Many people think of Africans as somewhat of a sitting duck, just waiting around for Europeans to discover them. They are sometimes thought of as "incapable of relating to the rest of the world". Funny enough, Ethiopians were out discovering European nations before European nations were capable of discovering them [1]. Ethiopians were in fact regarded as purveyors of knowledge
in a European world whose self-identification was grounded on Christian
identity [2].
The legend of Prester John, a wealthy Christian king with a kingdom somewhere outside of the Western European realm, pervaded European thought throughout the Middle Ages. The limited understanding of the unexplored regions of the world and the inability to find his kingdom resulted in shifting versions of the legend [3].
1603 Dutch Map Showing the Kingdom of Prester John in East Africa
Portugal, the first European power to circumnavigate Africa and enter the Indian Ocean, displayed initial interest in this potential ally by sending a representative to Ethiopia in 1493. The Prester John of the Indies, stirred further European interest and proved a valuable source for future historians. The first Portuguese forces responded to a request for aid in 1541, although by that time the Portuguese were concerned primarily with strengthening their hegemony over the Indian Ocean trade routes and with converting the Ethiopians to Roman Catholicism [4].
[1] Salvadore, Matteo. "The Ethiopian Age of Exploration: Prester John's Discovery of Europe, 1306-1458." Academia.edu - Share Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. <http://www.academia.edu/354590/The_Ethiopian_Age_of_Exploration_Prester_John_s_Discovery_of_Europe_1306-1458>.
[2] Ibid
[3] Kemezis, Kathleen. "Prester John | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed." Prester John | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. <http://www.blackpast.org/gah/prester-john>.
[4] "Ethiopia - Contact with European Christendom." Ethiopia - Contact with European Christendom. US Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017. <http://countrystudies.us/ethiopia/12.htm>.
The legend of Prester John, a wealthy Christian king with a kingdom somewhere outside of the Western European realm, pervaded European thought throughout the Middle Ages. The limited understanding of the unexplored regions of the world and the inability to find his kingdom resulted in shifting versions of the legend [3].
Image Ownership: Public Domain
Portugal, the first European power to circumnavigate Africa and enter the Indian Ocean, displayed initial interest in this potential ally by sending a representative to Ethiopia in 1493. The Prester John of the Indies, stirred further European interest and proved a valuable source for future historians. The first Portuguese forces responded to a request for aid in 1541, although by that time the Portuguese were concerned primarily with strengthening their hegemony over the Indian Ocean trade routes and with converting the Ethiopians to Roman Catholicism [4].
[1] Salvadore, Matteo. "The Ethiopian Age of Exploration: Prester John's Discovery of Europe, 1306-1458." Academia.edu - Share Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. <http://www.academia.edu/354590/The_Ethiopian_Age_of_Exploration_Prester_John_s_Discovery_of_Europe_1306-1458>.
[2] Ibid
[3] Kemezis, Kathleen. "Prester John | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed." Prester John | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. <http://www.blackpast.org/gah/prester-john>.
[4] "Ethiopia - Contact with European Christendom." Ethiopia - Contact with European Christendom. US Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017. <http://countrystudies.us/ethiopia/12.htm>.
