The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger, a Native of Bavaria, in Europe, Asia, and Africa, 1396-1427Schiltberger, Johannes
History
The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger, a Native of Bavaria, in Europe, Asia, and Africa, 1396-1427
Schiltberger, Johannes
Timur, 1336-1405 -- Early works to 1800; Turkey -- History -- Bayezid I, 1389-1403; Voyages and travels -- Early works to 1800
Neumann’s complaint that our author has never been fully appreciated
by his countrymen, appears to be only too true; but the same cannot
be said of aliens. Leunclavius has availed himself largely, in his
_Pandects_,[3] of the information supplied by an eye-witness, for
the purpose of illustrating the history of the Turks; and in later
times, such men as J. R. Forster, M. C. Sprengel, J. Chr. von Engel,
Hugh Murray, Hammer, Scheiger, Aschbach, Vivien de Saint-Martin,
Fallmerayer, D’Avezac, Bruun, and Yule, have borne witness to the worth
of what Schiltberger has left behind. If he is charged by Karamsin
with making confused and senseless statements, the historian at least
believes him to be truthful, and to have really been at all the places
he claims to have visited.
Johann Schiltberger left his home in the year 1394, as he himself
informs us, with his master, Leonard Richartinger. That was two years
before the battle of Nicopolis was fought, ten months of which time be
spent in Hungary, where his lord was in all probability serving in
the auxiliary forces under Sigismund, king of that country. He must
therefore have been launched into the world when in his fourteenth
year only, and whatever the state of his education at that early
age, certainly no opportunities could have been afforded him for
improving it, during his long term of servitude. The composition of
his work, throughout, and the diversified and undetermined mode of
spelling Proper and Geographical names, show that the scribe was not
a careful one, and tends to prove Schiltberger’s inability to read
what was written, and correct the mistakes that were made; it is thus
fairly conclusive, I venture to say, that his book, like so many other
narratives of the Middle Ages, was written under dictation, a fact
exhibiting marvellous retention of memory, when it is considered that
the incidents extend over the space of about thirty-three years. That
no journal was kept, is apparent from errors in computation of time.
Of this there are two striking instances; the first, in the estimate
of length of service under Bajazet, from September 1396 to July 1402,
which is calculated at twelve years; and the author’s statement that he
was six years with Timour, when, as a matter of fact, the actual period
extended from July 1402 to February 1405.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account