Peter the Wild Boy

Common card · No. 326515

Peter the Wild Boy (c. 1713 – 22 February 1785) was a German boy who was found in 1725 living wild in the woods near Hamelin. He was of unknown parentage and had been living an entirely feral existence for an unknown length of time, surviving by eating forest flora; he walked on all fours, exhibited uncivilized behaviour and could not be taught to speak a language. It has been speculated that he suffered from the very rare genetic disorder Pitt–Hopkins syndrome. Peter was found in the Hertswold Forest by a party of hunters led by George I while on a visit to his Hanover homeland and brought to Great Britain in 1726 by order of his daughter-in-law Caroline of Ansbach, the Princess of Wales.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Detail of a painting by William Kent (1685-1748) of King George I’s court on the east wall of the King’s Staircase at Kensington Palace., Public domain