might not be directly connected to David’s story, his career and character are a
wonderful illustration of the culture of rumors that revolved around Portu-
guese activity in the region.
Covilhan’s story is full of inconsistencies and complications,^51 but we can
be sure that he visited India, the Middle East, and various regions in Africa. He
knew North Africa well; he carried out delicate missions there for the Portu-
guese Crown. Most of what we know about him comes from the contradictory
accounts of persons who met him in Ethiopia and from the few letters he sent
to Europe. The most important account is from Friar Francisco Alvares ( 1465 –
1541 ), who met him in Ethiopia in 1520 , many years after Covilhan had first
arrived.^52 “This man Pedro de Covilhan knows all the languages that can be
spoken, both of Christians, Moors, and Gentiles, and who knows all the things
for which he was sent; moreover he gives accounts of them if they were present
before him.”^53 What was needed on the Red Sea trade route was the ability to
engage with a diverse mix of languages, religions, and cultures. Covilhan, a
master storyteller in Alvares’s portrayal, clearly had a truly remarkable career as
a loyal soldier, spy, and diplomat.^54
This experience made Covilhan the perfect man for forging Portuguese
alliances in East Africa and finding a way to the land of Prester John. Original-
ly, Covilhan set out for Egypt without a clear assignment except to find
an overland spice route. Covilhan then headed to India, then back to Cairo,
where two Jewish spies sent by King Joao ̃II intercepted him to deliver special
instructions from the king. Covilhan was to concentrate on finding the Prester,
for whom the spies were carrying a letter. Addressed to the “Precious King,”
it inquired whether Prester John could provide “entrance” to India, the final
Portuguese destination.^55 Beckingham observes, “the difficult decision which
the King of Portugal and his advisers naturally hesitated to make in the
years from 1488 to 1497 was whether to send a fleet to India without first
discovering what help if any might be obtainable from the Prester John.”^56 The
question of Prester John was not merely a romantic pursuit but a concrete
military question.
Upon receiving his new directions, Covilhan sent an update to Lisbon,
narrating his travels so far. He then set out on a long series of journeys,
ultimately crossing the Gulf of Aden to Zeila (in today’s Somalia), then made
his way to Ethiopia, having become convinced that this country indeed was the
land of Prester John. His career in Ethiopia was astonishing.^57 He was well
received by Negus Eskander ( 1471 – 1494 ), a member of the Solomonic dynasty
who was happy to receive foreign Christian attention. There were a few Italians
there already, but Covilhan was certainly seen as the first official European
representative in Ethiopia. When Eskander passed away in 1494 , however,
lu
(lu)
#1