Johann Schiltberger facts for kids
Johann (Hans) Schiltberger (1380 – c. 1440) was a German traveler and writer. He was born into a noble family, likely in Hollern near Lohhof, which is between Munich and Freising.
His Amazing Travels
In 1394, Schiltberger joined a group led by Lienhart Richartinger. Soon after, he went to fight for Sigismund, who was the King of Hungary at the time. They were fighting against the Ottoman Empire near Hungary.
At the Battle of Nicopolis on September 28, 1396, Schiltberger was hurt and captured. Once he recovered, the Ottoman leader, Sultan Bayezid I, took him into his service as a runner. This was from 1396 to 1402. During this time, it seems he traveled with Ottoman troops to parts of Asia Minor and Egypt.
When Sultan Bayezid was defeated at the Battle of Ankara on July 20, 1402, Schiltberger then became a servant of Bayezid's conqueror, Timur. He likely followed Timur to places like Samarkand, Armenia, and Georgia.
After Timur died in 1405, Schiltberger became a slave to different leaders. First, he served Shah Rukh, one of Timur's sons. Then, he served Miran Shah, Shah Rukh's brother. After that, he was with Abu Bekr, Miran Shah's son, whose group moved around a lot in Armenia.
Schiltberger later went with Chekre, a Tatar prince, on a trip to Siberia. Schiltberger's writings are actually the first clear mention of Siberia in Western European books! He probably also went with his new master when they attacked Old Bulgaria, which is now near Kazan.
His travels continued through the wide, open lands of southeast Russia. He visited Sarai, an old capital city on the lower Volga, and Azov, which was a busy trading center. He changed masters again when Chekre was defeated. He also traveled through Crimea, Circassia, Abkhazia, and Mingrelia. Finally, he managed to escape near Batum.
After escaping, Schiltberger arrived in Constantinople and stayed hidden for a while. In 1427, he finally returned to his home in Bavaria. He traveled through places like Kilia, Akkerman, Lemberg, Kraków, Breslau, and Meissen.
After he returned, he became a chamberlain for Duke Albert III. This likely happened before the duke officially became ruler in 1438. It is thought that Johann Schiltberger died around 1440.
His Writings
Schiltberger's book, called Reisebuch (which means "Travel Book"), is very special. It's not just about his own adventures and some history of the East. It also describes many countries and their customs, especially the places he had visited himself.
He wrote about lands "this side" of the Danube River, where he had traveled. Then he described lands between the Danube and the sea, which were then controlled by the Turks. After that, he wrote about the Ottoman lands in Asia. Finally, he covered the more distant parts of his world, from Trebizond to Russia, and from Egypt to India.
In his descriptions of these regions, some parts are especially interesting. These include his notes on Brusa, different areas in the Caucasus and Armenia, and the regions around the Caspian. He also wrote about the habits of the people there, especially the Red Tatars. His descriptions of Siberia, the Crimea (with its large Genoese trading colony at Kaffa, where he stayed for five months), and of Egypt and Arabia are also very important.
Schiltberger also mentioned Catholic missions that were still active in Armenia and other areas beyond the Black Sea. He even wrote about Christian communities in the vast steppes of Great Tatary.
He was perhaps the first writer from Western Christendom to correctly state that Muhammad was buried in Medina. His descriptions of Islam and Eastern Christianity, even with some mistakes, were very good for his time. He also helped to spread the idea that the legendary Prester John lived in Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia) by the end of the Middle Ages.
Schiltberger also recorded one of the first times a European saw Przewalski horses. (You can find his original book manuscript in the Munich Municipal Library, with the code Sign. 1603, Bl. 210).
However, his work does have some mistakes. For example, when he counted the years he served Bayezid and Timur, his numbers were often off by multiples of two. His account of Timur and his battles is sometimes unclear, wrong, or even made-up. So, while he was an important traveler, his book isn't always perfectly accurate.
There are four old copies of his Reisebuch that still exist today. The book was first printed around 1460, and many more editions were published over the next centuries.
See also
In Spanish: Johann Schiltberger para niños
