Friday meme-ification

I was tagged by the lovely and talented Michelle of Heavenfield to participate in a mutated medievalist meme. I've spent the last few days pondering which favorite historical figure I would choose. I am slightly embarassed to admit that I am rather promiscuous when it comes to favorite historical figures. I develop intense fixations that replace themselves quickly. My past favorites, however, should not despair, and should know that I will always keep them near and dear in my heart, even when I am fawning over someone new.

Here are the meme-rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) List 7 random/weird things about your favorite historical figure.
3) Tag seven more people at the end of your blog and link to theirs.
4) Let the person know they have been tagged by leaving a note on their blog.

After a long, hard think, it seems fairly obvious that I should choose Prester John.



So here we go!

1) The first explicit reference to Prester John appears in German chronicler Otto Bishop of Freising’s Chronicon sive historia de duabus civitatibus. He describes Hugh Bishop of Jabala’s 1144 visit to the papal legate in Viterbo as an emissary of Prince Raymond of Antioch. Having come from the East to procure Western aid against the Muslims after the disastrous Siege of Edessa, Hugh relates the story of "…a certain John, a king and a priest who dwells beyond Persia and Armenia in the uttermost East and, with all his people, is a Christian but a Nestorian, made war on all the brother kings of the Persians and the Medes, called Samiardi and stormed Ekbatana (the seat of their kingdom) which is mentioned above…Prester John, for so they are accustomed to call him, putting the Persians to flight with dreadful carnage finally emerged victorious. He said that after this victory the aforesaid John moved his army to the aid of the Church in Jerusalem, but that when he had reached the river Tigris and was unable to transport his army across that river by any device…and lost many of his soldiers because of the unfamiliar climate and was forced to return home. It is said that he is a lineal descendant of the Magi, of whom mention is made in the Gospel… "

2) Such was belief in the reality of Prester John that in 1177 Pope Alexander III wrote letter of reply. He thanked the priest-king for his offer of aid but chided him for his excessive pride. Alexander sent off his personal physician Philip with the letter, ostensibly in a vaguely eastern direction as no one knew exactly where PJ was, and the record of Philip’s travels ends with his departure. I like to think Philip took the letter and the gifts, fled to Ibiza, and spent the rest of his life sipping medieval margaritas in the sand.

3) Amongst the defenses protecting PJ's kingdom is a magic mirror: "Before our palace stands a mirror, the ascent to which consists of five and twenty steps of porphyry and serpentine…This mirror is guarded day and night by three thousand men. We look therein and behold all that is taking place in every province and region subject to our scepter." He's like a proto-Big Brother. In my opinion, this is one of the element's of PJ's kingdom that directly reflects the desires and fears of Levantine Christians. This sort of preternatural mirror would be highly desirable to a people surrounded on all sides by attacking enemies. Prester John represented the perfect Christian warrior, an exemplar to all those who found themselves fighting the infidel in the East. The strength of Prester John’s defenses and the invincibility of his troops reflect Levantine anxieties about safety and more than a bit of wishful thinking.

4) Jean de Joinville is the only writer ever to refer to Prester John's death. In The Life of Saint Louis, Jean describes Prester John's defeat at the hands of the Tartars, who had grown sick of living under his intolerant rule. It is one of the only unflattering descriptions of PJ ever. Jean presents Prester John not as a benevolent, pious emperor as other texts do, but as an acrimonious tyrant. The description of his behavior is meant to evoke sympathy for the subjugated Tartars and disdain for the unmerciful despot.

5) PJ's kingdom contains nearly every animal ever. I quote: "Our land is the home of elephants, dromedaries, camels, crocodiles, metacollinarum, cametannus, tenseveetes, wild asses, white and red lions, white bears, white merules, crickets, griffins, tigers, lamias, hyenas, wild horses, wild oxen, and wild men- men with horns, one-eyed men, men with eyes before and behind, centaurs, fauns, satyrs, pygmies, forty-ell high giants, cyclopses, and similar women. It is the home, too, of the phoenix and nearly all living animals."

6) Three of the animals listed above- the metacollinarum, the cametannus, and the tenseveetes- do not exist. And not in the way that a griffin or a unicorn doesn’t exist, but that it seems the author of the letter completely fabricated these words. It's like saying "My kingdom has glibitoos in it! How exotic is THAT?!"

7) Prester John makes a quick, miss-it-if-you-blink appearance in Alan Moore's newest installation in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series, The Black Dossier.

I'm afraid of re-tagging already-tagged-folks, so I will limit myself to summoning Highly Eccentric and Goblinpaladin to the task. Have fun!