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Medieval Ethiopian Kingship, Craft, and Diplomacy with Latin Europe
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About Medieval Ethiopian Kingship, Craft, And Diplomacy
Product Description This book explores why Ethiopian kings pursued long-distance diplomatic contacts with Latin Europe in the late Middle Ages. It traces the history of more than a dozen embassies dispatched to the Latin West by the kings of Solomonic Ethiopia, a powerful Christian kingdom in the medieval Horn of Africa. Drawing on sources from Europe, Ethiopia, and Egypt, it examines the Ethiopian kings' motivations for sending out their missions in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries - and argues that a desire to acquire religious treasures and foreign artisans drove this early intercontinental diplomacy. Moreover, the Ethiopian initiation of contacts with the distant Christian sphere of Latin Europe appears to have been intimately connected to a local political agenda of building monumental ecclesiastical architecture in the North-East African highlands, and asserted the Ethiopian rulers' claim of universal kingship and rightful descent from the biblical king Solomon. Shedding new light on the self-identity of a late medieval African dynasty at the height of its power, this book challenges conventional narratives of African-European encounters on the eve of the so-called 'Age of Exploration'. Review "In this meticulously researched and highly original book, Krebs conjures up an immensely wide world as she follows the visits of Ethiopian pilgrims and ambassadors to late medieval Europe. She also opens a window onto the politics and culture of that proud highland kingdom. This is a model study that will change our vision of Europe's encounter with the non-European world at the dawn of the Renaissance." --Peter Brown, Emeritus Professor of History, Princeton University, USA "Combining meticulous research and a thorough synthesis of the sources, this book offers a fresh look at the diplomatic history of Christian Ethiopia and Latin Europe between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. A fascinating study that will undoubtedly be an invaluable resource for those who seek to research and teach the history of Ethiopia." --Solomon Gebreyes, Research Fellow, University of Hamburg, Germany "An outstanding contribution to our understanding of Ethiopia's early relations with Europe. Rich, well-documented and highly convincing." --Michael Gervers, Professor of History, University of Toronto, Canada "In this meticulously researched and highly original book, Krebs conjures up an immensely wide world as she follows the visits of Ethiopian pilgrims and ambassadors to late medieval Europe. She also opens a window onto the politics and culture of that proud highland kingdom. This is a model study that will change our vision of Europe's encounter with the non-European world at the dawn of the Renaissance." --Peter Brown, Emeritus Professor of History, Princeton University, USA "Combining meticulous research and a thorough synthesis of the sources, this book offers a fresh look at the diplomatic history of Christian Ethiopia and Latin Europe between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. A fascinating study that will undoubtedly be an invaluable resource for those who seek to research and teach the history of Ethiopia." --Solomon Gebreyes, Research Fellow, University of Hamburg, Germany "An outstanding contribution to our understanding of Ethiopia's early relations with Europe. Rich, well-documented and highly convincing." --Michael Gervers, Professor of History, University of Toronto, Canada Review “In this meticulously researched and highly original book, Krebs conjures up an immensely wide world as she follows the visits of Ethiopian pilgrims and ambassadors to late medieval Europe. She also opens a window onto the politics and culture of that proud highland kingdom. This is a model study that will change our vision of Europe’s encounter with the non-European world at the dawn of the Renaissance.” (Peter Brown, Emeritus Professor of History, Princeton University, USA) “An outstanding contribution t
