Ethiopia: The land of prester John.

From: Contemporary Review | Date: November 1, 2001| Author: Waters, Irene | Copyright information

THE legendary wealthy kingdom of Prester John exerted such a prodigious influence on European thought in the Middle Ages that Pope Alexander III despatched a messenger to him in 1177. Prester John was reputed to have withstood the onslaught of Islam and was therefore perceived as a potentially powerful ally in the Crusades. The messenger never returned.

So did Prester John exist and, if so, who was he and where was his kingdom? Legend says he was descended from one of th...

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