Characters

The epic series Covilhã’s Secret Journal is replete with historical and fictional characters from many countries and cultures. Although not needed for the understanding of the novel series, this list of characters includes full names—and variants—with a brief description of their role and background as supplementary information that may be of interest, but also to help jog your memory—and mine—of who’s who.

Note: Names of fictional characters are in italics. Names in non-Latin scripts have been romanized. For the romanization conventions I have used, see under Pronunciation. Dates follow the common-era system (CE). All other terms can be found in the Glossary.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī al-Jazīrī, Shaykh (often romanized as ʿAbd al-Kader, Abdul Kader, or Abdelkader; 1505/1506 – 1569/1570): The 16th-century Egyptian scholar wrote the earliest known manuscript on the history of coffee. In his book ʻUmdat al-ṣafwah fī ḥill al-qahwah he quoted a Fakhr al-Dīn Abu Bakr ibn Abi Yazid al-Makkī, who maintained that → qahwa did not reach Makkah until the end of the 9th century of Hijra, the 15th century CE. He also reports that coffee consumption was earlier connected to Sufis in Yemen, including Shaykh Jamāl al-Dīn Muḥammad bin Saʿīd adh- → Dhabḥanī.

ʿAbd el-Ḥaqq (II; also, ʿAbdul al-Ḥaqq, Haq or Haqq; Arabic; “Servant of the Truth,” al-Ḥaqq; 1419–1465): The (nominal) Marinid (see → Marīniyūn) Sultan of → Fez (Morocco) from 1420 to 1465. The Wattasid (see → Waṭṭāsīyūn) viziers under the Marinids made the one-year-old infant → ʾAbd al-Ḥaqq (II) sultan in 1420 and seized control of → Fez. When ʾAbd al-Ḥaqq came of age in 1437, the Wattasid viziers refused to give up the regency and in 1459 the sultan revolted against them. Only → Muḥammad ash-Shaykh and a brother survived the slaughter. By appointing a Jewish vizier in 1465, ʾAbd al-Ḥaqq provoked a revolt by local sharifs and was assassinated, ending the Marinid dynasty. In 1472 Muḥammad ash-Shaykh took the turban of the sultanate of Fez, founding the Wattasid dynasty of Fez. In the novel, Pêro da → Covilhã was given the name → ʿAbd er-Raḥmān al-Bashīr ben ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq al-Marīni al-Munajim by → Ath-Thābiti, the sulṭān of Tilimsān, because he was thought to be a son of sultan ʾAbd al-Ḥaqq and thus a prince (→ amīr) of the Marīniyūn.

ʿAbd er-Raḥmān al-Bashīr ben ʿAbd el-Ḥaqq al-Marīni al-Munajim (Arabic “Servant of the Merciful, Bearer of Good News, son of → ʿAbd el-Ḥaqq, the → Marinid, dubbed the Astrologer”): In the novel, the name bestowed by → Abū ʿAbdallāh Muḥammad ath-Thābiti, the → amīr of → Tilimsān on Pêro da → Covilhã in the novel. See → ʿAbd , → ʿAbdul, and → Marīniyūn in the Glossary.

ʿAbd er-Raḥmān al-Bashīr ibn al-Din ibn al-Qasim al-Malaqi, (this name is fictional, the character is not): An alias (in the novel) Pêro da → Covilhã uses in Islamic countries, especially when he wishes to pass as Moorish merchant traveling with his “brother” ʿAbdullah al- → Afḍal ibn al-Din ibn al-Qasim al-ʾAndalusī, actually Afonso da → Paiva, rather than use the name → ʿAbd er-Raḥmān al-Bashīr ben ʿAbdul-Ḥaqq al-Marīni al-Munajim, which would identify him as a Marinid prince and astrologer.

B

Badr al-Dīn Ḥasan (lived mid-15th century): “Had been a commissioner in → Jidda and supervisor of the sanctuaries of → Mecca, became → kabīr al-tujjār [head] of the merchants.” Source: Ira Marvin Lapidus, Muslim Cities in the Later Middle Ages, 1967, p. 97.

Bäʾәdä Maryam I, ʿAtse (Geʾez [በእደ ማርያም], “he who is in the hand of Mary;” also romanized as Baeda Maryam; 1448 – 8 November 1478): Emperor (of the Solomonic dynasty) of → Abyssinia 1468 to 1478. Born at Debre Berhan, he was the son of ʿAtse Zara Yaqob by Seyon Mogesa, who died from mistreatment by her husband. ʿAtse Bäʾәdä Maryam secretly buried her near Debre Berhan and gave → Ǝtege Ǝleni, a wife of his father, the title of Queen Mother. He was married to Queen Romna. Their son, → ʿƎskəndər (15 July 1471 – 7 May 1494), was his successor (reigned 1478–1494). Their son, → Naʾod, would reign later (1494 to 31 July 1508).

Baptista da Imola: A “letter-carrier, [who stood] in connection with the Franciscan missionary in Ethiopia, → Johanne da Calabria, and [had] no function beyond transporting the messages and goods of other people.” Regrettably, he has been confused by some historians with → Johanne Baptista Brochus da Imola, the noble “companion to Abba → ʿƎntoñǝs in Rome, [who had never] travelled to Ethiopia.” Source: Medieval Ethiopian Kingship, Craft, and Diplomacy with Latin Europe by Verena Krebs, 2021, p. 138.

Barakāt (II) ibn Muḥammad ibn Barakāt (1456 – presumably 1525): Sharīf al-Makkah (Sharif of Mecca, also called Emir of Mecca) from 1473/1474 to 1525. In the year 1473/1474 Sultan → Qāitbāy appointed Barakāt (II) ibn Muḥammad, the son of → Muḥammad ibn Barakāt, as co-regent. He reigned alone as Sharif of Mecca from 1495 to 1524/1525, albeit with long periods of absence due to internecine fighting with his brothers, particularly Hazzaʾ and Ahmad al-Jazan. “Although he at once strove to make peace with his unruly brothers, they finally succeeded in deposing him.” Barakāt waited in Jedda, returned to Mecca with the next pilgrimage, and then co-reigned with his son Abū Numay II for the last thirteen years of his rule. As the Hejaz became an Ottoman state after the fall of Cairo to Sultan Selim I, Barakāt II became the first Ottoman Sharif. Source: Gerald de Gaury, Rulers of Mecca, 1951, pp. 113–127.

Barbarossa: (Baba) → ʿArūj (Arabic), Oruç (or Urūj) Reis (Turkish), called Arrudye (Spanish). The nickname Barbarossa, “Red Beard,” (Latin, Italian) could be a folk etymology from the name Baba Oruç. Albeit their beards may have been colored with henna. The epithet was later transferred to his brother Hızır Hayreddin (Hayrettin) Paşa, who became an admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Oruç, Hızır, and two other brothers were sailors, who turned privateers in response to the privateering of the Knights Hospitaller. Note that Frederick I, the Holy Roman Emperor, was also called Barbarossa.

Bashīr ben ʿAbdul-Ḥaqq al-Marīni al-Munajim, ʿAbd er-Raḥmān al- (here the name is fictional, the character is not): See → ʿAbd er-Raḥmān al-Bashīr ben ʿAbdul-Ḥaqq al-Marīni al-Munajim. Under this alias, Pêro da → Covilhã was made kāshif al-muḥāfaẓāt al-salṭanah, or inspector of imperial provinces, by the → Mamluk sultan → Qāitbāy.

Bashīr ibn al-Din ibn al-Qasim al-Malaqi, ʿAbd er-Raḥmān al- (here the name is fictional, the character is not): An alias (in the novel) Pêro da → Covilhã uses in Islamic countries, especially when he wishes to pass as Moorish merchant traveling with his “brother” ʿAbdullah al- → Afḍal ibn al-Din ibn al-Qasim al-ʾAndalusī, actually Afonso da → Paiva, rather than use the name → ʿAbd er-Raḥmān al-Bashīr ben ʿAbdul-Ḥaqq al-Marīni al-Munajim, which would identify him as a Marinid prince and astrologer.

Baṭṭūṭa, ibn (ʾAbū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Lawātiyy aṭ-Ṭanjiyy ibn Baṭṭūṭa, the laqab “honorific” ibn baṭṭūṭa means “son of the duckling;” 24 February 1304 – 1368/1369): A Maghrebi of Berber descent, Islamic scholar, and traveler of the Muslim world (1325–1354). After his return, ibn Baṭṭūṭa dictated the narrative of his journeys to ibn Juzayy, a scholar from Granada. This work is the only account of his travels. Whether he visited all the places he described is dubious. A good chronicler and storyteller, his observations often reveal his conservative background. Translated, edited, and annotated by H.A.R. Gibb, it was published as The Travels of ibn Baṭṭūṭa A.D. 1325–1354 by the Hakluyt Society in 5 volumes, 1958–2000. See ibn → Baṭṭūṭa under Sources at prestejoao.com.

Bayezid II, Sultan (3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512): Sultan of the Ottoman Empire 1481 – 1512. Son of Sultan Mehmed II and half-brother of → Cem, who fled upon his defeat after the death of their father in 1491, coming into the custody of Pope → Innocent VIII. He consolidated the Ottoman Empire and welcomed the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492 (ridiculing the conduct of the → Reyes Católicos, → Ferdinand II of Aragon and → Isabella I of Castile, banishing such useful people).

Beatriz de la Cosa Hogaza, Doña (Spanish de la cosa = of the thing, hogaza = loaf (of bread), Portuguese fogaça = (loaf of) sweet bread/roll): A lady from Burgos, going to the wedding of her younger sister. She claimed to be married to Dom → João Fogaça, a Portuguese administrator, João Fogaça, however, was married to Dona Maria de Eça. → Pêro da Covilhã suspected her of being a Spanish spy.

Belagegi, Moly (also → Mulay, Muley, Moulay, Mawlāy, or obsolete Moly): In the Portuguese chronicles Mulay → Abūʾl-Ḥajjāj is referred to as “Moly Belagegi” (“Bel” = Abūʾl, “Agegi” = “Ḥajjāj,” ‘g’ being pronounced as ʿj”) of Enxovia (→ Shawiya). This corruption of the name occurs in Ho Preste Ioam das Indias… by Father Francisco → Álvares, 1540, translated by Lord Stanley of Alderley in 1881, revised and edited by C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford, in The Prester John of the Indies, 1961, Vol. II, p. 370. It seems that “Moly Belagegi” was first identified by R. Ricard (in Études sur l’histoire des portugais au Maroc, p. 84, as per note 2 on p. 370 of The Prester John of the Indies). See Mūlāy → Abūʾl-Ḥajjāj Yūsuf ibn Zayyān al-Waṭṭāsī.

Beltraneja: See → Joana de Trastâmara.

Bruce [of Kinnaird], James: …. See James → Bruce [of Kinnaird] under Sources at prestejoao.com and → Nile River under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

Burton, Richard F. (…): “His decision to enter Mecca in the guise of a Muslim pilgrim in 1853 was carefully calculated to attract the attention of his countrymen, and … critics wondered whether his Muslim persona really was the sham he made it out to be. … These doubts were traceable to his own reluctance to commit to a stable and readily identifiable identity, a reluctance rooted in the emotional and intellectual satisfaction he received from transcending the conventional boundaries of religion and race.” Source: Dane Kennedy, Richard Burton, 2007. See → ḥajj under Glossary and Richard F. → Burton under Sources at prestejoao.com.

C

Calçadilha, Licentiate Diego (or Diogo) Ortiz (de) (1457–1519): A “Castilian by nationality” [Góis, 1960, I: 131-132], professor of astronomy at the University of Salamanca, Spain, before going to Portugal. He was a member of the → Junta dos Matemáticos, who helped make the chart with Pêro d’ → Alcáçova for → Covilhã (and → Paiva). He was also bishop of Tangier (1491–1500), Ceuta (1500–1505), and Viseu (1505–1519).

Campofregoso, Sua Serenità Paolo di (1427 – 22 March 1498): Archbishop of Genoa, he was made cardinal in 1480 and papal admiral against the Turks, who at invaded Otranto, near Naples. The Portuguese sent a squadron in 1481 to help defeat the Ottoman fleet, but arrived after the Turks had surrendered. Campofregoso was elected in 1483 as doge of Genoa for the third time, but had to flee due to a rebellion in 1488.

Çapateiro, Josepe (also (José) Sapateiro or Zapateiro; çapateiro means “shoemaker” or “cobbler” in Portuguese; and is the man’s surname, not his profession (see below): A well-traveled Jew from Lamego, who had told King Dom → João II that he had been in “Babylonia” (Bagdad?) and Hormuz. He was then accompanied by Rabi → Abrão, a Jew from Béja, on a journey to Cairo by order of Dom João in 1490 to meet up with → Covilhã and → Paiva and bring them new orders and news. It is not known whether either of the messengers brought back news of Covilhã’s welfare, Paiva’s death, or any information from Covilhã that would aid the epoch-making voyage of Vasco da → Gama, nor if in fact they had returned to Lisbon at all. Moreover, no report from Covilhã has ever been found in the archives. This may be because no such report was ever received or (as I, the author, believe) it may be due to a state policy of secrecy, especially during the reign of King → Manuel I, when such documents may have been deliberately destroyed and chronologies redacted to expurgate information that would reflect unfavorably on Dom Manuel or the house of → Bragança. In the novel, Covilhã had met Çapateiro before in → Oran and in Lisbon, and had enabled him to participate in the founding and management of a mantle (→ alambeis) factory in Azemur. An interesting entry by Richard Gottheil and Meyer Kayserling in the Jewish Encyclopedia, indirectly touching on → Alvares’ mention of Çapateiro’s journey to → Babylon:

“Çapateiro, Joseph ([also] José Çapateiro de Lamego or “Joseph, Shoemaker of Lamego”) Portuguese traveler of the fifteenth century. After a sojourn in Bagdad [Babylon?], he returned to Lisbon to present a report to King João II on Ormuz, the emporium of the East Indian spice trade. He thereupon, by the king’s orders, set out in company with the experienced linguist, Abraham [Rabi → Abrão] of Beja, in search of the roving explorer, Pedro de Covilhão [Pêro da → Covilhã], in order to interview the latter in the king’s behalf as to the results of his travels. After obtaining valuable information regarding the discovery of the sea route to India from Covilhão, who had previously gathered it from Arabian and Indian pilots, Joseph was sent home by caravan to Aleppo. Both Joseph and Abraham, his fellow-traveler, thus rendered eminent pioneer service in the cause of Portuguese discovery. Bibliography: Garcia de Resende, Chron. del Rey D. João II., 29 et seq.; R. J. Mendes dos Remedios, Os Judeus em Portugal, i. 248; Kayserling, Christopher Columbus, pp. 17 et seq.; idem, Gesch. der Juden in Portugal, pp. 88 et seq.” Source: jewishencyclopeida.com/articles/15166-zapateiro-joseph, unedited full-text of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, now in the public domain.

“Josepe Çapateiro de Lamego: Çapateiro bedeutet wohl portugiesisch wie spanisch Zapatero, Schuhmacher; aber hier ist es sicher ein Familienname.” My translation: “Çapateiro in Portuguese and Spanish means ‘shoemaker;’ but here it is certainly a family name.” Source: Heinrich Graetz, Geschichte der Juden, Dritter Zeitraum, Vierte Periode, Epoche des gesteigerten Elends und Verfalles, 15. Kapitel, Vertreibung der Juden aus Navarra und Portugal (1492-1498), note 29.

Cem Sultan (IPA /ˈdʒem/; 1459 – 1495): Pretender to the → Ottoman throne. The third son of Sultan → Mehmed II and younger half-brother of Sultan → Bayezid II, who defeated Cem after the death of their father in 1491. Cem fled to the → Hospitallers at → Rhodes. His brother, Sultan Bayezid, paid the order 40,000 ducats annually to detain Cem. In March 1489, Cem came into the custody of Pope → Innocent XIII.

Changamire, Mwene Mutapa: The founder of the Changamire dynasty and successor to his elder brother, (Mwene Mutapa) → Nyahuma Mukombero (ruled 1480 –1490), who he revolted against and who was killed in battle. Changamire was a “lowly” son of (Mwene Mutapa) → Matope Nyanhehwe Nebedza, the ruler of the Monomotapa empire (1450 – 1480), who had appointed him as vassal king (or governor) of its central and southern provinces. Changamire declared his independence of Matope’s successor, usurping the rule of the Karanga state from 1490 to 1494. The victorious Changamire then entered Nyahuma’s → Zimbabwe (capital) and killed all but one of Nyahuma’s sons. He in turn was killed by → Chikuyo Chisamarengu (who then ruled 1494 –1530). Changamire founded a dynasty, later ruling an empire called Rozwi (after his army) and the Mutapa Empire now had to share its territory with the Rozvi or Changamire Empire. Sources: Alcáçova, Diogo de, “Letter from Diogo de Alcáçova to the King,” in Malyn Newitt, East Africa, 2002, pp. 21–23; and Beach, D. N., The Shona & Zimbabwe 900–1850, pp. 119–121, 138.. See → Mutapa Empire under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

Chikuyo Chisamurengu: Nyahuma Mukombero’s second eldest son (the eldest being Munyore Karembera, who was ill). Unknown to → Changamire, he was on a visit to his mother’s kin when his father and all twenty-one of his brothers were killed. Grown to manhood during the four years that Changamire had sat on his father’s throne, Chikuyo secretly assembled a powerful army to avenge his father, and reclaim the Mutapa throne. In 1494 he battled the usurper and avenged his father, regaining control of most of the empire. Chikuyo established contacts with the Portuguese settlements on the east African coast (c. 1500) and ruled as Mwene Mutapa Kakuyo Komunyaka from 1494 to c. 1530. See → Mutapa Empire under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

Contarini, (Ser) Agostino (): A Venetian → patrono of a pilgrim galley and competitor of Ser Pietro → Lando. He “was famous not only for his sailing skills but also for his unfair behavior towards pilgrims.” Source: Laura Grazia Di Stefano, The business of pilgrimage in fifteenth-century Venice, dissertation at University of Nottingham, 2018.

Covilhã, Pêro (or Pedro) da (say “pe´-roo dah coov´-yuh,” IPA /ˈpeɾu dɐ kuv(i)ˈʎɐ̃/; born in Covilhã, c. 1460): Escudeiro (squire) and then escudeiro com direito a armas e cavalo (squire with right to arms and horse) to King Dom Afonso V and King Dom → João II (Dom Afonso’s son and successor), later escudeiro da guarda real (esquire of the royal guard) under King Dom João II; a Portuguese explorer, diplomat, and spy, sent out by Dom João II on 7 May 1487 from Santarém along with Afonso de → Paiva to find the source of the Eastern emporium of spices and the court of → Preste João (Prester John). Covilhã arrived at Calicut ten years before Vasco da → Gama. In East Africa he found the Christian emperor of → Abyssinia (now → Ethiopia), the → nəgusä nägäst (king of kings), believed by Covilhã’s countrymen to be the Preste João, as they continued to call him.

Note that Pêro da Covilhã was a historical—and in my humble opinion, a historic—figure. Moreover, he is the protagonist of the Covilhã’s Secret Journal series. Not much is known about him—in part due to the policy of secrecy at the Portuguese court during and after Covilha’s epic journey (see → Portuguese policy of secrecy under Glossary on at prestejoao.com). This opens the door very wide to speculation about him, his accomplishments, and his life. I admit to having gladly ventured through this broad gateway, hypothesizing and conjecturing away, but always within the realm of the possible and always tethered to the words of Father Francisco → Álvares, who knew him and devoted a chapter of his book to him.

Due to the changes in Portuguese orthography in the past 500 years, and perhaps because of the covert nature of his craft, Pêro da Covilhã has been referred to by variants of his name by the Portuguese chroniclers:
- “Pêro de Covilham” by Father Francisco → Álvares (Coimbra, 1470 – Rome, 1541/1542), chaplain of King Dom → Manuel, who traveled to → Abyssinia, as part of the Portuguese embassy of Dom Rodrigo de Lima to the “Empire of → Prester John,” arriving in 1520 (and departing six years later), having met Pêro da → Covilhã, to whom he later devoted a chapter of his book, Ho Preste Ioam das Indias, Verdadeira informaçam das terras do Preste Joam …, published 1540, translated by Lord Stanley of Adlerley in 1881, and revised and edited by C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford in The Prester John of the Indies, A True Relation of the Lands of the Prester John …, published by the Hakluyt Society in two volumes, 1961, Vol. II, Chapter CIV, pp. 369–376, numerous other pages;
- “Joham de Covilhaã” by Ruy de → Pina, a contemporary and advisor of King Dom → João II, in Croniqua DelRey Dom Joham II, manuscript by 1504, first published 1792, limited facsimile edition, titled Crónica de el-Rei D. João II, 1950, on p. 71;
- “Ioam de Couilham” by Garcia de Resende (1470 – 3 February 1536), another contemporary, poet, and private secretary of King Dom → João II, in Crónica de Dom João II e miscelâea, 1798, facsimile edition 1973, on pp. 94–95;
- “Pedro da Covilhan” by Conde de Ficalho (Dom Francisco Manuel de Melo Breyner, 4th Count of Ficalho, 27 July 1837 – 19 April 1903), Arabist and botanist, in the monograph Viagens de Pedro da Covilhan, 1898, throughout the book;
- João de Covilhãa” as well as “Pero de Covilhãa” by Gaspar Correa (or Correia, 1492 – c. 1563 in Goa), a Portuguese historian, in the 3,500-page Lendas da Índia, manuscript 1582, published 1858–1886 in 5 volumes, Vol. I, First Part, pp. 5–7; and
- “João pirez de Couilhã” by Damião de Goes (Alenquer, February 2, 1502 – January 30, 1574), humanist and chronicler of Prince Dom João (later King Dom João II) and King Dom → Manuel, in Crónica do feliçíssimo rei Dom Emanuel, 1566, folios 104 and 105.

Historians writing in English either botched Pêro’s name in dependence of their Portuguese sources, degree of anglicization, and orthography of the time or they adopted the Portuguese name and spelling. Here are two examples, an archaic, inconsistent, perhaps even slipshod one; and a modern, consistent one, using the original name:
- “Peter Covilian,” “Peter Covillan,” “Peter de Covillan,” and “Pedro de Covillan” by Samuel Purchas (c. 1577 – 1626), an English Anglican cleric and publisher of travel literature, in Hakluytus Posthumus or Purchas His Pilgrimes In Twenty Volumes Contayning a History of the World in Sea Voyages and Lande Travells, 1625, reissued by the Hakluyt Society as a facsimile edition 1905–1907, in Vol. II, p. 17, Vol. VII, pp. 151, 163, 175–176, Vol. X, pp. 12–13, 39; and
- “Pêro da Covilham” by Elaine Sanceau (1896–1978), author of Henry the Navigator, The Land of Prester John, etc., in The Perfect Prince, A Biography of the King Dom João II, 1959, on pp. 256–258, 288, 357, 381, 408.

In the novel, Pêro’s Portuguese aliases are João → Pires and Julio de la → Cueva (see → Covilhã, the town, under Glossary at prestejoao.com).
In the novel, Pêro’s Spanish alias is (Caballero) Pedro de → Covelo. and “Caballero Alfonso de Castillo.”
In the novel, as a Frankish spy and traveler among the → Moors, his Arabic aliases are → ʿAbd er-Raḥmān al-Bashīr ben ʿAbdul-Ḥaqq al-Marīni al-Munajim and → ʿAbd er-Raḥmān al-Bashīr ibn al-Din ibn al-Qasim al-Malaqi (see → Arabic terms, names, and medieval naming conventions under Glossary at prestejoao.com).
In the novel, → ʿAtse → Ǝskəndər gave Pêro the names Peṭros and Käf-Älä, meaning “Peter” and “He rose.” The first Amharic name meant the same as Pêro’s Portuguese first name, the second sounded like his last name.
In the novel, Pêro is secretely knighted by Dom Pedro de → Noronha, comendador-mor, “grand commander,” of the Ordem Militar de Sant’Iago da Espada, “Military Order of Saint James of the Sword.” The knighthood was to elevate his standing abroad, but to be kept secret in Portugal to avoid drawing attention to his missions.

Cueva, Don Beltrán de la (Don Beltrán de la Cueva y Alfonso de Mercado, 1st Duke of Albuquerque, c. 1443 – 1 November 1492): A favorite at the Castilian court and supposedly of Juana’s mother (Joana, Queen of Castile), the king (Enrique IV) being rumored to be impotent. The Portuguese fought for Juana “la Beltraneja,” (the mocking epithet thanks to the presumed infidelity of her mother with Don Beltrán) the wife and niece of Afonso, pretender to the throne of Castile in the War of Succession.

Cueva, Julio (or Pedro) de la: In the novel, an alias or false name used by Pêro da → Covilhã. This Spanish alias was an allusion to the town of Covilhã, called Cava Juliana by the Romans.

Cusanus, Nicolaus (born as Nikolaus von Kues, 1401 – 11 August 1464): Nicholas of Cusa, a German bishop, cardinal, and scholar, who had imagined a single faith, but with different religious rites for → Franks, → Moors, and → Jews in Una religio in varietate rituum! This meant “one religion in a variety of rites.”

The motives of Cusanus’ desire for reconciliation, its mode, and reasoning is elucidated by Greta Venturelli, Faith, unity, multiplicity: De pace idiotae? (1453), in Freiburger Zeitschrift für Philosophie und Theologie, Aschendorff Verlag, Münster, 2019, pp. 384–398.

D

Dənqnäsh → Wäyzärit (Amharic [ድንቅነሽ], first name “You are Astonishing / Phenomenal / Marvelous”): In the novel, a damsel, at the court of ʿAtse → ʿƎskəndər, her half-brother. She was a daughter of ʿAtse → Bäʾәdä Maryam and one of his concubines (as opposed to the consorts, who were named queens).

This concubine, the mother of Dənqnäsh, was a daughter of a pagan → ʿAgäw high priest. She was to be sacrificed to a serpent god, but her father saved her life by taking her on a reed boat to a monastery on an island of Lake → Tana, where she was converted to Christianity and later taken to the court by Queen Mother → Ǝleni, her godmother and tutor.

Digression: Dənqnäsh is also the Amharic name for the Australopithecus afarensis fossil skeleton discovered in 1974 in the → Afar region of Ethiopia, nicknamed Lucy.

NOTE: The story could apply to Dənqnäsh herself. She could have been brought to the convent of Krestos Samra (Kristos Šemra – see Kristos Samra, Wikipedia ).

NOTE: Dənqnäsh could have green eyes –suspicious to others. Also, she is suspected of having the “evil eye.” One reason for ʿAtse → ʿƎskəndər and Ǝleni to want Pêro to marry Dənqnäsh is that her “evil eye” makes it difficult to “marry her off.” It would also bind him closer to the throne and keep him in Abyssinia . . .

Dawit II, ʿAtse ([ዳግማዊ ዳዊት], throne name Anbesa Sagad [አንበሳ ሰገድ], better known as → Ləbnä Dəngəl ([ልብነ ድንግል], also romanized as Lebna Dengel): Emperor of Abyssinia 1508 – 1540. Successor of ʿAtse → Naʾod. A mature and experienced man, who relied on the counsel of the Queen Mother Ǝtege → Ǝleni, as did ʿAtse → ʿƎskəndər.

Dāwūd aṭ-Ṭāʾir (Arabic [طَائِر اَلطَّائِر], “Beloved Bird”): In the novel, a ship’s boy, called “Dāʾūd the Bird,” a nephew of → Hamdān as-Saʿd (the → Nākhūḍa of the → jalba, the Zahrat al-Haya, or “Flower of Life”), who had taken him along as a “shipboy.” Birds are originally the symbol of human soul in Islamic mystical culture and thus often used in the pictorial calligraphy of Quran verses. And among the hadith is one from Umar, who said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘If you were to rely upon Allah with the reliance He is due, you would be given provision like the birds: They go out hungry in the morning and come back with full bellies in the evening.’” The sailors on the Zahrat al-Haya, said that this exactly described Dāʾūd, who was always hungry, but by evening was stuffed from all the food he had stolen from the cook.

Dinis Esteves, Dom: In the novel, the captain general of the → carrack Rainha and protégé of Dom → Manuel.

Dhabḥanī, Imam Jamāl ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Saʾīd adh- (died 1470–1471): A Yamani Sufi who provided the earliest credible evidence of → qahwa (coffee) drinking, which seems to have started in the late 15th century. He is known to have imported goods from Ethiopia, perhaps including coffee beans. recommended to his disciples that they use coffee as a way to remain alert for a longer time during → dhikr ceremonies praising Allah. Sources: An account related by Ralph S. Hattox in Coffee and Coffeehouses: The Origins of a Social Beverage in the Medieval Near East, 1985, pp. 14–18. Also Sayyid Abū Bakr al- → ʿAydarūs and Shaykh ash- → Shādhilī.

Dias, Bartolomeu (c. 1450 – 29 May 1500): A Portuguese seafarer and the first European to round the southern tip of Africa (1488), thus taking the first and most important step in establishing the sea route between Europe and the Indian Subcontinent. Dias was sent out by King Dom → João in October of 1486, not only to search for a trade route around the southern tip of Africa, but also to find the Preste João, → Prester John, as was → Pêro da → Covilhã half a year later.

Diogo de Viseu, Dom (say “Jó-goo duh Viz-éh-oo,” IPA /ˈdjo.ɡu de viˈzew/; Alcáçovas, c. 1450 or 1452 – Setúbal, 27 August 1484): The 2nd son of Infante → Fernando (brother of King → Afonso V) and Infanta Beatriz; the 4th Duque de Viseu, 4th Senhor da Covilhã, 3rd Duque de Béja, and 3rd Senhor de Moura.

Dom Diogo was the brother of Dom → Manuel (later King Dom Manuel), → Leonor de Viseu (later Rainha Dona Leonor, wife of King Dom → João II), and → Isabel de Viseu (wife of → Fernando II of → Braganza, who was later accused of treason and executed by the king).

· Allied with Dom Fernando II, Duque de Braganza, Dom Diogo opposed the consolidation reforms of King Dom João and attempted to assassinate him on at least two occasions. The “goal of the conspirators was to kill the king […] and ultimately to place the Duke of Viseu on the throne. [In Setúbal] on August 27, 1484, João II of Portugal killed his cousin and brother-in-law Diogo, Duke of Viseu, with his own hand, stabbing him three times with a dagger.” Sources: DeLys Ostlund, Fit To Be King? Imprudence in Lope’s El duque de Viseo, Portland State University, 2010, pp. 225–226; I also leaned heavily on the vivid description of Elaine Sanceau, The Perfect Prince: A Biography of the King Dom João II, Porto, 1959, pp. 184–202.

In the novel, Pêro da → Covilhã gives Dom Diogo the coup de grâce with the king’s dagger.
Note that some secondary and tertiary sources may misrepresent the attempted assassination and overthrow of King Dom João II.
Also see Dom → Fernando II, Duque de Braganza.

Dionysios Kounelakis: In the novel, Afonso de → Paiva’s young Greek servant. See → Kounelakis, Dionysios.

E

Ǝleni (Mehmäd), Ǝtege (Geʾez/Amharic [እቴጌ እሌኒ], also romanized as Eléni and Illénī, “Empress Helena;” probably died April 1522): An empress of → Abyssinia. ʿAtse → Zäṛä Yaʾәqob (reigned 1434–1468) invaded the Muslim Kingdom of Hadiya for refusing to pay the annual tribute, he took the king’s daughter and married her after she converted to Christianity, probably in 1445.

Ǝleni played a significant role in the government of Abyssinia during her lifetime, acting as de facto co-regent or advisor to emperors:
- ʾAtse → Bäʾәdä Maryam I (reigned 1468–1478), who gave her the title of nәgәst ʿәnnat [ንግሥት እናት], “queen mother,”
- ʾAtse → ʾƎskəndər (reigned 1478–1494), and
- ʾAtse → Naʾod (reigned 1494–1505).
She also served as regent between 1507 and 1516 during the minority of Emperor Dawit II.
Richard Pankhurst diverts from the generally accepted history of Ǝleni’s mariage to Zäṛä Yaʾәqob, for example by Taddesse Tamrat, maintaining that she married Bäʾәdä Maryam:
- Taddesse Tamrat states that Bäʾәdä Maryam “had lost his own mother before he took power, and it was this role that the talented Illénī was particularly intended to play.” Source: Church and State in Ethiopia 1270–1527 by Taddesse Tamrat, 1972, pp. 289. Citing Les Chroniques de Zarʾa Jaʾeqob (pp. 175–176) he states that “It is very clear . . . that Illénī was not Bäʾәdä Maryam’s wife.” He also cites Álvares (1961, pp. 150-1) and concludes that “Illénī was certainly not not Bäʾәdä Maryam’s wife.” Source: Church and State in Ethiopia 1270–1527 by Taddesse Tamrat, 1972, p. 286 and note 5 on pp. 286–287.
- “Bäʾәdä Maryam’s most remarkable act of statecraft vis-à-vis the borderlands was his dynastic alliance in the west with the ruling family of Hadeya. By marrying the local chief’s daughter, Ité Jan Zela, later better known as Eléni, he broke the province’s earlier ties with Ifat and Adäl, and linked it much more closely with the empire. The alliance with Hadeya [was] long the region’s principal source of gold and slaves.” Source: Richard Pankhurst, The Ethiopian Borderlands, 1997, p. 437.
A fervent Christian and avid Abyssinian patriot, who nevertheless was brought up in contact with the Islamic world and its African sultanates, she was well aware of the dangers to Abyssinia through its isolation. At first she sought cooperation with the Muslim sultanates, but when this failed due to the growing Ottoman influence and the constant incursions into the Abyssinian border provinces by the amirs of → Adal, she turned increasingly to the Western Christian powers expanding in the Indian Ocean. With the help of → ʿAqabe Säʾat Täsfa Giyorgis, one of ʿAtse ʿƎskəndər’s regents, she brought about the downfall of the hated → Ras → Bitwäddäd → ʿAmdä Mikaʾel, who in-effect ruled → Abyssinia by “ruthless suppression of his opponents.”
In the novel, she is the godmother of → Dənqnäsh Häyläyäsus.

ʿƎntoñǝs, Abba (Amharic [እንቶኝስ], called “Antonius” in Latin sources): An Ethiopian ecclesiastic sent on a mission to Rome by → Ras → Bitwäddäd → ʿAmdä Mikaʾel, who headed the Ethiopian embassy to Cairo and Jerusalem in 1480/1481. Accompanied by the nobleman → Johanne Baptista Brochus of Imola, he was proclaimed to be “an ambassador sent by ʿthe lord → Prester John to our holiness the Pope’ [→ Sixtus IV, who] intended to dispatch … learned ecclesiastics to ʿthis said Prester John to preach and to correct the errors that he maintains in opposition to our faith’. [If he wanted] theologians, preachers, artisans, and other things … he ﬁrst had to effectively agree to a Union of the Churches under the suzerainty of the Latin pontiff. [The mission departed] on a galley belonging to Petrus Lando, a well-known Venetian shipmaster [the patrono of the pilgrim galley Landonna, Messere Pietro → Lando, is none other than the one → Covilhã sailed with to Rhodes in 1487]. ʿƎntoñǝs … stayed in the Holy Land [and] vanishes from the historical record.” Source: Medieval Ethiopian Kingship, Craft, and Diplomacy with Latin Europe by Verena Krebs, 2021, pp. 126, 127, 129, 131, 132. In the novel, Fiṭawrari → Gәtachäw was ordered by his father, ʿAmdä Mikaʾel, to accompany Abba ʿƎntoñǝs to Rome.

ʿƎskəndər, ʿAtse (Geʾez/Amharic [እስክንድር], also romanized as Eskender, Iskindir, or ʿƏsəkənədərə, “Alexander;” 15 July 1471 – 7 May 1494; throne name Kwestantinos II, “Constantine”): Emperor (of the Solomonic dynasty 1478–1494) of → Abyssinia, formally called Gɘrɘmawi Qedamawi ʿAtse ʿƎskəndər, meaning “His Imperial Highness, the Emperor Alexander. He was the young son of Emperor → Baʾeda Maryam I by his wife Queen Romna, who jointly with → ʿAqabe Säʾat Täsfa Giyorgis and → Ras → Bitwäddäd → ʿAmdä Mikaʾel, assumed power as joint regents. During his reign, he was involved in several battles with the → Adal Sultanate then under Shams ad-Dīn bin Muḥammad (1472-1487), but in spite of some successes, during which he sacked the capital → Dakar, he was surprised and defeated. From that time on, the → umarāʾ (amirs) of Adal raided Abyssinia continually. “The antagonistic feelings in the kingdom simmering under the surface suddenly erupted at the unexpected death of Iskindir (ʿAtse ʿƎskəndər), at the early age of twenty-two.” Source: Church and State in Ethiopia 1270–1527 by Taddesse Tamrat, 1972, p. 292. His death led to civil war between the supporters of his son, → ʿAmdä Tsәyon II, and his half-brother, → Naʾod. Pêro da → Covilhã arrived at ʿƎskəndər’s court shortly before he died. See Queen Mother → Ǝleni, → Zä-Sәlus, and → Täklä Krәstos.

F

Fabri (or Faber), Felix (Latinized name of Felix Schmid, born 1438/1439 in Zurich, Switzerland – died 1502 in Ulm, Germany): A Dominican friar, traveler, and author known for his detailed and vivid description of his pilgrimage to the → Holy Land in Fratris Felicis Fabri Evagatorium in Terræ Sanctæ, Arabiæ et Egypti peregrinationem, the manuscript not printed until 1843–1849 in 3 volumes (an earlier German account, . . . Eigentliche beschreibung der hin und wider Fahrt zu dem heyligen Land . . ., by Fabri was published in Reyßbuch deß heyligen Lands in 1584). Fabri visited Rome in 1476, Colmar in 1482, Nuremberg in 1485 or 1486, and Venice in 1486 and 1487. Fabri’s most important voyages though were his two pilgrimages to Palestine, the first in 1480, the second in 1483/1484. In the novel, he went on his second pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1487, enabling an encounter with → Covilhã, who traveled with → Paiva to → Rhodes on the Venetian pilgrim galley → Landonna of Ser Pietro → Lando. This happenstance is the author’s homage to the inquisitive Felix Fabri for his detailed and vivid description of the pilgrim milieu, the environs he studied, and the dire circumstances he often faced. His open-minded portrayal of the human condition and his experiences was unusual for the time. The author is indebted to him particularly for his candid accounts of the social interaction between Franks and Moors, Christians and Muslims, servants and lords, pilgrims and Mamluks.

Fayyūmi, Nasir ʿAbdallāh el-: In the novel, a crooked merchant of Cairo, who paid for goods with worthless notes or bills of exchange.

Felfel (Maghrebi Arabic, → Darija [فلفل]: Pepper, a name given to feisty cats. In the novel, Felfel, “a lively visits Pêro da → Covilhã during his stay in → Tilimsān, Tlemcen, and “helps him write.”

Short-haired calico cats would be the most historically likely version of this animal to find in the late 15th-century Maghreb.
A feisty short-haired calico cat, sometimes interpreted as “tortoiseshell”.
Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoiseshell_cat).

Fernandes de Lucena, Doutor Vasco (born in Lucena, Andalusia, Castile; not to be confused with the 16th-century navigator of the same name, a paternal grandson): A descendant of Jewish converts, he migrated to Portugal 1433/1434. Doctor “of both laws” (civil and cannon), he was a distinguished Latinist, humanist, and official orator. A custodian-in-chief of the Torre do Tombo, the national archives, he was appointed as chronicler-major of the realm towards the end of his life (at nearly 100 years of age), preceding Ruy de → Pina, who assumed the office in 1497. He held the obedience oration on behalf of King → João II before the newly elected Pope → Innocent VIII on 9 December 1485.

Fernando, Infante Dom (say “Fer-nuhn-doo,” IPA /fɨɾˈnɐ̃du; Almeirim, 17 November 1433 – Setúbal, 18 September 1470; called Fernão): The third son of Dom Duarte (Edward), King of Portugal and his wife Eleanor of Aragon, but became the second surviving son following the early death of his brother, the Infante João, making him the heir-presumptive to the throne for significant periods before the birth of Afonso V’s own children. He was the younger brother of King Dom → Afonso V, uncle and godfather of João (King Dom → João II) and the father of Dom → Manuel, later king of Portugal, Dom → Diogo, as well as of Dona Leonor, the wife of his nephew João. He became the Duke of Viseu.

In 1453, his brother, King Afonso V of Portugal granted him the title of 1st Duke of Beja.
The Infante Dom Fernando was adopted by his uncle, the Infante → Henrique (Henry the Navigator). Dom Fernão became Lord of Covilhã. He inherited this lordship from his uncle, who had been granted it in 1415. He frequently traveled through his estates in the Beira and Covilhã regions.
When his uncle, Prince Henry died, in 1460, he also became 2nd Duke of Viseu.
King João II was married to Dom Fernão’s daughter, later Queen Leonor.
He married his cousin Beatrice of Portugal and had nine children with her. The youngest was Infante → Manuel (1469-1521), the 5th Duke of Viseu and 4th Duke of Beja. He became king of Portugal, as Manuel I, following his cousin’s (→ João’s II) death.

Fernando II de Bragança, Dom (say “Fer-nuhn-doo duh Bruh-gahn-sah,” IPA /fɨɾˈnɐ̃du də brəˈɡænzə/; in English often “Braganza;” Portugal, 1430 – Évora, 20 June 1483): Son of Fernando I of Braganza and Joana de Castro; 3rd Duke of Braganza, 1st Duke of Guimarães, etc.

He played major role in the War of the Castilian Succession; and was a favorite of King Dom Afonso V, whom he escorted on incursions into Morocco.
Dom Fernando opposed the consolidation reforms of King Dom → João. He was tried and executed for treason.
After a marriage to Dona Leonor de Meneses (/ Menezes) without issue, he married Isabella of Viseu (the daughter of Infante Dom → Fernando, Duke of Beja and Viseu, and sister of Dom → Manuel, later king of Portugal) in 1472, with whom he had four children, though only two lived past infancy.
Note that tertiary sources sometimes differ in their interpretation of the attempted assassination and overthrow of King Dom João II. Also see Dom → Diogo de Viseu and Sereníssima Casa de → Bragança under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

Fudūlī, al-: See → Abūʾl-Nāṣir Yūsuf al-Daula ben Meḥmed al-Fudūlī.

G

Gäbrä Iyäsus ʿAmdä Mikaʾel, Däjazmach ([ገብረ ኢየሱስ], “Servant of Jesus”): In the novel, the elder son of → ʿAmdä Mikaʾel and the brother of Fiṭawrari → Gәtachäw ʿAmdä Mikaʾel.

Gama, Vasco da (say “Vahshcoo deh Gahmeh,” IPA /ˈvaʃku ðɐ ˈɣɐ̃mɐ/; 1469 or 1469 in Sines, Portugal – 24 December 1524 in Cochin, India): A Portuguese navigator, who, following Bartolomeu → Dias, rounded the Cape of Good Hope. Then, with the help of a Muslim navigator (not → Aḥmad ibn Mājid an-Najdī!), crossed the Indian Ocean from East Africa to the Malabar coast of India, and thus was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route, widely considered a milestone. However, da Gama is often said to be the first European to reach India by sea. This is demonstrably incorrect: Pêro da → Covilhã arrived in India by ship ten years before Vasco da Gama, as established by Covilhã’s itinerary and his reports (including a map) sent from Cairo, December 1490, to the court in Lisbon. Also established is that da Gama was sent out with these reports. Covilhã arrived on the Malabar Coast in 1488, da Gama in 1498. Da Gama’s violence and cruelty towards the local Muslims and Hindus led to a pattern of brutal colonialism and animosity towards Western nations that is still reflected by today’s geopolitical tensions. Nevertheless, he was granted the title of Dom for himself, his siblings, and their descendants (besides many other honors) by King Dom → Manuel.

Garcia de Meneses / Menezes, Dom: Bishop of Évora (1472 – 1484). Son of Dom Duarte de Meneses and his 2nd wife, Dona Isabel de Castro, 3rd Count of Viana do Alentejo, 2nd Count of Viana da Foz do Lima and first Capitão (captain or governor) of Alcácer Ceguer; brother of Dom → João de Meneses and Dona → Inês de Meneses in the novel he got involved in the conspiracy of Dom → Diogo, duke of → Viseu against King → João II. He died in a dry cistern at the castle of Palmela, supposedly poisoned.

Garcia Theodomir: See → Gharsīyah Todmir Iben Azafar.

Gawan, Maḥmud: See → Maḥmud Gawan.

George, Saint: Though not considered a character in the novel, he does play a certain role. See Saint → George under Glossary at www.prestejoao.com.

Gәtachäw ʿAmdä Mikaʾel, Fiṭawrari (Amharic [ጌታቸው ታምራት], often romanized as Getachew Amda Mikael, “Their Lord” + “Pillar of [St.] Michael”): In the novel, a young commander of about 400 royal troops assigned to secure and transport the tax coffers held by → Nolawi Räta, the → balambaras of → Alәyu Amba, who collects the customs duties regularly from the market town of → Gendebelo, to → Tägulät, where the emperor of → Abyssinia resides. He was the son of the powerful Ras Bitwäddäd → ʿAmdä Mikaʾel, whom he accompanied in 1481 and 1482 on an embassy to Sultan → Qāitbāy of Egypt and a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, from where his father sent him on an mission to Rome, which came to be unsuccessful. He and his father became estranged.

Gharsīyah Todmir Iben Azafar (his Mozarabic name) or Garcia Theodomir (his Latinized name): In the novel, a → Frankish-Egyptian of → Mozarabic descent, who served at the Aragonese → fondaco as a → dragoman (an interpreter in Islamic countries in the Middle Ages). His clubfoot having made him a victim of many humiliations, it seems, he became an eager servant and private torturer of Fray → Jorge, who calls him Garcito mio, “my little Garcia.”

Gianni, Prete (Italian): See → Prester John.

Glòria dels Àngels (IPA /ˈaɲ.ʒəls/; an obviously assumed name meaning “glory of the angels” in Catalan): In the novel, a Catalonian courtesan, who had fallen into the hands of Barbary pirates, had then been ransomed by the Aragonese → fondaco in Alexandria, and was working off her debt there as a maidservant, when Covilhã met her. In the Maghreb and Egypt she called herself Majida al-Malāʾīka, the “Glory of the Angels” in Arabic.

Guzmán y Fonseca, Don Enrique Pérez de (1430 – 1492): The 2nd Duke of Medina-Sidonia (1468 – 1492) and 4th Count of Niebla, often called Duque de Sevilla. He employed Pêro da → Covilhã, who was brought to the court by his son, Don Juan de → Guzmán y Afán, first as a groom, then as a page. The “Duque de Sevilla” had a long-standing feud with Rodrigo Ponce de León, Marqués (later Duque) de Cádiz, who played a major role in the conquest of → Granada. In the novel, this feud is exemplified by references to brawls in the streets of Seville, in which the young Pêro participated.

Guzmán y Afán de Ribera, Don Juan Alfonso Pérez de (1464 – 1507): The 3rd Duke of Medina-Sidonia (1492 – 1507), son of Don Enrique de → Guzmán. He brought Pêro da → Covilhã from Portugal to the court in Sevilla, where he served as a groom and page. At the outbreak of the Spanish-Portuguese War of Succession, he took Covilhã back to Portugal, to the court of King → Afonso V (father and predecessor of King → João II), where he was soon made escudeiro de armas e cavalo, a “squire with lance and mount.” In the novel, Pêro learns to read and write Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic along with Don Juan’s eldest son, Enrique, who was to become the 4th Duke of Medina Sidonia as Don Enrique Pérez de Guzmán y Fernández de Velasco.

H

Habibo (Somali; common Somali female name, from the Arabic → ḥabīb (see Glossary), feminine ḥabība, “dear,” “darling,” “beloved”; Somalis only have given names (the father’s or sometimes father’s and grandfather’s given names may be added)): In the novel, a daughter of ʾImām → Maḥfūẓ was married to → Bashīr (Pêro da → Covilhã) upon the Imām’s insistence. They had a son, but they were divorced at → Dakar (see Glossary) before his birth. She was then married to Sulṭān Muḥammad ibn Aẓhar ad-Dīn, the sultan of Adal, who adopted her child.

Hamdān as-Saʿd: In the novel, the → nākhūḍa, captain or master, of the Zahrat al-Haya or “Flower of Life,” a → jalba, which was to take Pêro da → Covilhã and Afonso de → Paiva to → ʿAdan (Aden).

Hamdūn el-Qāʾid es-Sayf el-ʾIslām (“the Commander, Sword of Islam”): In the novel, the commandant of the → farfanes, the Frankish mercenaries of → Abū ʿAbdallāh Muḥammad ath-Thābiti, Amīr of → Tilimsān.

Ḥasan ʿAbd el-Asis, Shaykh Abūʾl-: In the novel, a merchant from → Tilimsān (Tlemcen), traveling with his son → Aḥmed and his slave → Muraḍ to Aden.

Ḥasan ibn ʿAli Abī Ṭālib (624 – 670 CE): 5th Caliph of Sunni Islam, 1st ʿimām of Taiyabi-Mustaali Shia, and 2nd Shiite ʿimām (of Seveners, Twelvers, and Zaydis). Son of ʿAli and Fatimah, Muḥammad’s daughter. Allegedly poisoned by his wife (Jaʾda bint al-Ashʾat). His descendants are honored by the title → sharīf. One of his great grandchildren was → Idrīs I of Morocco, founder of the Idrisid dynasty.

Ḥasan ibn Sulaimān (ibn Yārik), Sulṭān al-: Sultan of Kilwa 1479 – 1485 and again 1486 – 1490. The son of wazīr Sulaimān, he was installed as sultan of Kilwa by his uncle, Amīr Muḥammad Kiwabi, but proved to be an unpopular ruler. Thus, in 1485, after six years, his uncle deposed him, and gave → Ḥasan Sabḥat ibn Muḥammad ibn Sulaimān the sultan’s turban. Sabḥat died after ruling for only one year. Amīr Muḥammad Kiwabi then installed his nephew al-Ḥasan again, but after four years, popular opposition proved too strong. Thus, Amīr Muḥammad Kiwabi deposed al-Ḥasan once again and installed → Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad, the brother of Sabḥat, another son of al-ʿAdīl, a sultan from the royal dynasty, who would be acceptable to the populace. See sultan of → Kilwa → Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad and → Amīr Muḥammad Kiwabi; also see → Kilwa Sultanate under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

Ḥasan Sabḥat ibn Muḥammad ibn Sulaimān al-Khaṭīb, Imām (I added the laqab (or honorific name) al-Khaṭīb for the novel): The → khaṭīb, “preacher,” of the → masjid jāmiʿ the “Friday mosque” of → Kilwa. He was a scion of royal lineage and appointed as sultan by Amīr → Muḥammad Kiwabi after the deposing Ḥasan ibn Sulaimān (after his first reign). Ḥasan Sabḥat ibn Muḥammad ruled briefly and unwillingly during 1485/1486. To avoid the honor, he traveled to Mecca using the Ḥajj as an excuse, and → Ḥasan ibn Sulaimān was again made sultan.

Henrique, Duque de Viseu, Infante Dom (4 March 1394 in Porto – 13 November 1460 in Sagres): Henry the Navigator. The moniker “Navigator” was only coined in the 19th century, 300 years after Henrique’s death. The sobriquet “Navegador” is rare in Portuguese and was not used during the lifetime of the royal prince. Henrique was the fourth child of King Dom Joao I of Portugal, who founded the House of → Aviz. He was never an actual navigator or seafarer, but rather a patron of Portuguese voyages of exploration who aimed to acquire gold and other riches for Portugal, spread Christianity, and find the Preste João. Moreover, the “school” for mariners in → Sagres was probably more of an informal “research center.” However, Henrique’s vision and determination brought about Portugal’s early discoveries and later expansion, often credited as the initiator of the so-called Age of Discovery.

Ḥummād (probably 2nd half of 15th century): Son of Sayyid ʿĀmir Qunno (a servant of the → Balaw Bayt Yūsuf), who overthrew Yūsuf (the head of the notable Balaw family) with the assistance of a certain Shaykh Maḥmūd and became the leader of the Balaw in Samhar. He moved to → Arkiko, also called Hergigo, situated several kilometers south of → Massawa on the coast, where he established the supremacy of his family and founded the dynasty that would carry the title of → nāʾib up to the 20th century. Source: Red Sea Citizens: Cosmopolitan Society and Cultural Change in Massawa by Jonathan Miran, 2009, p. 36.

I

Ibn Ghurab: See → Karīm al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Karīm.

Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Malik al-ʿAdīl: Sultan of Kilwa 1490 – 1495. He was the brother of → Ḥasan Sabḥat ibn Muḥammad ibn Sulaimān, the imām, who reigned as sultan 1485/1486. Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad was installed by Amīr → Muḥammad Kiwabi to replace the amir’s nephew al- → Ḥasan ibn Sulaimān, who proved to be an unpopular ruler during both his reigns. But the deposed al-Ḥasan ibn Sulaimān launched a coup attempt to depose Ibrāhīm, that resulted in considerable bloodshed. In the end, al-Ḥasan’s ambitions were foiled by his uncle Amīr Muḥammad Kiwabi, who, seeking to restore order, declared unambiguously that Ibrāhīm, a descendant of kings, had precedence over al-Ḥasan, who was only the progeny of a family of viziers. Al-Ḥasan was forced into exile on the mainland. Ibrāhīm ruled for two years, until Amīr Muḥammad Kiwabi decided to depose him. See sultans of → Kilwa al- → Ḥasan ibn Sulaimān and → Amīr Muḥammad Kiwabi; also see → Kilwa Sultanate under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

Idrīs ibn ʾAbdallāh: Known as Idrīs I of Morocco, he is credited as the first independent Muslim ruler of the → Maghrib al-Aksa and (788–791 CE). Great grandchild of → Ḥasan ibn ʿAli ibn Abī Ṭālib and founder of the Idrisid dynasty. The Idrisi → ashraf are mentioned in the novel, when Covilhã is on his way to → Fez.

Imād (Arabic): In the novel, a slave of → Khalīl ibn aẓ-Ẓāhir, the → kāshif of → Fuwwah. Imād functioned as Khalīl’s ustād ad-dār or palace majordomo.

Inês de Meneses / Menezes, Dona: In the novel, she was besotted with Pêro da → Covilhã as was he with her. They had a stormy affair during Pêro’s stay in Tangier resulting in an illegitimate son later named Dom → Pedro de Meneses Castelo-Branco.

Innocent VIII, Pope (Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo); 1432 – 25 July 1492): Son of the viceroy of Naples, he became Pope of the Roman Catholic Church 29 August 1484 – 1492 with the support of Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, against his competitor, Rodrigo Borgia. He was an affable, but weak and corrupt pontiff. In March 1489, → Cem Sultan, the captive brother of → Bayezid II, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, came into Innocent’s custody. Bayezid paid Pope Innocent 120,000 crowns yearly (equal to the total annual revenue of the Vatican) to keep Cem in confinement. In 1484 he sanctioned the popular beliefs concerning witches in his bull Summis desiderantes affectibus.

Ioannes, Presbyter (Latin): See → Prester John.

Isabel I de Castilla, Doña (Spanish; IPA /ˈdoɲa/; English “Isabella of Castile;” Madrigal de las Altas Torres, 22 April 1451 – Medina del Campo, 26 November 1504): Daughter of Juan II de Castilla and Isabel de Portugal; spouse of Rey Dom → Fernando II de Aragón (King Ferdinand II of Aragon); Reina de Castilla y León (Queen of Castile and León), reigned 11 December 1474 – 26 November 1504. Doña Isabel and Don → Fernando united the kingdoms of Spain and expelled the remaining → “Moors” from Iberia in the final phase of the Reconquista; also known for their role in the Spanish Inquisition, forcing the conversion or exile of Jews; they received the sobriquet los Reyes Católicos, the Catholic Monarchs.

J

Jane or Janne, Presto (Venetian Italian): See → Prester John.

João II, Dom (IPA /ʒuˈɐ̃w̃/; Lisbon, 3 March 1455 – Alvor, 25 October 1495): Son of King Dom → Afonso V and Isabel de Coimbra, Infanta de Portugal; King of Portugal and the Algarves in 1 November 1477 – 15 November 1477 (1st reign) and 28 August 1481 – 25 October 1495 (2nd reign). Married to → Leonor of Viseu, he was the father of the Infante Afonso, Prince of Portugal, born 18 May 1475, who died in a riding accident on 13 July 1491, thus leaving → Manuel of Viseu, Duke of Beja, to inherit the throne and become king of Portugal in 1495. King Dom João also had a natural son known as Jorge de Lancastre, Duke of Coimbra, and a natural daughter, Dona Brites Anes de Santarém. Posthumously, he was called o Príncipe Perfeito (the Perfect Prince) after Machiavelli’s The Prince. Dom João’s measures to reestablish the power of the monarchy, weakened by his father, led to discontent among the practically sovereign grandees, who had claimed the right to administer justice on their estates. The restoration of this right to the crown, led to a conspiracy, attested by the correspondence exchanged between Duque Dom → Ferdinando II de Bragança, and Queen → Isabel I of Castile as well as the attempted assassination of the king by Dom → Diogo of Viseu, Dom Manuel’s elder brother.

João Fogaça, Dom (c. 1453–1511): A Portuguese administrator, capitão (governor) of the Costa do Ouro (the Gold Coast) as of 1487. He was married to Dona Maria de Eça (c. 1455-1526), Dama da Rainha (lady-in-waiting of the queen). In the novel, Dona → Beatriz de la Cosa Hogaza, a lady from Burgos, going to the wedding of her younger sister, claimed to be married to Dom João Fogaça.

João de Meneses / Menezes, Dom (c. 1460–1522): First Count (Conde) of Tarouca, Governador e Capitão-Geral do Tânger (Governor and Captain-General of Tangier) 1486–1489 and 1501–1508. He was the brother of Dom Garcia de Meneses, the Bishop of Évora and, in the novel, of Dona → Inês de Meneses. In the novel, he is also the admiral of a Portuguese fleet sent down the Atlantic coast, leading to the so-called Shawiya Expedition of 1487 (in the novel 1486). In the novel, he has an adjutant or aide-de-camp called Dom → Alberto dos Santos.

João, Preste (Portuguese): See → Prester John.

Johanne Baptista Brochus da Imola: He was a close relative of Pope Sixtus IV and “a [noble] companion to Abba → ʿƎntoñǝs in Rome.” He introduced the mission to the pontiff and interpreted for them. He had never travelled to Ethiopia, but regrettably, has been confused by some historians with “the letter-carrier → Baptista da Imola, [who stood] in connection with the Franciscan missionary in Ethiopia, → Johanne da Calabria, and [had] no function beyond transporting the messages and goods of other people.” Source: Medieval Ethiopian Kingship, Craft, and Diplomacy with Latin Europe by Verena Krebs, 2021, p. 138.

Johanne da Calabria, Fra (also called Ioan or Iohanne): A Franciscan missionary sent out from Jerusalem with a letter-carrying companion, → Baptista da Imola to the → Prester John, probably arriving in → Abyssinia in 1482. After waiting for eight months for an audience with ʿAtse → ʿƎskəndər, Baptista da returned to Jerusalem with a letter from Johanne, reporting his lack of success. In early 1484, the Guardian of Mount Zion, the head of the Franciscans in Jerusalem, sent Baptista back to Abyssinia with a further message. Source: Medieval Ethiopian Kingship, Craft, and Diplomacy with Latin Europe by Verena Krebs, 2021, p. 133. It is not known whether this message ever arrived. But events seem to indicate a change of heart towards Fra Johanne, who was received by the ʿatse with honor and the priests said, “The king has joined the religion of the Franks”. Source: Church and State in Ethiopia 1270–1527 by Taddesse Tamrat, 1972, pp. 290–291.

Johannes, Presbyter or Priesterkönig (German): See → Prester John.

John, Prester (English, Portuguese → Preste João): See → Prester John.

Jorge, Fray: In the novel, a fanatic Dominican monk and factotum of the → Toledan Inquisitor Fray → Martín de Soto. They persecute → Covilhã and → Paiva ostensibly for religious reasons, but obviously have ulterior motives. Fray Jorge follows Covilhã and Paiva to → Alexandria, where he is gets employed at the Aragonese → fondaco and makes → Gharsīyah Todmir Iben Azafar, a dragoman, his servant and personal torturer.

Josepe Çapateiro: See → Çapateiro, Josepe.

Joana de Trastâmara “a Beltraneja” (Portuguese; Juana de Castilla, “la Beltraneja,” in Spanish; Madrid, 28 February 1462 – Lisbon, 12 April 1530;): Queen of Portugal as the wife of King → Afonso V, her uncle and claimant to the throne of Castile. Joana’s mother was Infanta Juana de Portugal, Queen of Castile, who supposedly had an affair with Don Beltrán de la → Cueva, the king (Enrique IV) being rumored to be impotent. The Portuguese fought for Juana in the War of Succession. The mocking epithet “la Beltraneja” was due to the presumed infidelity of her mother with Don Beltrán.

Juana de Castilla (Spanish): See → Joana de Trastâmara.

K

Kabīr Das (possibly 1440–1518, perhaps earlier): An Indian mystic poet and saint, whose writings influenced the Hindu → Bhakti movement and subsequently the Sikh religion. His early life was in a Muslim family, but he was strongly influenced by his teacher Ramananda, a Bhakti leader. Kabīr was born in Varanasi. He was critical of both Hinduism and Islam, stating followers of both were misguided by the Vedas and Quran. He also questioned their rites of initiation, such as the sacred thread and circumcision. Thus, he was threatened by both Hindus and Muslims for his views. Kabīr said that truth is with the person who is on the path of righteousness, considered all creatures on earth as his own self, and who is passively detached from the affairs of the world. There are many legends and inconsistencies in Kabīr’s biography. One of his disciples was → Sarvananda, called Sarvajit. Also see → Vyasa Tirtha.

Käliyopə ([ካሊዮፕ] also romanized as Kalīyopi or Kalyupe, “Calliope”): The second wife of ʿAtse → Bäʾәdä Maryam I and mother of ʿAtse → Naʾod.

Karīm al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Karīm ibn ʿAbd al-Ghani al-Armani al-Qibti al-Misri, known as ibn Ghurab (“Son of the Crow / Raven”): In the novel, a → Copt, who had officially converted to Islam and had attained the office of muwaqqiʿ dīwān al-inshāʾ, scribe in the chancellery of Al-Ashraf Sayf ad-Dīn → Qāitbāy, the → Mamlūk sultan. However, ibn Ghurab was suspected of murtad milli, being a convert who later rejects Islam, although a formal accusation was never brought forth thanks to protection from powerful Mamluks in the → dīwān. Nevertheless, he was a major leader of a secret Coptic resistance movement and had good connections to the Frankish → fondacos.

Khalīl ibn aẓ-Ẓāhir: In the novel, the → kāshif of → Fuwwah. Khalīl is the son (→ ibn an-nās) of → Qānṣūh Khamsmīyah, who (under duress or unwittingly) arranged for his son to receive a good share of the income from the sugar production revenue of the island → Jezirat Dahabi ed-Debub as → waqf.

Khaʿir Beg al-Miʿmār (or Khaʿir Bey or Hayır Bey): A → Mamluk of Abkhazian origin, he was the former pasha of the Mamluks in Mecca and → muḥtasib of the town and later governor of Aleppo. He ruled Egypt in the name of the Ottoman Empire from 1517 until his death in 1522, having been granted the position by sultan Selim I of the Ottoman Empire for his help in the conquest of Egypt. In the novel, Khaʿir Beg was offended by a group of Sufis, who were drinking → qahwa, an intoxicating drink which had become popular in Mecca. This incident actually occurred in 1511. Source: An account related by Ralph S. Hattox in Coffee and Coffeehouses: The Origins of a Social Beverage in the Medieval Near East, 1985, pp. 30–38.

Khamsmīyah → See Abū Saʾid → Qānṣūh.

Kounelakis, Dionysios: In the novel, Afonso de → Paiva’s young Greek servant. In the novel, after Dionysios was freed from the pirates, led by → ʿArūj (Barbarossa), who had held him captive, Paiva hired him as a personal servant for the duration of the journey to the → Prester John. Paiva called him “Dientisios Conejoquis” in a deliberate and rather cruel malapropism playing on an “outstanding” feature of poor Dionysios Kounelakis, his buckteeth, called “rabbit teeth” or “hare teeth” in many languages: e.g. Hasenzähne in German, dentes de coelho in Portuguese, and dientes de conejo in Spanish.

Khwaja Mahmud Gilani: See → Maḥmud Gawan.

L

Lando, (Ser) Pietro: Master of the Venetian pilgrim galley → Landonna, on which → Covilhã and → Paiva took passage to → Rhodes in the novel. On the ship they met Felix → Fabri, a Dominican friar on his second pilgrimage to the → Holy Land (actually in 1483/1484, not 1487). See Agostino → Contarini.

Ləbnä Dəngəl ([ልብነ ድንግል], also romanized as Lebna Dengel, “Essence of the Virgin;” c. 1496 – 2 September 1540): Emperor of → Abyssinia of the House of Solomon as ʿAtse → Dawit II [ዳግማዊ ዳዊት], reigned 31 July 1507 – 2 September 1540, coronation on 13 May 1508 under the throne name Anbesa Sagad [አንበሳ ሰገድ], “To whom Lion Bow.” Son of Emperor Naʾod and Empress Naʾod Mogesa, successor of ʿAtse → Naʾod. A mature and experienced man, who relied on the counsel of the Queen Mother Ǝtege → Ǝleni, as did ʿAtse → ʿƎskəndər.

Leo Africanus (): . . . See Leo → Africanus under Sources at prestejoao.com.

Leonor de Viseu, Dona (Beja, 2 May 1458 – Lisbon, 17 November 1525): She became Rainha Dona Leonor, wife of King Dom → João II. The sister of Dom → Diogo de Viseu (who was later accused of treason and killed by his cousin and brother-in-law, the king with his own hand), Dom → Manuel (later King Dom Manuel), and Dona → Isabel de Viseu (wife of → Fernando II of → Braganza, who was later accused of treason and executed by the king, his cousin).

Ludolf, Hiob (): . . . See Hiob → Ludolf under Sources at prestejoao.com.

Luís Fernandes de Amada, Dom: In the novel, the factor of the Portuguese → feitoria in → Oran.

M

Mafudi (Portuguese): The (disparaging?) name given by the Portuguese to → ʿImām → Maḥfūẓ bin Muḥammad.

Maḥamed ʿAsharad ad-Dīn, Sulṭān (romanization of the Somali version of the name): See → Muḥammad ibn Aẓhar ad-Dīn, sultan of → Adal.

Maḥfūẓ bin Muḥammad, ʿImām (called “Mafudi” by the Portuguese; died July 1517): An amīr who became governor of → Zayla (Zeila) under the rule of the → Walashmaʿ (dynasty) Sulṭān → Muḥammad bin Aẓhar ad-Dīn of → ʿAdal. Maḥfūẓ led a militant Muslim faction propagating the jihad against the Christians (of → Abyssinia) as opposed to Sulṭān Muḥammad ibn Azhar ad-Dīn, who wanted peaceful trade. Later, as wazīr, he commanded the sultan’s army and, it seems, Maḥfūẓ became the (first) de facto ruler of ʿAdal, while the sultan was a figurehead. He was slain in a major raid on the → Abyssinian province of → Fäṭägar. Source: mainly from Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, vol. 3, p. 659.

He had a daughter, Bati del Wambara, who became famous as the wife of Imām Aḥmad, who plays a great role in the third novel of the Covilhã’s Secret Journal trilogy.
He also had a son named Aḥmadus.
In the novel, he had another son, called → Sharmaarke.

Maḥmud Gawan (or Khwaja Mahmud Gilani 1411–1481): Born in the village of Gawan in Persia, the theologian, poet, and writer rose to the rank of general and vizier of the Bahmani Sultanate. With → Muḥammad Shah III Lashkari he subjugated the Konkan and defeated the Gajapati Kingdom, securing the coastal trade to Persia, Arabia, and East Africa, and introduced standard measurements in the sultanate. The latter upset the powerful lords, who convinced Muḥammad Shah to put the → wazīr to death. Gawan was executed in 1481. The sultan died a year later lamenting the foul deed. In the novel, the sultan sold Gawan’s slaves and concubines, including → Sūrya-Rashmi, into slavery.

Majidah al-Malāʾīka (Arabic, meaning “Glory of the Angels”): In the novel, → Glòria dels Angels adopted name in Arabic.

Malfante, Messere Antonio: A Genoese merchant, who traveled in 1447 on behalf of the Centurione bank to the Sahara, presumably to obtain information on the „silent barter“ of Wangara and the trans-Saharan gold trade. In the novel, this information had been passed down to his supposed son, → Matteo Malfante. Antonio Malfante is also known for his reference to → Timbuktu.

Malfante, Messere Matteo: See Messere → Matteo Malfante. In the novel, an agent of the Genoese Centurione bank. He may also be a Genoese diplomat and spy. His father is supposedly Messere Antonio → Malfante.

Malik al-Manṣūr, al- (or similar name): See → Manṣūr ʿAbdal Wahhāb bin Ṭāhir (Sultan of Yemen 1478–1489).

Malik aẓ-Ẓāfir, al- (or similar name): See → ʿĀmir al-Malik aẓ-Ẓāfir (Sultan of Yemen 1489–1517).

Mansa Yahya (Mansa means King in Mandinka, language of the Mali Empire): A slave of Ḥajji → Thāmi al-Assad, a merchant from → Fez. He was no king from Mali, but thought of himself as such—thus the ironic name.

Manṣūr ʿAbdal Wahhāb bin Ṭāhir (or similar name): See → ʿAbd al-Wahhāb bin Ṭāhir al-Malik al-Manṣūr (Sultan of Yemen 1478–1489).

Manuel I, Dom (Alcochete, 31 May 1469 – Lisbon, 13 December 1521): The son of Infante → Fernando (called Fernão), Duque de Viseu and Infanta Beatriz de Portugal; upon the death of his brother, Dom → Diogo de Viseu, the King Dom → João II made Dom Manuel Duque de Béja and Senhor de Viseu. He was king of Portugal and the Algarves 25 October 1495 – 13 December 1521. Dom Manuel grew up amidst conspiracies of the → fidalgos (Portuguese nobility) against the King Dom João, his cousin and brother-in-law. Dom Manuel was also the brother-in-law of → Fernando II de Braganza, a conspirator who was later executed for treason. After ascending the throne, Dom Manuel continued the Portuguese expansion, profiting from the successful expeditions sent out by his predecessors, earning the sobriquet o Afortunado, “the Fortunate.”

In the novel, Dom Manuel is Pêro’s nemesis from the day → Pêro da → Covilhã killed his brother, Dom → Diogo.
In 1484 Dom Manuel was named as Governador da Ordem Militar de Cristo, the Governor of the Military Order of Christ. The Order was the primary instrument for oceanic expansion, with its cross famously adorning the sails of Portuguese caravels.

Makários (Greek Μακάριος) VII: Bishop or “hegumen” of Sinai as well as abbot of Saint Catherine’s Monastery as of 1481. There is no evidence that an abbot of this name was killed during a raid on the monastery.

Marcús, Bernat: A wealthy Catalan financier of the 12th century, who created one of the first postal enterprises in Europe, the Confraria dels correus to Cavall ia Peu, the “Brotherhood of Couriers on Horseback and Foot,” later the Confraria de Correus i Troters, “Brotherhood of ‘Runners and Trotters’,” often just called the → Marcús Brotherhood.

Marqos, ʿÄbunä (Amharic [ማርቆስ, አቡነ]; born in Egypt – died 1529–1530 in Abyssinia): A metropolitan of the → Abyssinian Orthodox Church 1520–1526. He arrived with ʿÄbunä → Yәshaq and other Coptic Egyptian clerics in late 1481 as a result of → ʿAmdä Mikaʾel’s embassy to Sultan → Qāitbāy of Egypt.

Maria de Eça, Dom (c. 1455 – 1526): Dama da Rainha (lady-in-waiting of the queen). Married to Dom → João Fogaça, an administrator. In the novel → Beatriz de la Cosa Hogaza claimed to be Fogaça’s wife.

Matope Nyanhehwe Nebedza, Mwene Mutapa: Ruler of the → Mutapa Empire c. 1450 –1480, son and successor of (Mwene Mutapa) Nyatsimba Mutota (ruled c. 1430 – c. 1450). Expanding the empire northward to the Zambezi River, he moved the Shona capital from Great → Zimbabwe to → Khami in 1440. Khami was also closer to the gold deposits that were still being worked. He also extended the empire to encompass most of the lands to the → Swahili Coast, securing new trade routes and provinces. Matope then appointed his children as the provincial lords (kings) of Mutapa, including his son → Changamire, who was appointed as the vassal king of the central and southern regions (known as Mbire and Guruuswa). He was succeeded by (Mwene Mutapa) → Mavura Maobwe, who ruled briefly in 1480. See the → Mutapa Empire under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

Matteo Malfante, (Messere): In the novel, an agent of the Centurione Bank and Genoese spy, Pêro da Covilhã met in Oran on the San Donato, the ship he arrived with. Matteo explained the „silent barter“ of Wangara and trans-Saharan gold trade to Pêro, based on information his (supposed) father, Antonio → Malfante, gathered during a journey in 1447 to the Sahara.

Mavura Maobwe, Mwene Mutapa: Ruler of the → Mutapa Empire briefly in 1480 as successor of (Mwene Mutapa) → Matope Nyanhehwe Nebedza (who ruled c. 1450 –1480). Mavura ruled with and was succeeded by (Mwene Mutapa) → Nyahuma Mukombero, his brother (who ruled 1480 –1490). See the → Mutapa Empire under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

Medina-Sidonia, 2nd and 3rd Duke of: Don Enrique Pérez de → Guzmán y Fonseca and (later) → Don Juan Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán y Afán de Ribera. Also see → Medina-Sidonia under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

Meysha ben Ḍāhirī al-Kawkabānī: An Adani Jew who works with the → Abūʾl-Afrāh, the Coptic jewelry dealer in Cairo (whose store is a front for the secret Coptic Fraternity). Meysha is a money lender, gem dealer, and facilitator. He was born in Fes, lived in Tangier, Alexandria, and Cairo, where he began an association with the Coptic Fraternity, before relocating to Aden. Thus, he speaks Portuguese, can read and write the language, and is familiar with Frankish and Moorish politics.

Moysés (or Moisés), Doctor Mestre (“Master”): A member of the → Junta dos Mathemáticos, who helped make the chart with Pêro de → Alcáçova for → Covilhã (and → Paiva). He was a Jew, who later converted to Christianity under the name of José. He was born in Covilhã and studied medicine in Salamanca. A disciple of Abraão Zacuto (compare with Rabi → Abrão [Zacuto?], whose famous tables of declinations, much needed for navigation, he translated into Latin (Almanach Perpetuum Celestium Motuum). He also contributed to the Portuguese expansion through valuable research on navigation and astronomy.

Moṣṭāfa ben Ṣalāḥ: In the novel, a merchant from → Fes traveling with his brother → Muḥēmmēd ben Ṣalāḥ to → ʿAdan or Aden. the ben → Ṣalāḥ brothers, allegedly waylaid, robbed, and destitute, had attached themselves (like → Covilhã and → Paiva were to do) to Shaykh → Abūʾl-Ḥasan ʿAbd el-Asis, a merchant from → Tilimsān or Tlemcen. Also see → Mostarda.

Mostarda (Portuguese (and Italian); IPA /mosˈtaɻda/; mostarda in; from Old French moustarde from Latin mustum): In the novel, “Mustard,” an amusing nickname or slur (depending on point of view) used by → Afonso de Paiva for → Moṣṭāfa ben Ṣalāḥ (behind his back and in Portuguese) owing to his sparse, dark yellow facial hair. Also see → Mulhermedo.

Muḥammad al-ʿAdil aẓ-Ẓāfir (ibn Sulaimān?): Sultan of → Mogadishu, probably during the late 15th century (and perhaps the successor of Sultan Sulaimān). Note that there is no reliable list of rulers of Mogadishu before the 16th century, much less any dates. My only evidence for this ruler is a coin with the following inscriptions: al-ʿAdil Muḥammad Sulṭān (on obverse) and aẓ-Ẓāfir bi-taʿyīd ar-Raḥmān, literally “the Victor through the support of the Merciful [God]” (on reverse). Source: Checklist of Islamic Coins by Stephen Album (3rd edition, 2011) under East Africa / Mogadishu, p. 130. Compare: Muḥammad ibn Sulaimān with similar inscriptions in Coins from Mogadishu, c. 1300 to c. 1700 by G.S.P. Freeman-Grenville in The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society (7th series, vol. 3, 1963, p. 198).

Muḥammad ibn Aẓhar ad-Dīn, Sulṭān (also romanized as Maḥamed ʿAsharad ad-Dīn, the Somali version; reigned 1488–1518): Sultan of → Adal, a great-grandson of Saʿad ad-Dīn Aḥmed of the → Walashmaʿ dynasty of → Ifat. He attempted to keep the peace with → Naʾod, the Emperor of → Abyssinia, but his efforts were foiled by the frequent raids of ʿImām → Maḥfūẓ. He was with the imam’s army in Dawaro in 1516 when Emperor Lebna Dengel attacked and destroyed it. The sultan was murdered after the ʿdeath of ʿImām Maḥfūẓ.

Muḥammad ibn Barakāt ibn Ḥasan ibn ʿAjlān (March/April 1437 – September 1497): Sharīf al-Makkah (Sharif of Mecca, also called Emir of Mecca) from 1455 to 1497. As a vassal of the sultan of Egypt (→ Qāitbāy), his authority extended over the entire → Hejaz. Muḥammad was the son of Barakāt I, Sharīf al-Makkah, who, as his health deteriorated, petitioned the Mamluk sultan to appoint his son Muḥammad as his replacement. In 1455 Barakāt (I) died and Sharif Muḥammad received a robe of investiture (→ khilʿa) and his formal decree of appointment (tawqi) from the Mamluk Sultan. In 1473/1474 Qāitbāy appointed Muḥammad’s son → Barakāt (II) ibn Muḥammad as co-regent.

Muḥammad ibn Yahya ash-Shaykh (or more correctly → Abū ʾAbd Allāh ash-Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Yahya, Abū ʾAbdallāh el-Sheikh Muḥammad ben Yehya, or other combinations): The first Wattasid (see → Waṭṭāsīyūn) sultan of → Fez (from 1472 to 1504).

The Wattasid family had ruled the eastern Rif since the end of the 13th century. Nominally subject to the Marinid (see → Marīniyūn) sultans, they were largely autonomous. The Wattasid viziers made the one-year-old infant → ʾAbd el-Ḥaqq (II) sultan in 1420 and seized control of Fez. When ʾAbd el-Ḥaqq came of age in 1437, the Wattasid vizier refused to give up the regency.
In 1459, ʾAbd el-Ḥaqq revolted against his Wattasid viziers. Only Muḥammad al-Shaykh and a brother survived the slaughter. By appointing a Jewish vizier in 1465, ʾAbd el-Ḥaqq provoked a revolt by local sharifs and was murdered. In 1472 Muḥammad ash-Shaykh took the turban of the sultanate of Fez, founding the Wattasid dynasty.
In the novel, Pêro da → Covilhã was given the name → ʿAbd er-Raḥmān al-Bashīr ben ʿAbd el-Ḥaqq al-Marīni al-Munajim by Ath-Thābiti, the sulṭān of Tilimsān, because he was thought to be a son of sulṭān ʾAbd el-Ḥaqq and thus a prince (→ amīr) of the Marīniyūn.

Muḥammad Kiwabi, Amīr (also known as Muḥammad Kawāb ibn Muḥammad al-Mażlūm (died 1496): In the power struggle after the death of Sultan Saʾīd in 1476/1477, Amīr Sulaimān took the sultan’s turban, made his brother Muḥammad Kiwabi amīr, and abdicated after a year and a half. He was succeeded by Sultan ʿAbdullah ibn al-Khatib al-Hasan. His wazīr was al-Ḥasan ibn Sulaimān, a nephew of Muḥammad Kiwabi, who became the sultan’s wazīr. Muḥammad Kiwabi became a powerful figure in the → Kilwan wazīr dynasty, who opposed the royal lineage, and putting members of his clan in power. Thus, he made Wazīr al- → Ḥasan ibn Sulaimān sultan, who reigned 1479 to 1485 and 1486 to 1490. In the interim he gave the sultan’s turban to → Sabḥat ibn al-Malik al-ʿAdīl for one year. He deposed Sultan al-Ḥasan after his second reign and put Sultan → Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Malik al-ʿAdīl in power and deposed him in 1495, taking the sultan’s turban for himself, but abdicating in the same year and dying the next. The end of the 15th century was the beginning of the Portuguese incursion, usurpers, and their puppet sultans. See sultans of Kiliwa al- → Ḥasan ibn Sulaimān and → Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad; also see → Kilwa Sultanate under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

Muḥammad Shah III Lashkari (or Shamsuddin Muḥammad Shah III; about 1455–1482): The sultan of the Bahmani Sultanate from 1463 to 1482. With his wazir and general → Maḥmud Gawan, he subjugated the Konkan and defeated the Gajapati Kingdom, securing the coastal trade to Persia, Arabia, and East Africa, and introduced standard measurements in the sultanate. The latter upset the powerful lords, who convinced Muḥammad Shah to put the wazir to death. Soon after he executed Gawan in a drunken stupor in 1481, the sultan died, lamenting the foul deed. In the novel the sultan sold Gawan’s slaves and concubines, including → Sūrya-Rashmi, into slavery.

Muḥēmmēd ben Ṣalāḥ: In the novel, a merchant from → Fes traveling with his brother → Moṣṭāfa ben Ṣalāḥ to → ʿAdan or Aden. the ben → Ṣalāḥ brothers, allegedly waylaid, robbed, and destitute, had attached themselves (like → Covilhã and → Paiva were to do) to Shaykh → Abūʾl-Ḥasan ʿAbd el-Asis, a merchant from → Tilimsān or Tlemcen. Also see → Mulhermedo.

Muʿizza (Arabic [معزة]): Muezza, not a human character, but the Prophet Muḥammad’s cat. The story, not a → hadith, is that while preparing for prayer, Muḥammad discovered Muezza on his prayer robe, so he cut the sleeve off as not to disturb her. In another version of the story, the Prophet woke up and needed to go pray. He removed the sleeve seam to detaching the sleeve from his garment.

Mulhermedo (IPA /ˈmuʎɛɾ ˈmedu/; mulher medo, “frightened woman;” from Old Portuguese muller, from Latin mulier, “woman”): In the novel, an amusing nickname or slur (depending on point of view) used by → Afonso de Paiva for → Muḥēmmēd ben Ṣalāḥ (behind his back and in Portuguese) owing to his faintheartedness, despite his constant blustering. Also see → Mostarda.

Mulay Shaykh: See → Abū ʾAbd Allāh ash-Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Yahya.

Muley Xeque (Portuguese): See → Abū ʾAbd Allāh ash-Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Yahya.

Muraḍ: In the novel, the slave of Shaykh Abūʾl- → Ḥasan ʿAbd el-Asis, a merchant from → Tilimsān (Tlemcen), traveling with his son → Aḥmed and Muraḍ to Aden.

N

Nāfi az-Zarqaʾ ibn ʿInal al-Muṣāriʿ (an-Nāfi [ٱلْنَّافِعُ], a name of Allāh meaning “the Beneficial,” leans on the name Yinal Nəf, Adyghe [Инал Нэф], given to him by his Orthodox Christian parents in honor of Inal Nekhu the Great, who had unified all Circassians; az-Zarqaʾ [الزَّرْقَاء‎], “the Blue-Eyed;” ibn ʿInal [ابن إينال], “Son of Inal;” al-Muṣāriʿ [المصارع], “the Wrestler”): He was the → Adyghe → Circassian → Mamlūk slave of the Black Sea → Shapsug tribe.

In the novel, he was bestowed on Pêro da → Covilhã by → Abū ʿAbdallāh Muḥammad ath-Thābiti, the Sulṭan of → Tilimsān.
Nāfi was previously a Mamlūk → julbān, a soldier in training, assigned to his patron, aẓ-Ẓāhir → Qānṣūh Khamsmīyah, for whom he fought in the ring as a wrestler.
After losing a match against a rival wrester, his patron was convinced of foul play, had Nāfi’s tongue cut out, and sold him unlawfully to pirates, who in turn had sold him to the Amīr of Tilimsān.
After his return to Cairo, Nāfi was officially manumitted and elevated into the → Khaṣṣakīyah, the sultan’s personal elite guard, by Sulṭān Sayf ad-Dīn → Qāitbāy.

Nafäqu Tagayu: In the novel, → ʿAtse → Ǝskəndər gave → Nāfi az-Zarqaʾ the names → Nafäqu as it sound similar to Nāfi. It means they yearned and the second name, → Tagayu means the wrestler (look up these names at prestejoao.com under Glossary). Also see → Peṭros Käf-Älä.

Naʾod, ʿAtse (Geʾez [ናዖድ]) born 1474, reigned 1494 – 31 July 1507): Emperor of Abyssinia of the House of Solomon, the second son of → Bäʾәdä Maryam I and his second wife, Käliyopə ([ካሊዮፕ] also romanized as Kalīyopi or Kalyupe, “Calliope”), preceded by ʿAtse → ʿAmdä Tsәyon II and succeeded by → Dawit II. A mature and experienced man, who relied on the counsel of the Queen Mother Ǝtege → Ǝleni, as did ʿAtse → ʿƎskəndər before him, especially in regard to internal territorial conflicts. He lost his life on his way to repulse a Muslim invasion of Ifat and Fäṭägar.

Narasa Nayaka, Commander Tuluva (called rakshakarta, “protector,” and svami, “Lord”): A loyal general, who at the behest of Saluva → Narasimha Deva Raya went to the capital of → Vijayanagara and found it all the way to the “harem” completely unguarded (the Chronicle of Fernão Nuniz in A Forgotten Empire by Robert Sewell, London, 1900, gives a graphic account). King Prauda Deva Raya, who reigned briefly in 1485 and plunged the Hindu empire into neglect and anarchy, fled and was slain (perhaps during his flight). Tuluva Narasa Nayaka held the rank of commander-in-chief and the office of prime minister. He was later entrusted with the guardianship of Emperor Saluva Narasimha’s sons and was to become the founder of the Tuluva dynasty.

Narasimha Deva Raya (I), Saluva (1431–1491): Emperor (1485–1491) of the → Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646) and founder of the powerful Saluva dynasty. After the brief reign of Proudha Deva Raya (1485), who plunged the Hindu empire into neglect and anarchy, he dispatched → Tuluva Narasa Nayaka, a loyal general, to seize the capital of Vijayanagara. Prauda Deva Raya fled. This ended the 150-year reign of the Sangama dynasty and made way for the Saluva dynasty starting with the rule of Saluva Narasimha. The new emperor attempted to consolidate the empire and to protect it from the Muslim sultanates in the North. Despite losses in the provinces due to rebelling chieftains, he conquered ports in the West, allowing him to strengthen his cavalry with imported Arab horses. Upon his death he was succeeded by Narasimha Raya II (1491–1505) as his sons were too young to ascend to the throne.

Nasir ʿAbdallāh el-Fayyūmi: In the novel, a crooked merchant of Cairo, who paid for goods with worthless notes or bills of exchange. He duped → Afḍal (→ Afonso de Paiva), by buying his and → Bashīr’s (→ Pêro da Covilhã) honey and paying him in worthless credit notes. The ben → Ṣalāḥ brothers, → Moṣṭāfa and → Muḥēmmēd, brokered the deal, receiving a fee from el-Fayyūmi, the only real money that changed hands.

Nolawi Räta, Balambaras (Amharic [ኖላዊ ረታ], “Shepherd” + “He Has Triumphed”): In the novel, a corrupt lord of the → Alәyu Amba Wäräda, who also collects the customs duties regularly from the market town of → Gendebelo, which besides → Ankobär also belongs to this → wäräda. Also see Fiṭawrari → Gәtachäw Tamrat.

Noronha, Dom Pedro de (1442 – 1491/1492): Son of the Archbishop of Lisbon of the same name, Senhor do Cadaval, comendador-mor (grand commander) of the Ordem Militar de Sant’Iago da Espada (Military Order of Saint James of the Sword), mordomo-mor (majordomo major) of King Dom → João II, and ambassador in the delegation of 1485 to Pope Innocent VIII (which included Dom Vasco → Fernandes de Lucena 1485, who held the oration of obedience, and Dom Ruy de → Pina, who acted as secretary of the embassy).

Nyahuma Mukombero, Mwene Mutapa: Ruler of the → Mutapa Empire 1480 –1490 as successor of (Mwene Mutapa) → Mavura Maobwe, his brother (with whom he had briefly ruled in 1480). He was killed in a battle led by his another brother, the rebel provincial lord or governor and vassal king → Changamire, who usurped the Mutapa throne and thus succeeded him (ruling 1490 to 1494). See the → Mutapa Empire under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

O

Oruç (or Urūj) Reis (Turkish, → ʿArūj (Arabic): Later called Barbarossa by the → Franks (Europeans) or Arrudye by the Iberians (mainly Castilians and Aragonese): (Baba), Oruç (or Urūj) Reis (Turkish),. The nickname → Barbarossa, “Red Beard,” (Latin, Italian) could be a folk etymology from the name Baba Oruç. Albeit their beards may have been colored with henna. The epithet was later transferred to his brother Hızır Hayreddin (Hayrettin) Paşa (say “Pasha”), who became an admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Oruç, Hızır, and two other brothers were sailors, who turned privateers in response to the privateering of the Knights Hospitaler. Note that Frederick I, the Holy Roman Emperor, was also called Barbarossa. Also see “Baba”→ Arūj.

P

Paiva, Afonso de (say “ah-foh´-soo duh pie´-vah,” IPA /ɐˈfõsu/; Castelo Branco, c. 1443 – probably between → Suakin and Horn of Africa, c. 1490): Escudeiro (Squire) under King Dom → João II; a Portuguese explorer, diplomat, and spy, who accompanied Pêro da → Covilhã in the quest to find the → Preste João (Prester John).

In the novel, Afonso is not only Pêro’s companion, but also his rival.
In the novel, Afonso’s Spanish alias is (Caballero) → Alfonso de → Castillo.
In the novel, as a Frankish spy and traveler among the → Moors, his Arabic alias is → ʿAbdullah al- → Afḍal ibn ad-Dīn ibn al-Qāsim al-ʾAndalusī (see → Arabic terms, names, and medieval naming conventions under Glossary at prestejoao.com).

Paredes, Capitão Bartolomeo de (): The Portuguese master of a ship, which brought → Covilhã and → Paiva from Rhodes to Alexandria. In the novel, a captain of the Cometa, a converted caravela, used for piracy of Moorish ships in the eastern Mediterranean in association with the → Hospitallers of Rhodes during Covilhã’s time. Source: Álvares, Ho Preste Ioam das Indias…, 1540, Vol. II, p. 392.

Pedro or Pedro de la Cueva (Spanish, “Peter of the Cave,” an allusion to the town of Covilhã’s Roman name, Cava Juliana): An alias or false name used by Pêro da → Covilhã. Also see → Covilhã under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

Pedro de Meneses (/ Menezes) dos Santos, Dom: In the novel, the illegitimate son of Dona → Inês de Meneses and Pêro da → Covilhã, born on 21st of March, 1487. He was later adopted by Dom → Alberto dos Santos.

Pedro de Noronha, Dom: See → Noronha, Dom Pedro de.

Pedro da Covilhã: See → Covilhã, Pêro da.

Peṭros Käf-Älä: In the novel, → ʿAtse → Ǝskəndər gave Pêro da → Covilhã the names → Peṭros and → Käf-Älä, meaning “Peter” and “He Rose (look these names up at prestejoao.com under Glossary).” The first → Amharic name meant the same as Pêro’s Portuguese first name, Pedro or Pêro, “Peter,” the second sounded like his last name. Also see → Nafäqu Tagayu.

Pina, Ruy (or Rui) de, Dom (Guarda, 1440 – Lisbon, 1521 or 1522): He served as Secretário da Câmara, Secretary of the Royal Chamber, of King Dom → João II. And in this capacity as his personal secretary, he was a trusted confidant who handled confidential state matters and diplomatic correspondence.

As a Portuguese chronicler, diplomat, and influential royal advisor, he was sent various times by Dom João to Castile, as secretary of the embassy to Pope Innocent VIII in 1484, and commissary and negotiator with the Reyes Católicos, culminating in the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494.
He wrote the Croniqua DelRey Dom Joham II, manuscript by 1504, first published 1792, and again as facsimile under the title Crónica de el-Rei D. João II, 1950.

Pires or João Pires: An alias or false name used by Pêro da → Covilhã.

Presbyter Ioannes (Latin): See the legendary → Prester John.

Presbyter Johannes (German): See the legendary → Prester John.

Preste João (Portuguese): See the legendary → Prester John.

Prester John (English; Portuguese Preste João, IPA /ʒuˈɐ̃w̃/; German Presbyter Johannes or Priesterkönig Johannes, “Priest-King John”; Latin Presbyter Ioannes; Prester, Preste, Presto, Prete and Presbyter are all an archaic form of the term “priest,” from Greek presbyteros, “elder,” via Latin presbyter and Old French prestre): A legendary Christian patriarch and king, sought by the Portuguese in the 15th century as an ally against the → “Moors.” The belief in the Prester’s existence was probably reinforced by a letter supposedly written to the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (1143–1180) by the priest-king himself as well as by reports of Christians in the “Three Indias,” among which East Africa may be included.

Pêro da → Covilhã and Afonso de → Paiva had explicit orders for their reconnaissance from the King Dom → João II (Santarém, 7 May 1487) to locate the court of Preste João and to seek his assistance. At the time of Covilhã’s voyage, the conviction was prevalent in Europe that the Prester John ruled → Abyssinia (from Arabic al- → Habash), as the → Ethiopian Empire was called. The geographical confusion was compounded by the fact that East Africa or in fact all land east of the Nile was considered part of the “Indias.” Thus, the Prester John’s subjects were called “Indians,” and these were found, for instance, among the Christian sects at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
In Francesco Suriano’s Trattato di Terra Santa (1485 & 1514) he mentions “Abyssinians, that is Indians, … vassals of Prete Jane, who reigns in Ethiopia … a Christian [who] has seventy-two crowned kings under his dominion. … The men and women dress badly; they are very slippery, lascivious, and carnal … abominable heretics, adherents of the Jacobites.” Further references to the Abyssinian clerics in Jerusalem can be found in the writings of other Jerusalem pilgrims of the 15th century, such as Felix → Fabri or Canon Pietro Casola.
The most important source of information on Prester John is the 1459 → Mappa Mundi by Fra → Mauro. A note (in Venetian Italian) on his map places him in ABASSIA, → Abyssinia (today → Ethiopia) in northeast Africa: Qui el presto Janne [sic] fa ressidentia pri[n]cipal meaning “Here Prester John has his main residence.” A further note states: Se dice che presto Jane [sic] ha più de 120 regni soto el suo dominio, di qual più de 60 sono de differente lengue. E de tuto questo numero, zoè 120, se dice che 72 sono potenti signori, el resto non è da far conto meaning “It is said that Prester John has more than 120 kingdoms under his dominion, in which there are more than 60 different languages. And of the number, that is the 120, it is said that 72 are powerful seignories, and the others are not of much account.” Source: Piero Falchetta, Fra Mauro’s World Map, Brepols, 2006, page 195, number *66, and 197, number *77.

Presto Jane or Presto Janne (Venetian Italian): See the legendary → Prester John.

Prete Gianni (Italian): See the legendary → Prester John.

Priesterkönig Johannes (German “Priest-King John”): See the legendary → Prester John.

Ptolemæus, Claudius (Latin, from Greek Klaúdios Ptolemaîos, “Ptolemy;” c.100–c.170): An Alexandrian Greek (in Roman Egypt) mathematician, , geographer, astronomer, and astrologer, known for his astronomical treatise known as the Almagest and his → Geography, an atlas, gazetteer, and treatise on cartography, which still had great influence during the Portuguese expansion in the time of Pêro da → Covilhã.

Ptolemy: See Claudius → Ptolemæus.

Q

Qānṣūh “Khamsmīyah” or “Khamsmī(y)ya(h)” or “Khamsmiʾa” (Five Hundred) min Ṭarābāy, Abū Saʾid (often referred to as Abū Saʾid Qānṣūh, az-Zahir Qānṣūh Abū Saʾid, etc.; born 1473 – died after 1500): An ambitious → ʾamīr of Sultan al-Ashraf → Qāitbāy, whom he plotted against to become sultan himself.

Qānṣūh, the ʾamīr akhūr, supervisor of the royal stables, later became the 49th Mamlūk Sultan of Egypt, with the royal title of al-Malik aẓ-Ẓāhir, ruling from 31 October 1498 to 30 June 1500. He succeeded Qāitbāy’s murdered son, an-Nāṣir Muḥammad ibn Qāitbāy, the 48th sultan (1496–1498) and Qānṣūh’s puppet.
Al-ʿAdīl Sayf ad-Dīn Tuman Bay, the 51st sultan, allegedly had Qānṣūh strangled. However, the last acknowledged facts indicate that Qānṣūh was chained in solitary confinement in Alexandria after his abortive reign. Source: The Mameluke Dynasty of Egypt by William Muir, 1896, p. 185. As recounted by the contemporary historian Ibn Iyās, he was freed of his shackles by Qānṣūh al-Ghūrī, the 52nd sultan, in December of 1514. Source: Carl F. Petry, Twilight of Majesty, 1993, p. 187 & 193.
In the novel, Qānṣūh (under duress or unwittingly) arranged for his son → Khalīl ibn aẓ-Ẓāhir to receive a good share of the income from the sugar production revenue of the island → Jezirat Dahabi ed-Debub as → waqf.
In the novel, Qānṣūh was also the owner of the Mamlūk slave → Nāfi, who wrestled in the ring for his patron. After losing a match against the wrester of Qānṣūh’s rival, his patron suspected foul play, had his tongue cut out, and sold him to pirates.
In the novel, Nāfi’s and → Pêro’s archenemy, Khamsmīyah, was also designated as → amīr al-ḥajj to lead the → ḥajj maḥmal caravan to Mecca in the autumn of 1491. Source: Carl F. Petry, Twilight of Majesty, 1993, p. 110.

Qāitbāy, al-Malik Abu al-Nasr Sayf ad-Dīn al-Ashraf (also romanized as Ḳāït-Bey; latinized as Caitbeius): Mamlūk sultan of Egypt from 31 January 1468 to 7 August 1496 (and thus during the time → Covilhã visited → Cairo). One of the most successful and brutal Burji sultans. He abdicated in favor of his son, an-Nāṣir Muḥammad ibn Qāitbāy, who reigned as a puppet of → Qānṣūh “Khamsmīyah,” who had been plotting against Sayf ad-Dīn Qāitbāy and succeeded Muḥammad ibn Qāitbāy after he was murdered. Sayf ad-Dīn Qāitbāy, a great warrior and boxer, but also patron of art and architecture, stabilized the sultanate during his long reign. WIKI: In 1467, sultan Qāitbāy offended the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II, whose brother was poisoned. Bayezid II seized Adana, Tarsus and other places within Egyptian territory, but was eventually defeated. Qāitbāy also tried to help the Muslims in Spain, who were suffering after the Catholic Reconquista, by threatening the Christians in Syria, but he had little effect in Spain. He died in 1496, several hundred thousand ducats in debt to the great trading families of the Republic of Venice.

R

Rabi Abrão (“Rabbi Abraham”): See → Abrão, Rabi.

Rashmi (Sanskrit Rashmi “(a single) ray of light”): In the novel, actually Sūrya-Rashmi, a surriyya or concubine of → ʿAbd al-Wahhāb bin Ṭāhir al-Malik al-Manṣūr, the third → Tahirid sultan of Yemen. For more detailed information, see → Sūrya-Rashmi.

Rodrigo das Pedras Negras, Doutor (doctor): He was (supposedly?) the royal physician of Dom → João II and a member of the → Junta dos Matemáticos, who helped make the chart with Pêro de → Alcáçova for → Covilhã (and → Paiva). Compare discussion and sources stated under Pêro de → Alcáçova. It seems that modern historians cannot confirm his existence.

Ruy (or Rui) de Pina: See → Pina, Ruy (or Rui) de.

S

Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn (also romanized as Salāḥ ad-Dīn): An Arabic name meaning “the Righteousness of the Faith.” Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb (Kurdish Selahedînê Eyûbî), the Kurdish Ayyubid ruler fortified the citadel of Cairo (al- → Qāhirah) at the end of the 12 century to protect the city from Crusaders (see → Qalaʿat Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn in the Glossary).

Ṣalāḥ, Moṣṭāfa and Muḥēmmēd ben: The two brothers, → Moṣṭāfa and → Muḥēmmēd ben Ṣalāḥ, are merchants from → Fes traveling to → Aden. Like → Covilhã and → Paiva, the ben Ṣalāḥ brothers attach themselves to Shaykh → Abūʾl-Ḥasan ʿAbd el-Asis, a merchant from → Tlemcen (Tilimsān). According to their tale of woe, the two brothers, had been waylaid and robbed. Their surname may be taken as inapt or ironic, as ben ṣalāḥ means “son of righteousness.”

Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya (1431–1491): An emperor of the → Vijayanagara Empire. See → Narasimha Deva Raya, Saluva.

Sāmūtiri (Zamorin): The title of the ruler of the Kingdom of → Kozhikode (Calicut) is given as çamidre or zomodri (in Portuguese in The Book of Duarte Barbosa c. 1516). In the Arabic of the time, his title was sāmuri. This was once thought to be derived from Sanskrit samudra, “sea,” and thus meaning “lord of the sea.” In fact, the term derives from Sanskrit svami and sri (which in combined form becomes tiri). His complete title was interpreted as Svami Tiri Tirumulapad or “August Emperor” (by the late Kerala historian K. V. Krishna Iyer).

Sarvananda (called Sarvajid, “Winner of All;” probably lived during the late 15th, early 16th centuries): A Brahman scholar from Tamil Nadu and principle disciple of → Kabīr Das, who gave him the name Shruti-Gopal (Sanskrit What Is Heard, the divine revelations, and Cow Protector, an epithet of Krishna, thus “Protector of the Sacred Works”). He was perhaps the founder of Kabīr Panth, the “Path of Kabīr.” Kabir Panthis may follow the ethical and social customs of different traditions, but observe sanctity and purity in their behavior. Among their practices is → Bhakti, the “devotional love for God and a higher spiritual reality.” The epithet Sarvajid resulted from the many successful debates with rival scholars during his travels throughout India. However, according to the legend, he never succeeded against Kabīr, accepting him as his guru instead. Supposedly he came to Kabīr with a bullock laden with books, which were apparently no match for the simple truth.

Sebastião, Father: . . . Priest (?) of Covilhã.

Shādhilī, Shaikh Abū al-Hasan ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār al-Hasanī wal-Husaynī, ash- (1196 – 1258): An influential Islamic scholar and Sufi from the → Maghrib al-Aqsa, founder of the → Shādhilīyah Sufi order in → Alexandria.

Shādhilī, ʿAlī ibn ʿUmar ash- (died 1418, according to The Encyclopædia of Islam, 2d ed.): A Sufi of the order of the → Shādhilīyah of al- → Makhā, who is credited as (one of) the discoverer(s) of → qahwa, coffee. However, al-Shādhilī made his qahwa (at first) with → qat. When Carsten Niebuhr (Reisebeschreibung nach Arabien und andern umliegenden Ländern, 1774) visited Yemen at the end of the 18th century he was told that Shādhilī had lived 400 years ago (late 14th century), improbably early. Interestingly enough, both ʿAlī ibn ʿUmar and → Abū Bakr ibn ʿAbdullāh al-ʿAydarūs are associated with the name of the Sufi scholar Abu-ʿAbdullah Nasir-al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn al-Maliq al-Maylaq ash-Shadhili, known as Nāṣir ad-Dīn ibn Maylaq (1330–1395). ʿAlī ibn ʿUmar is believed to have been a disciple of his, while al-ʿAydarūs is said to be an heir to his spiritual position. Source: An account related by Ralph S. Hattox in Coffee and Coffeehouses: The Origins of a Social Beverage in the Medieval Near East, 1985, pp. 17–24. Also see Shaikh adh- → Dhabḥanī, and Sayyid → Abū Bakr al-ʿAdanī ibn ʿAbdullāh al-ʿAydarūs.

Shamsuddin Muḥammad Shah: See → Muḥammad Shah III Lashkari.

Sharmaarke (Somali; maarke “protection,” shar “evil,” thus “Protector (against) Evil;” a (Northern) Somali name; Somalis only have given names (the father’s or sometimes father’s and grandfather’s given names may be added): In the novel, eldest son of ʿImām → Maḥfūẓ and brother of → Habibo. He was instructed by his father to attend to → Bashīr (Pêro da → Covilhã) and keep an eye on him and his sister Habibo. He later accompanied his father on an incursion of the → Ifat and → Fäṭägar provinces of → Abyssinia.

Shayb, Aḥmed ben (shayb [شيب], “elder,” “wise,” or “gray haired” one): A → mukārī (muleteer) from → Fās (Fez), hired by Pêro da → Covilhã in Tânger. Normally known by his → Maghrebi → nasab, patronymic, ben Shayb, “Son of the Wise One,” he was ironically called esh-Shayb, “the wise one,” by his fellows because of his insolent manners and immature, unwise behavior.

Shayb, esh- (“the Wise One”): See Aḥmed ben → Shayb.

Sixtus IV, Pope (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484): Born Francesco della Rovere, he was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. A patron of the arts and civic infrastructure, he also founded the Spanish Inquisition and gave the Portuguese the rights to acquire slaves along the African Coast by force or trade. He was a nepotist and rumored to be “a lover of boys and a sodomite” (according to the Diary of the City of Rome by historian Stefano Infessura). He received the → Abyssinian mission of Abba → ʿƎntoñǝs to Rome in 1481–1482, sent by Ras Bitwäddäd → ʿAmdä Mikaʾel, who headed the Ethiopian embassy to Cairo and Jerusalem in 1480/1481. Accompanied by the nobleman → Johanne Baptista Brochus of Imola, ʿƎntoñǝs was proclaimed to be “an ambassador sent by ʿthe lord → Prester John to our holiness the Pope’” [If the Prester wanted] theologians, preachers, artisans, and other things … “he ﬁrst had to effectively agree to a Union of the Churches under the suzerainty of the Latin pontiff.” Source: Medieval Ethiopian Kingship, Craft, and Diplomacy with Latin Europe by Verena Krebs, 2021, pp. 126, 129. Sixtus IV was followed by Innocent VIII, another corrupt nepotist.

Srinivas: In the novel, a Telugu → Brahman in the service of → Rāya, the (future) king of → Vijayanagar. Also see → Pravīn.

Suleiman bin Suleiman bin Mudhaffar (or Mudhafar) an-Nabhani (lived during the end of the 15th century): Sultan of Oman until 1500. He was a celebrated poet king, the last of the 400-year-old Bani Nabhan (first) dynasty. He was deposed by Muhammad bin Ismail, who became Imam of Oman in 1500.

Sūrya-Rashmi (Sanskrit Sūrya “from the sun (giving light to the world)” and Rashmi “(a single) ray of light”): In the novel, a consort of → Maḥmud Gawan, → wazīr and marshal of the Bahamani Sultanate of the Deccan in 15th-century India. She was sold into slavery by Shamsuddin → Muḥammad Shah, the sultan, when he had his wazīr executed in a drunken stupor. She was sold to al-Malik al-Manṣūr, or more properly → ʿAbd al-Wahhāb bin Ṭāhir al-Malik al-Manṣūr, the third → Tahirid sultan of Yemen, who bought her as a → surriyya or concubine. In the novel, Pêro da Covilhã meets the sultan and Sūrya-Rashmi during his first stay in Aden and Laḥj, where he has a complicated relationship with both, caught up in amity, passion, and espionage.

Suyūṭī, Imām Abū al-Faḍl ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr ibn Muḥammad Jalāl al-Dīn al-Khuḍayrī, al- (usually referred to as Imam Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī, also called Jalaluddin; ca. 1445–1505): An Egyptian Sufi, scholar, historian, jurist, and a most prolific writer. Imam al-Suyūṭī, an expert on Islamic topics, hadith studies, and the Arabic language, had also written about astronomy (al-hayʾa as-sanīa fī l-hayʾa as-sunnīya, a purported “Islamic” cosmology). Sultan → Qāitbāy, a great supporter of Sufism, had appointed al-Suyūṭī in 1486 as shaykh of a → Sufi lodge. In the novel, → Covilhã meets al-Suyūṭī as requested by Qāitbāy, who wants to feel out Covilhã in regard to the extent of his astronomical knowledge, religious views, and political convictions.

T

Täklä Haymanot, Äbunä (Geʾez [ተክለ ሃይማኖት, አቡነ], “Plant of Haymanot;” 1215 – 1313): Known in the Coptic church as Saint Takla Haymanot of Ethiopia, he was an Ethiopian saint and monk venerated as a hermit. As → äbunä of Ethiopia he founded the monastery of Däbrä Atsbo in → Shäwa, , his native province, in 1284, renamed as → Däbrä Libanos (under Glossary in prestejoao.com) in the 15th century. Ras Bitwäddäd → ʿAmdä Mikaʾel was “a great patron of the monastery.” Source: Church and State in Ethiopia 1270–1527 by Taddesse Tamrat, 1972, p. 289.

Täklä Krәstos (Amharic [ተክለ ክርስቶስ], “Plant of Christ”): . . . ʿAtse → ʿƎskəndər’s death led to civil war between the supporters of his son, → ʿAmdä Tsәyon II, and his half-brother, → Naʾod. “Täklä Krәstos, who was apparently the most powerful official at court at the time, immediately crowned as the next king ʿƎskəndər’s little son, → Amdä Tsәyon II, a boy of only seven years . . . and he marched with the king’s army to fight Zäsәllus [Zä-Sәlus],” whom he defeated. Zä-Sәlus, had wanted to release Naʾod from → Amba Gәshän and crown him, but he and all his followers “were made prisoners and blinded.” Source: Church and State in Ethiopia 1270–1527 by Taddesse Tamrat, 1972, p. 292. See → Zä-Sәlus, ʿAtse → ʿƎskəndər, and → Amdä Tsәyon II.

Täsfa Giyorgis, ʿAqabe Säʾat ([ተስፋ ጊዮርጊስ], “Hope of (Saint) George”): One of → ʿAtse → ʿƎskəndər’s regents and → ʿaqabe säʾat. Jointly with Ǝtege → Ǝleni, he brought about the downfall of the hated → Ras → Bitwäddäd → ʿAmdä Mikaʾel.

Taymīyah, ibn (January 22, 1263 – September 26, 1328): Born as Taqī ad-Dīn ʾAḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm ibn ʿAbd al-Salām al-Numayrī al-Ḥarrānī, was a controversial judge and legal authority in → Mamluk Damascus. As a traditionalist, he condemned saint veneration, worship of tomb-shrines, and what he considered to be idolatry, resulting in imprisonment several times. He has often been cited as a considerable influence in the development of the Salafi movement. His disciples attacked wine sellers in Damascus, pouring their wine on the ground and breaking the bottles. Ibn Taymīyah issued a fatwa forbidding the use of hashish on the grounds that it was analogous to wine, and users should be given 80 lashes in punishment. Anyone who disagreed was an apostate, he stated, whose corpse ought not to be washed or given a decent burial.

Thābet, Abu: An informal sobriquet for → Abū ʾAbd Allāh Muḥammad ath-Thābitī ibn Muḥammad al-Mutawakkil, → Amīr of → Tilimsān (Tlemcen).

Thābitī ibn Muḥammad al-Mutawakkil, Abū ʾAbd Allāh Muḥammad ath-: See → Abū ʾAbd Allāh Muḥammad ath-Thābitī ibn Muḥammad al-Mutawakkil, → Amīr of → Tilimsān (Tlemcen).

Thāmi al-Assad, Ḥajji: A merchant from → Fez. . . . See → Mansa Yahya, his slave.

Tomé: An old shepherd from → Covilhã, a friend and helper of Pêro da → Covilhã’s family and guide and protector of the your Pêro.

U

[No current entries under this letter]

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V

Vallabh Acharya (1479–1531): An Indian Telugu philosopher and major scholar of the → Bhakti tradition of Hinduism, as a devotional movement that emphasizes love and grace of God as an end in itself. Known as Vallabha, he founded the Krishna-centered Pushti sect of Vaishnavism and a philosophy of “pure nondualism,” as opposed to his contemporary, → Vyāsa Tīrtha.

Varthema, Ludovico di (…): …. See → ḥajj under Glossary and Ludovico di → Varthema under Sources at prestejoao.com.

Vyāsa Tīrtha (or Vyāsatīrtha also Vyāsa Raja or Vyāsa Raya, c. 1460 or 1447 – c. 1539): A Hindu philosopher, scholar, and poet belonging to the → Dvaita order of Vedānta, who was to become the patron saint of the Vijayanagara Empire. An eminent Brahmin scholar, acclaimed as a spiritual light, master of logic and philosophical debate, familiar with all (opposing) schools of thought, he came to the attention of Saluva → Narasimha Deva Raya when he bested other scholars with irrefutable arguments in debates. He made → Dvaita into a full-fledged school of philosophical and dialectical merit and headed the Tirupati Temple during 1486–1498 and became extremely influential at the court of the → Vijayanagar Empire. Compare → Vallabhacharya.

W

[No current entries under this letter]

X

[No current entries under this letter]

Y

Yashbak min Mahdī: A Mamlūk → muqaddam, or great → amīr, who held the office of → dawādār, executive secretary, under sultan → Qāitbāy. Brave, but cruel, Yashbak functioned as the sultan’s hatchet man. He was also the patron of his erstwhile lieutenant, → Qānṣūh Khamsmīyah. Yashbak and → Azbak min Ṭuṭukh, the → atābak, marshal of the army, were the two most powerful emirs during Qāitbāy’s reign.

Riḥlat al-Amīr Yashbak Min Mahdī ad-Dawādār (Kabīr): Restored the Palace of Yashbak (originaly built by ʾAmīr Qawsun al-Nasiri, built in 1337). –> Qāytbāy granted Yashbak min Mahdī, the dawādār kabīr (the executive secretary) and a khilʿah (robe of honor) “that was equivalent to that of the atābak al-ʿasākir,” and appointed him to additional posts as vizier and viceroy of all the Egyptian provinces (kāshif al-kushshāf). Also ʾamīr jandār, 0816-05-28. Qāytbāy’s intention was to entrust the reform of the Dīwān al-Wizārah to Yashbak, whose position was strengthened by the fact that he held the rank just below the sultan, equivalent to the atābak al-ʿasākir, while Qāytbāy himself initiated a reform in the payment of jāmakīyah from al-Dīwān al-Mufrad. In other words, a total reconstruction of the overall payment system was intended through cooperation between the two. In consequence, Yashbak succeeded in cutting the supply of meat for everyone except the mamluks, such as the awlād al-nās, mutaʿammimūn, and women. With this as the starting point, they embarked on a sweeping reform of the payment system for mamluks. … Just after the completion of nafaqah payments to the third expeditionary army, Qāytbāy again appointed Yashbak to an additional post as ustādār. Yashbak was now serving concurrently as dawādār, vizier, ustādār, and viceroy of all the Egyptian provinces.27 Accordingly, Yashbak assumed sole responsibility for a series of financial tasks, from collecting taxes on lands in the Egyptian provinces to providing all kinds of stipends for mamluks and other recipients, as a major part of the governmental domain in Egypt was assigned to al-Dīwān al-Mufrad and lands of some provinces were assigned to the Dīwān al-Wizārah. It seems reasonable to suppose that after succeeding in reducing jāmakīyahs for military men, which had been the hardest task, Qāitbāy transferred the management of al-Dīwān al-Mufrad to his confidant Yashbak and let him exercise direct and strict control over the system of payments. The Palace of ʾAmīr Qawsun was constructed across from the Citadel between 1333-1336 on the orders of al-Nasir Muḥammad. Part of a residential architectural trend that developed in Mamlunk Cairo from the late thirteenth century into the mid fourteenth century, the palace’s main qa’a, or reception hall has a cross-axial four-iwan plan. Yashbak min Mahdi, an important amir under Sultan Qaitbay (1468-1496), later made additions to the palace. In 1480 Yashbak led an army against the Ak Koyunlu dynasty in Northern Mesopotamia, but was soundly defeated while attacking Urfa, taken prisoner, and executed.

Yәshaq, ʿÄbunä (Amharic [ይሻቅ, አቡነ]; born in Egypt – died c. 1520 in Abyssinia): A metropolitan of the → Abyssinian Orthodox Church 1481–1520 (?). He arrived with ʿÄbunä → Marqos and other Coptic Egyptian clerics in late 1481 as a result of → ʿAmdä Mikaʾel’s embassy to Sultan → Qāitbāy of Egypt.

Yoannis (John) XIII, Pope: The 94th Coptic Orthodox Pope (1484–1524) of → Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark. John’s life is unknown. His long patriarchate witnessed the downfall of the → Mamlūk sultanate and the rise of Ottoman power in Egypt.

Yūḥannā ibn Surūr al- Iskandarānī al-Kātib (called Yūḥannā al-Kātib): In the novel, the secretary (al-kātib “the scribe”) of Don → Antoni de Gramanet of the Aragonese fondaco, was an illegitimate child of the previous Aragonese consul and a Coptic Alexandrian lady. He came to hate the Aragonese, since his natural father never adopted him. His sympathies were with the Egyptian Copts, who were suppressed by the Mamluks, hated by the Egyptian Muslims, and looked down upon by the Europeans. He developed a liking to the Catalans, particularly the present Consul, with whom he had a good relationship. He was also a member of the → Coptic Fraternity, led by → Karīm al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Karīm.

Yūsuf al-Fudūlī: See → Abūʾl-Nāṣir Yūsuf al-Daula ben Meḥmed al-Fudūlī.

Yūsuf, Shaykh: A Muslim governor of → Sofala, subject to the sultan of → Kilwa, who ruled during → Covilhã’s time. When the Portuguese arrived on the → Swahili Coast, they discovered Sofala in 1501, entered the harbor in 1502, and were granted permission by the octogenarian Shaykh Yūsuf to build a fort in 1505. He was in a dispute with the sultanate of Kilwa at this time, refusing to recognize the successor (→ Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad) of the disposed sultan (→ Muḥammad Kiwabi), allying himself with the Portuguese to shake off Kilwa’s authority. Source: Based on the information described under → Kilwa Sultanate under Glossary. See → Sofala and → Kilwa Sultanate under Glossary at prestejoao.com.

Z

Zaghall, az-: “The valiant,” as → Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad az-Zaghall, was called after his → nisbah. He was briefly Emir of Granada before its fall.

Zäṛä Yaʾәqob, ʿAtse (Geʾez, Amharic [ዘርዐ ያዕቆብ], often romanized as Zara Yaqob, “Seed of Jacob;” 1399 – 26 August 1468) was Emperor (of the Solomonic dynasty) of → Abyssinia, who ruled under the regnal name Kwestantinos I for 30 years (1433/1434 – 1468). He is known for the → Geʾez literature that flourished during his reign as well as for the handling of both internal Christian affairs and external Muslim aggression. He was followed by his son, ʿAtse → Bäʾәdä Maryam.

Zä-Sәlus (Amharic [ዘ-ሥሉስ] or [ዘሲሉስ], “the Trinity,” also romanized as Zäsәllus): ʿAtse → ʿƎskəndər’s chief minister. “One day … an envoy came and said, ʿThe men of the [May caravan / ማይ ኣርኆ] have killed . . . thy favorite slave.’ That evening the king set out to go to the place where his slave had been killed, and when the men of the May [→ Maya?] caravan saw him and his men, . . . they attacked the royal party,” killing the king, whom they had not recognized in the darkness. His body was buried “and Zä-Sәlus and his soldiers rode off to Amhara to appoint a new king [but in May of 1494] found that the people of Shäwa had already made → Amda Seyon II, the son of ʿƎskəndər, their king.” Source: Wallis Budge, A History of Ethiopia, Nubia & Abyssinia, 1928, Vol. I, pp. 322–323. ʿƎskəndər’s death led to civil war between the supporters of his son, Amda Seyon II, and his half-brother, → Naʾod. “Zäsәllus was at the royal court when the king died. . . . He swiftly marched towards Mount → Geshän in Amhara. There, he apparently took . . . → Naʾod and declared him king of Ethiopia.” Source: Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia 1270–1527, 1972, pp. 292–293 (Tamrat seems to rely on J. Perruchon, Histoire d’Eskender …, 1894, re this conflict – I have not found this name elsewhere). See → Täklä Krәstos, ʿAtse → ʿƎskəndər, and → Amdä Tsәyon II.