Prester John

The European view of Ethiopia, mired in medieval legend, remained ill-informed for centuries. An interesting but unfounded set of legends grew up in medieval Europe concerning a certain legendary king of a remote Christian kingdom who was called Prester John. Undoubtedly inspired by the events of the Crusades, the story of Prester John supposed that he ruled in a benign fashion a most prosperous kingdom. On the few earlier occasions when Europeans became aware of Ethiopia and when the Portuguese came in contact with the country, many Europeans assumed Ethiopia to be this legendary kingdom, and Ethiopian rulers were occasionally addressed or described as Prester John.

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