Who is Francisco Manoel da Silva from The Viceroy of Ouidah and what is their importance?

Francisco Manoel da Silva, also known as Dom Francisco and as the Elephant, is made viceroy of Ouidah by the King of Dahomey. Born to a poor family in rural Brazil, Francisco is just a year old when his father dies in a horseback accident while working on a ranch. Francisco's mother takes up with a restless man who puts the boy in an orphanage at age seven, after the mother dies during a terrible drought. Francisco hates the orphanage and runs away at age thirteen. He wanders for seven years, during which time he reacts to the difficulties of his life by becoming callous and ruthless.