to believe he was capable of violence. This shows how stereotypes can shape the way we understand events, even when there’s no real evidence to support them.
The focus on Sellis’s Italianness also distracted from other important questions about what happened that night. People were so busy talking about “the revenge-driven Italian” that they didn’t look closely at other possibilities.
A Lesson for Today
The story of Joseph Sellis reminds us to be careful about jumping to conclusions based on someone’s background. Just because Sellis was Italian didn’t mean he was more likely to be violent or seek revenge. Many people who knew him said he was calm and pleasant.
The Mystery Lives On
More than 200 years later, we still don’t know exactly what happened to Joseph Sellis. Was he really a would-be murderer who took his own life? Or was he the victim of a crime covered up to protect a royal duke?
What we do know is that Sellis’s Italian heritage played a big role in how people understood his death. It shows how powerful stereotypes can be, especially about people from different countries or cultures.
The tale of Joseph Sellis continues to fascinate us, not just because of the mystery surrounding his death but also because it teaches us about how prejudice can shape the way we see events. It reminds us that we should always look beyond easy explanations and dig deeper to find the truth.
In the end, Joseph Sellis wasn’t just “the Italian valet.” He was a complex person with his own hopes, fears, and conflicts. By remembering this, we can start to see past the stereotypes and get closer to understanding what really happened on that fateful night in St. James’s Palace.
