Francisco Álvares facts for kids

Francisco Álvares (born around c. 1465 – died between 1536 and 1541) was a Portuguese missionary (someone who travels to spread their faith) and explorer. He is famous for his travels to Ethiopia.

In 1515, he went on a long journey to Ethiopia as part of a special group sent by the King of Portugal. This group was called an "embassy," and its goal was to meet the Ethiopian Emperor, Lebna Dengel. Francisco Álvares traveled with an Ethiopian ambassador named Matheus. They finally reached Ethiopia in 1520. There, Álvares met another Portuguese explorer, Pêro da Covilhã, who had been in Ethiopia for a long time. Francisco Álvares stayed in Ethiopia for six years. When he returned to Lisbon in 1526 or 1527, he wrote an important book about his adventures. The book was called Verdadeira Informação das Terras do Preste João das Indias, which means "A True Relation of the Lands of Prester John of the Indies."

Journey to Ethiopia

Francisco Álvares was a priest and worked for King Manuel I of Portugal. He was chosen to be part of the Portuguese embassy to the Emperor of Ethiopia, who was also known as the nəgusä nägäst (meaning "King of Kings"). He traveled with the Ethiopian ambassador, Matheus.

Their first try to reach the port of Massawa did not go well. The governor of Portuguese India, Lopo Soares de Albergaria, caused problems, and they could not get closer than the Dahlak Archipelago. The mission was stopped when the Portuguese ambassador, Duarte Galvão, died.

Álvares and Matheus had to wait for a new governor, Diogo Lopes de Sequeira. He helped them continue their journey with a new ambassador, Dom Rodrigo de Lima. Finally, the group reached Massawa on April 9, 1520. They then traveled to the court of Emperor Lebna Dengel. There, Álvares became friends with other Europeans who were liked by the Emperor, including Pêro da Covilhã and Nicolao Branceleon.

Father Álvares spent six years in Ethiopia. He returned to Lisbon in either 1526 or 1527.

In 1533, he went with Dom Martinho de Portugal to Rome. This was another embassy, this time to Pope Clement VII. Father Álvares delivered a letter from Emperor Lebna Dengel to the Pope. We don't know the exact date Francisco Álvares died, just like his birth date. However, it is believed he died in Rome, possibly before his famous book was published in 1540.

Álvares's Book

In 1540, a man named Luís Rodrigues published a part of Álvares's travel stories. It was called Verdadeira Informação das Terras do Preste João das Indias ("A True Relation of the Lands of Prester John of the Indies"). Researchers like C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford believe this published version is only a part of everything Álvares wrote.

Another version of Álvares's work was included in a collection of travel stories called Navigationi et Viaggi. This collection was put together by Giovanni Battista Ramusio and published in 1550. There are also three old handwritten copies of parts of his original writings in the Vatican Library.

Francisco Álvares's book has been translated into English at least two times. The first translation was done by Henry Stanley, 3rd Baron Stanley of Alderley in 1881 for the Hakluyt Society. Later, C. F. Beckingham and G. W. B. Huntingford updated and added notes to this translation. Their version is called The Prester John of the Indies (published in 1961).

Some early critics thought Álvares might have exaggerated or only written about things he saw. However, more recent experts like Beckingham and Huntingford have a much higher opinion of his work. They say his account is "incomparably more detailed" than any other early descriptions of Ethiopia. It is also a very important source for Ethiopian history. His book was written just before the country faced big invasions from Muslim Somali and Galla groups in the 1500s.

Álvares gave the first detailed descriptions of important places like Axum and Lalibela. Beckingham and Huntingford also said:

"He is sometimes wrong, but very rarely silly or incredible. He made a few mistakes; he may well have made others that we cannot detect because he is our sole authority; when he tried to describe buildings his command of language was usually inadequate; he is often confused and obscure, though this may be as much his printer's fault as his own; his prose is frequently difficult to read and painful to translate; but he seems to us to be free from the dishonesty of the traveller who tries to exaggerate his own knowledge, importance, or courage".

Images for kids

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  The title page of Verdadeira Informação das Terras do Preste João das Indias, published in 1540.

See also

In Spanish: Francisco Álvares para niños