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Darrera modificació: 2017-08-06
Bases de dades: Sciència.cat
Kurt, Andrew, "The search for Prester John, a projected crusade and the eroding prestige of Ethiopian kings, c.1200–c.1540", Journal of Medieval History, 39/3 (2013), 297-320.
- Resum
- The Prester John myth of a rich and powerful Christian saviour-sovereign beyond the Muslim Middle East was enmeshed for centuries in the desire for a revival of the crusading cause. This article examines a later phase when the legend shifted to Africa, the significance of which has not been wholly appreciated, nor the ensuing contacts between continents fully elaborated. Embassies between Ethiopia and Christian potentates of the Mediterranean – in Aragon, Portugal, Italy and Burgundy – were perceived as exchanges with the Prester. Steps were taken by both sides in the hopes of building a powerful alliance against Islam. Europe gained new information on sub-Saharan Africa and found its racial paradigm challenged. Yet reality could not match all that was imaginatively imposed on Christian Ethiopia, as gradually reflected in historical narratives and literature from the late fifteenth century. The strength of the myth and its impact on global events is nonetheless extraordinary.
- Matèries
- Història - Política
Història natural - Humans
Geografia i viatges
- URL
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03044181.2013.789978
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