Born in the 13th century, Pietro d'Abano was referred to variously as “the Great Lombard,” “the Conciliator,” and, in at least one case, a “great necromancer.” This scholar and physician faced variously troubles relating to heresy or sorcery, and stories swirl around him of calling on demons or magically making spent coins return to his purse.
Prester John 5: The Mongol Priest-King
Ong Khan, sometimes identified as Prester John, in Marco Polo’s Le Livre des Merveilles - Wikimedia
The Mongols, their conquests, and the travellers who went to see them were all going to necessitate some changes to the Prester John narrative. This episode is all about those changes.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
Sources:
Prester John: The Legend and its Sources, compiled and translated by Keagan Brewer. Taylor & Francis, 2019.
Sir John Mandeville: The Book of Marvels and Travels, translated by Anthony Bale. Oxford University Press, 2012.
Aigle, Denise. The Mongol Empire Between Myth and Reality. Brill, 2014.
Jackson, Peter. The Mongols and the West:1221-1410. Routledge, 2018.
Rachewiltz, Igor de. Prester John and Europe's Discovery of East Asia. Australian National University Press, 1972.
Sir John Mandeville 4: Of India and Medieval Monsters
Cynocephalus - Nuremberg Chronicle
Mandeville goes east into Greater India, and we go with him, following, as he follows the path of Odoric of Pordenone, into India, into the sea and its islands, and into a discussion of medieval hybrids and monsters, and what they mean. We'll find Amazons, the hand of St. Thomas, and people with neither noses nor eyes.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here.
Sources:
Sir John Mandeville: The Book of Marvels and Travels, translated by Anthony Bale. Oxford University Press, 2012.
The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, translated by Charles Moseley. Penguin, 2005.
Cathay and the Way Thither Vol. II. Hakluyt Society, 1913.
Andyshak, Sarah Catherine. Figural and Discursive Depictions of the Other in the Travels of Sir John Mandeville. Florida State University Libraries, 2009.
Friedman, John Block. The Monstrous Races in Medieval Art and Thought. Syracuse University Press, 2000.
Greenblatt, Stephen. Marvellous Possessions: The Wonder of the New World. University of Chicago Press, 1991.
Higgins, Iain Macleod. Writing East: The "Travels" of Sir John Mandeville. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997.
Patterson, Robert. Mandeville's Intolerance: The Contest for Souls and Sacred Sites in The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. Washington University in St. Louis, 2009.
Schildgen, Brenda Deen. Dante and the Orient. University of Illinois Press, 2002.
Tzanaki, Rosemary. Mandeville's Medieval Audiences: A Study on the Reception of the Book of Sir John Mandeville (1371-1550). Taylor & Francis, 2017.
Verner, Lisa. The Epistemology of the Monstrous in the Middle Ages. Routledge, 2005.
Sir John Mandeville 2: In and Around Jerusalem
Konrad von Grünenberg - View of Jerusalem, 1487
It's part two of the Mandeville series, and our journey reaches the Jerusalem of a 14th-century pilgrim. We'll spend some time there, getting to know the place and its surroundings, and its treatment in the Mandeville text.
Sources:
Sir John Mandeville: The Book of Marvels and Travels, translated by Anthony Bale. Oxford University Press, 2012.
The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, translated by Charles Moseley. Penguin, 2005.
Greenblatt, Stephen. Marvellous Possessions: The Wonder of the New World. University of Chicago Press, 1991.
Higgins, Iain Macleod. Writing East: The "Travels" of Sir John Mandeville. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997.
Janin, Hunt. Four Paths to Jerusalem: Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Secular Pilgrimages, 1000 BCE to 2001 CE. McFarland, 2006
Moore, Kathryn Blair. The Architecture of the Christian Holy Land: Reception from Late Antiquity through the Renaissance. Cambridge University Press, 2017.
Pringle, Denys. The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: Volume 3, The City of Jerusalem: A Corpus. Cambridge University Press, 1993.
Routledge Handbook on Jerusalem. Edited by Suleiman A. Mourad, Naomi Koltun-Fromm, and Bedross Der Matossian. Routledge, 2018.
Routledge Revivals: Trade, Travel and Exploration in the Middle Ages (2000): An Encyclopedia. Edited by John Block Friedman & Kristen Mossler Figg. Taylor & Francis, 2017.
Tzanaki, Rosemary. Mandeville's Medieval Audiences: A Study on the Reception of the Book of Sir John Mandeville (1371-1550). Taylor & Francis, 2017.
Sir John Mandeville 1: To the Holy Land
John Mandeville departs England with the encouragement of the king - BNF Fr2810 f141
Sir John Mandeville, a 14th-century figure who travelled/maybe travelled/almost definitely didn't travel from England to Jerusalem and its holy places, to the court of the sultan in Egypt, to the realms of the Mongol khan, and to the long sought lands of Prester John. With this episode, we start the journey.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here.
Sources:
Sir John Mandeville: The Book of Marvels and Travels, translated by Anthony Bale. Oxford University Press, 2012.
The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, translated by Charles Moseley. Penguin, 2005.
Clark, James G. A Monastic Renaissance at St Albans: Thomas Walsingham and his Circle c.1350-1440. Clarendon Press, 2004.
Greenblatt, Stephen. Marvellous Possessions: The Wonder of the New World. University of Chicago Press, 1991.
Higgins, Iain Macleod. Writing East: The "Travels" of Sir John Mandeville. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997.
Tzanaki, Rosemary. Mandeville's Medieval Audiences: A Study on the Reception of the Book of Sir John Mandeville (1371-1550). Taylor & Francis, 2017.
The Travels of Johann Schiltberger 2: The Battle of Angora/Ankara
Today, we'll follow Johann Schiltberger's journey under Bayezid's control. There will be an escape attempt, epic battles, an epic snake battle, and some Ottoman history. I hope you like it. Thanks for listening everybody! Enjoy.
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If you like what you hear, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here.
The Travels of Johann Schiltberger 1: The Battle of Nicopolis
We begin the travels of Johann Schiltberger, a 14th/15th century, Bavarian Marco Polo who left his home for the crusade against the Ottomans and didn't make it back for a long, long time. In the intervening 30 years, he travelled widely as a prisoner, first with the Ottoman Sultan, Bayezid, and then with Timur (aka Tamerlane) and those who succeeded him, reporting on the world and its monsters, miracles, and numerous battles.
Schiltberger lived a full life at a fascinating time in history. I'll be telling his story and discussing his times over the course of 4 episodes. With episode one, we'll take Schiltberger up to the Battle of Nicopolis and the first massive shift in his fortunes. Hope you enjoy it!
(MP3)
If you like what you hear, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here.