The Legend of Prester John and Africa
The legends of Prester John (also known as Presbyter
Johannes) were popular in Europe from the 12th through the 17th centuries, and
told of a Christian patriarch and king said to rule over a Christian nation
lost amidst the Muslims and pagans in the Orient. Written accounts of this
kingdom are variegated collections of medieval popular fantasy. Prester John
was reportedly a descendant of one of the Three Magi, said to be a generous
ruler and a virtuous man, presiding over a realm full of riches and strange
creatures, in which the Patriarch of the Saint Thomas Christians resided. His
kingdom contained such marvels as the Gates of Alexander and the Fountain of
Youth, and even bordered the Earthly Paradise.
Portuguese explorers convinced themselves that they had
found him in Ethiopia, which had been officially Christian since the 4th
century. Prester John's kingdom was thus the object of a quest, firing the
imaginations of generations of adventurers, but remaining out of reach. He was
a symbol to European Christians of the Church's universality, transcending
culture and geography to encompass all humanity, in a time when ethnic and
inter-religious tension made such a vision seem distant.ly.
The legend of Prester John motivated the Portuguese to
explore Africa zealously. It was believed that Prester John as a much needed
link between Christians and Muslims as he was an ally of the Muslim.
For some times the Portuguese thought they had actually
found John in the Ethiopia, and Europeans insisted on calling the king of
Ethiopia Prester John since Ethiopia was a Christian nation.
By the 17th century however, scholars began to
prove that no actual connection existed between Prester John and Africa if even
by any chance he existed.
The legend however had affected several hundred years of
European and world history, directly and indirectly, by encouraging Europe's
explorers, missionaries, scholars, and treasure hunters to visit and cob Africa
for any trace of the legendary king.
Though some scholars think that the basis for Prester John
came from the great empire of Genghis Khan, others conclude it was merely a
fantasy. Either way, Prester John profoundly affected the geographical
knowledge of Europe by stimulating interest in foreign lands and sparking
expeditions outside of Europe.
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