| Paper 714-b | 'On the road' in partibus Boemie: Testimony of Henry of Derby's Travel Accounts of 1392
(Language: English)
Roman Zaoral, Faculty of Humanities, Univerzita Karlova, Praha
Marek Suchy, Archives of the Prague Castle
Index terms: Daily Life, Numismatics, Politics and Diplomacy |
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| Abstract | Paper -a:
The purpose of my paper is to examine The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela and how it can contribute to historian's knowledge of the 12th-century world. By first outlining The Itinerary's background, including the debate behind Benjamin's motivations to travel, the paper will discuss why The Itinerary is a significant travel narrative worthy of further in-depth study. As one of fourteen surviving Jewish travel narratives there is a paucity of scholarship; my essay demonstrates that scholars have yet to exhaust the importance of The Itinerary and further study is warranted.
Paper -b:
The marriage of Anne of Bohemia to Richard II (1382), King of England, opened the door for mutual contacts between these two countries. No top-level royal visit took place but Richard's cousin Henry of Derby visited his Luxembourg relatives in Central Europe when he revised his planned Prussian campaign in 1392 in favour of pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The preserved extant travel accounts not only enable us to follow the route, but also mediate a cultural-economic portrayal of the Czech Lands as perceived by an English accountant. We especially focus on his knowledge of geopolitical borders as well as of the currency borders, respectively on the boundary points of dominance of the Prague groschen and their exchange rates to other currencies. The recorded expenses of Henry's household inform about prices of different commodities and also give an idea of the ideal share of the monthly costs of boarding per member of the entourage. Moreover, the expenses are compared with data provided by the building accounts of St Vitus Cathedral (1372-78), respectively monthly incomes of different building professions in order to get their living and social standards in contemporary Prague.
Paper -c:
Magnussona Saga, a text found in Heimskringla and Morkinskinna, includes a detailed account of Sigurð Jerusalem-Farer's journey to the holy city - including stops in both England and Spain - and his journey home - including an extended stay in Constantinople. His return and his exploits are met with a mixture of excitement and derision, the contempt coming largely from his brother who chose to remain at home and care for their people. This paper will explore the treatment of Sigurð's exploits in an attempt to shed new light on medieval Scandinavian perceptions of the crusades - ones that appear distinct from insular and continental European perceptions.
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