Having failed to pinpoint the Kingdom of Prester John in Asia, scholars as early as the 14th century began locating John's Kingdom in east Africa. It was divided into three parts, 'Farther India' or what is today India and Southeast Asia, 'Nearer India' or the modern-day Middle east, and 'Middle India' or the parts of Africa to the east of the Nile River. 'India' at this time referred not just to the subcontinent, but also to much of southern Asia - and also Africa east of the Nile. Hugh described Prester John as a great Christian king whose empire was located somewhere in India - the idea being that the two great Christian empires, that of John and that of the Pope, would together make war on the Saracens occupying the Holy Land, thus sandwiching the enemy between their two indomitable armies.Ībout 20 years letter a curious letter began to circulate around Europe, purportedly by John himself, wherein the mythical King claimed to be some 562 years old and the ruler of the 'Three Indias'. The Legend of Prester JohnThe legend of Prester John dates to about 1145 when a Syrian priest name Hugh traveled to Europe to canvas for a fifth Crusade. Cartographically the map is derived from Gastaldi's 1564 eight-sheet wall map of Africa. Superimposed on these speculative lands is the legendary Kingdom of Prester John (Presbiteri Ioannis) - a persistent and popular figure in European myth. While the African coast exhibits considerable advances over earlier maps of the region, the interior reveals a cartography primarily based on the literature of antiquity and little changed from the days of Ptolemy. It includes two decorative cartouches as well as stylized images of African elephants. The map covers from the Bight of Benin to the Indian Ocean and from Arabia and the Red Sea to Mozambique. This is Ortelius' famous map of the Kingdom of Prester John, in its first Latin edition of 1573 and original color. ![]() Minnesota - North Dakota - South Dakota. ![]() Massachusetts - Connecticut - Rhode Island.
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