WEBVTT

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In 1165, copies of a strange letter began 
to circulate throughout Western Europe.

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It spoke of a fantastical realm,

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containing the Tower of Babel and 
the Fountain of Youth –

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all ruled over by the letter’s mysterious 
author: Prester John.

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Today, we know that this extraordinary
king never existed.

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But the legend of this mythical kingdom 
and its powerful ruler

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would impact the decisions of European
leaders for the next 400 years.

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Prester John’s myth would propel 
the age of exploration,

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inspire intercontinental diplomacy, 
and indirectly begin a civil war.

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When Prester John’s letter appeared, 
Europe was embroiled in the Crusades.

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In this series of religious wars,

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Europeans campaigned to seize what 
they regarded as the Christian Holy Land.

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The Church vilified any faith outside
of Christianity,

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including that of the Jewish and Muslim 
communities populating the region.

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Crusaders were eager to find Christian
kingdoms to serve as allies in their war.

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And they were particularly interested
in rumors of a powerful Christian king

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who had defeated an enormous 
Muslim army in the Far East.

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In fact, it was a Mongol horde including
converted Christian tribes

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that had routed the army.

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But news of this victory 
traveled unreliably.

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Merchants and emissaries filled gaps 
in the story

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with epic poems and Biblical fragments.

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By the time the story reached Europe,

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the Mongol horde had been replaced
with a great Christian army,

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commanded by a king who shared the 
Crusader’s vision

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of marching on Jerusalem.

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And when a letter allegedly written by 
this so-called “Prester John” appeared,

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European rulers were thrilled.

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While the letter’s actual author 
remains unknown,

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its stereotypes about the East and 
alignment with European goals

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indicate it was a Western forgery.

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But despite the letter’s obvious origins 
as European propaganda,

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the appeal of Prester John’s myth was too 
great for the Crusaders to ignore.

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Before long,

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European mapmakers were guessing the
location of his mythical kingdom.

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In the 13th and 14th centuries, European 
missionaries went East,

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along the newly revived Silk Road.

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They weren’t searching for the letter’s 
author,

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who would have been over a century old; 
but rather, for his descendants.

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The title of Prester John was briefly
identified

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with several Central Asian rulers,

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but it soon became clear that the Mongols
were largely non-Christian.

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And as their Empire began to decline,

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Europeans began pursuing alternate routes 
to the Far East,

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and new clues to Prester John’s location.

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At the same time these explorers 
went south,

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Ethiopian pilgrims began traveling north.

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In Rome, these visitors quickly 
attracted the interest

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of European scholars and cartographers.

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Since Ethiopia had been converted to 
Christianity in the 4th century,

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the stories of their African homeland 
fit perfectly into Prester John’s legend.

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Portuguese explorers scoured Africa 
for the kingdom,

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until a mix of confusion and diplomacy 
finally turned myth into reality.

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The Ethiopians graciously received their 
European guests,

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who were eager to do business with the
ruler they believed to be Prester John.

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Though the Ethiopians were initially 
confused by the Portuguese’s

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unusual name for their Emperor,

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they were savvy enough to recognize 
the diplomatic capital it afforded them.

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The Ethiopian diplomats played the part 
of Prester John’s subjects,

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and the Portuguese triumphantly announced
an alliance with the fabled sovereign–

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over 350 years after the European 
letter had begun the search.

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But this long-awaited partnership was 
quickly tested.

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A decade later, the Sultanate of Adal,

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a regional power supported by the 
Ottoman Empire, invaded Ethiopia.

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The Portuguese sent troops that helped 
Ethiopians win this conflict.

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But by this time,

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it was clear that Ethiopia was not the 
powerful ally Europe had hoped.

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Worse still, the increasingly intolerant 
Roman Catholic Church

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now deemed the Ethiopian sect of 
Christianity heretical.

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Their subsequent attempts to convert the
people they once revered

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as ideal Christians would 
eventually spark a civil war,

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and in the 1630s, Ethiopia cut 
ties with Europe.

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Over the next two centuries, the legend of
Prester John slowly faded into oblivion –

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ending the reign of a king who made 
history despite having never existed.