Sunday, November 11, 2012

Finished reading: The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger

Few days back (on November 3), I finished reading a rare and old book. If one wants to see a glimpse of the old world, read this book.

Actually, this April I was in Fez, Morocco, for the Special Meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society, on Freedom, Human Dignity and the Open Society. (Let me add that I am the only member of the Mont Pelerin Society from Pakistan!) There in a session on April 24, one Benedikt Koehler from London presented his paper, “The Birth of Capitalism in Islam.” It was quite enlightening, and in addition to putting a question to Mr. Koehler during the session, the same evening during the dinner I especially invited him to the table, where we some friends were sitting together, to have a detailed discussion with him. I especially appreciated his attempt to highlight the contribution of Islam to the Economic Theory.

It was during the last day (April 25) during the lunch that Mr. Koehler told about Johann Schiltberger, that how interesting is the book he wrote about his bondage and experiences, and that it gives an eyewitness account of the 14th and 15th century world.

Here is the complete title of the book:

The Bondage and Travels of Johann Schiltberger,
A Native of Bavaria,
In Europe, Asia, and Africa.
1396-1427.
Translated from the
Heidelberg MS. Edited in 1859 by Professor Karl Friedrich Neumann,
By
Commander J. Buchan Telfer, R.N.,
F.S.A., F.R.G.S.
With Notes by
Professor P. Bruun,
Of the Imperial University of South Russia, at Odessa;
And a Preface, Introduction, and Notes
by
The Translator and Editor.
With a Map.
London: Printed For the Hakluyt Society, MDCC CLXXIX {1879}.

It’s a little book consisting of about 100 pages and 67 chapters. But detailed notes spanning over 140 pages make it a 320 page book. The book also includes an introduction and a comprehensive index. All that is a proof of German scholarship!

The titles of the chapters let form an idea of Johann’s varied experiences:

Schiltberger to the Reader

1. Of the first combat between King Sigmund and the Turks
2. How the Turkish king treated the prisoners
3. How Wyasit subjugated an entire country
4. How Wyasit made war on his brother-in-law, and killed him
5. How Weyasit drives away the king of Sebast
6. What sixty of us Christians had agreed upon
7. How Wyasit took the city of Samson
8. Of serpents and vipers
9. How the Infidels remain in the fields with their cattle, in winter and summer
10. How Weyasit took a country that belonged to the Sultan
11. Of the King-Sultan
12. How Temerlin conquered the kingdom of Sebast
13. Weyasit conquers Lesser Armenia
14. How Tamerlin goes to war with the King-Sultan
15. How Tamerlin conquered Babiloni
16. How Tamerlin conquered Lesser India
17. How a vassal carried off riches that belonged to Tamerlin
18. How Tamerlin caused MMM {3000} children to be killed
19. Tamerlin wants to go to war with the Great Chan
20. Of Tamerlin's death
21. Of the sons of Tamerlin
22. How Joseph caused Mirenschach to be beheaded, and took possession of all his territory
23. How Joseph vanquished a king and beheaded him
24. How Schiltberger came to Aububachir
25. Of a king's son
26. How one lord succeeds another lord
27. Of an Infidel woman, who had four thousand maidens
28. In what countries I have been
29. In which countries I have been, that lay between the Tonow and the sea
30. Of the castle of the sparrow-hawk, and how it is guarded
31. How a poor fellow watched the sparrow-hawk
32. More about the castle of the sparrow-hawk
33. In which countries silk is grown, and of Persia and of other kingdoms
34. Of the tower of Babilony that is of such great height
35. Of great Tartaria
36. The countries in which I have been, that belong to Tartary
37. How many kings-sultan there were, whilst I was amongst the Infidels
38. Of the mountain of St. Catherine
39. Of the withered tree
40. Of Jherusalem and of the Holy Sepulchre
41. Of the spring in Paradise, with IIII rivers
42. How pepper grows in India
43. Of Allexandria
44. Of a great giant
45. Of the many religions the Infidels have
46. How . . . {Prophet Muhammad PBUH} and his religion appeared
47. Of the Infidels' Easter-day
48. Of the other Easter-day
49. Of the law of the Infidels
50. Why . . . {Prophet Muhammad PBUH} has forbidden wine to Infidels
51. Of a fellowship the Infidels have among themselves
52. How a Christian becomes an Infidel
53. What the Infidels believe of Christ
54. What the Infidels say of Christians
55. How Christians are said not to hold to their religion
56. How long ago it is, since . . . {Prophet Muhammad PBUH} lived
57. Of Constantinoppel
58. Of the Greeks
59. Of the Greek religion
60. How the city of Constantinoppel was built
61. How the Jassen have their marriages
62. Of Armenia
63. Of the religion of the Armenians
64. Of a Saint Gregory
65. Of a dragon and a unicorn
66. Why the Greeks and Armani are enemies
67. Through which countries I have come away

Here are some excerpts from the book:

How Johann was made a runner for the King:

“I was taken to the palace of the Turkish king {King-Sultan Wyasit}; there for six years I was obliged to run on my feet with the others, wherever he went, it being the custom that the lords have people to run before them. After six years I deserved to be allowed to ride, and I rode six years with him, so that I was twelve years with him;” [P. 7]

Johann’s evidence of Tamerlane’s cruelty:

“1 8.—How Tamerlin caused MMM {3000} children to be killed.

Then he went into a kingdom called Hisspahan and made for the capital, Hisspahan, and required it to surrender. They gave themselves up, and went to him with their wives and children. He received them graciously, occupied the city with six thousand of his people, and took away with him the lord of the city, whose name was Schachister. And so soon as the city heard that Tamerlin was gone out of the country, they closed all the gates and killed the six thousand men. When Tamerlin knew this, he returned to the city and besieged it for XV days, but he could not take it, and made peace with them on condition that they should lend him the archers that were in the city, for an expedition; after that, he should send them back. They sent to him twelve thousand archers; he cut off all their thumbs, and forced them back into the city and himself entered it. He assembled all the citizens, and ordered all those over fourteen years to be beheaded, and the boys under XIIII years he ordered to be spared, and with the heads was constructed a tower in the centre of the city; then he ordered the women and children to be taken to a plain outside the city, and ordered the children under seven years of age to be placed apart, and ordered his people to ride over these same children. When his counsellors and the mothers of the children saw this, they fell at his feet, and begged that he would not kill them. He would not listen, and ordered that they should be ridden over; but none would be the first to do so. He got angry, and rode himself [amongst them] and said: "Now I should like to see who will not ride after me?" Then they were all obliged to ride over the children, and they were all trampled upon. There were seven thousand. Then he set fire to the city, and took the other women and children into his own city; and then went to his capital called Semerchant, where he had not been for twelve years.” [PP. 27-28]

His account of the Tamerlane’s death:

“It is to be noted, that three causes made Tamerlin fret, so that he became ill, and died of that same illness. The first cause was grief that his vassal had escaped with the tribute; the other it is to be noted was, that Thamerlin had three wives, and that the youngest, whom he loved very much, had been intimate with one of his vassals whilst he was away.” [P. 29]

On his orders this wife of his was beheaded, “He then sent five thousand horsemen after this same vassal, that they might bring him as a prisoner; but he was warned by the commander who was sent after him, and the vassal took with him five hundred men, his wife and children, and fled to the country of Wassandaran. There Tamerlin could not get at him. It fretted him so much that he had killed his wife, and that the vassal had escaped, that he died, . . .” [P. 29]

How strong was Tamerlane’s son!

“It is also to be noted, that Abubachir {son of Tamerlane’s son, Miraschach} was so strong, that he shot through a ploughshare with an Infidel bow; the iron went through, and the shaft remained in the ploughshare. This ploughshare was sent as a marvel to Thamerlin's capital, called Samerchant, and fixed to the gate. When the king-sultan heard of his strength, he sent to him a sword that weighed twelve pounds. It was worth one thousand guldens. And when the sword was brought to him, he ordered that an ox, three years old, should be brought to him, as he wished to try the sword. When the ox came, he cut it into two parts at one blow. This happened during Tamerlin's lifetime.” [P. 33]

His account of experiences in India is quite short; a sample is given below:

“I have also been in Lesser India, which is a fine kingdom. The capital is called Dily. In this country are many elephants, and animals called surnasa, which is like a stag, but it is a tall animal, and has a long neck four fathoms in length or longer. It has long fore legs, and the hinder are short. There are many animals in Lesser India. There are also many parrots, ostriches, and lions. There are also many other animals and birds, of which I cannot give the names.” [P. 47]

He tells about a rare and wonderful bird found in Arabia:

“There is a bird in Arabia called sacka, which is larger than a crane, and has a long neck, and a broad and long beak. It is black and has large feet, which are much like the feet of a goose in the lower parts; its feet are also very black; its colour is the same as that of a crane; it has a large crop in front of its neck, in which it has quite a quart of water. It is the habit of this bird, to fly to a river and fill its crop with water; then it flies away to the desert where there is no water, and pours it out of its crop into a hole in the rock. Then come the little birds of the desert to drink, when he attacks those birds for his food. This is the same desert that people cross, who go to the tomb of . . . {Prophet Muhammad PBUH} where he is buried.” [P. 54]

In the end, I would like to share the following observation of mine:

As Johann Schiltberger is a devout Christian, throughout his account he calls Muslims as Infidels. And as the present-day Muslims call non-Muslims Infidels, it seems as if now they are passing through their Middle Ages!

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