Adam Simmons - Nubia, Ethiopia, and the Crusading World, 1095-1402

The Crusades had a wide variety of impacts on societies throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. One such notable impact was its role in the development of knowledge between cultures. This book argues that the Nubian kingdom of Dotawo and the Latin Christians became increasingly more connected between the twelfth and early fourteenth centuries than has been acknowledged. Subsequently, when Solomonic Ethiopian-Latin Christian diplomatic relations began in 1402, they were building on the prior connections of Nubia, either wittingly or unwittingly: Ethiopia became the Ethiopia that the Latin Christians had previously been aiming to develop relations with. The histories of Nubia, Ethiopia, and the Crusades were directly and indirectly entwined between the twelfth century and 1402.

By placing Nubia and Ethiopia within the wider context of the Crusades, new perspectives can be made regarding the international activity of Nubia and Ethiopia between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries and the regional role reversal of Dotawo and Solomonic Ethiopia from the early fourteenth century. Prior to the fourteenth century, Nubia had been the dominant Christian power in the region before Solomonic Ethiopia began to replace it, including by adopting elements of discourse which had previously been attributed to Nubia, such as its ruler being the recognised protector of the Christians of north-east Africa. This process should not be viewed in isolation of the wider regional geo-political context.

Nubia, Ethiopia, and the Crusading World, 10951402 will appeal to all those interested in the history of Nubia, Ethiopia, and the Crusades particularly concerning inter-regional physical and intellectual connectivity.

Adam Simmons is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at Nottingham Trent University. His research centres on the regional and inter-regional roles of pre-sixteenth-century African kingdoms and communities and their relationships with the wider world since the fourth century.

Series Editor: Natasha Hodgson

Nottingham Trent University, UK

Advances in Crusades Research provides a forum for specialist scholars working on crusading and its ideology wherever crusading had an historical impact. The chronological scope of the series is broad, extending into the twenty-first century, but the focus remains on crusade as an historical field of enquiry rather than a political one relating explicitly to the modern day. The series welcomes and actively seeks monograph proposals from scholars in all fields and disciplines related to crusade historiography, history and areas of conflict/settlement from differing social, economic, ideological, military, cultural and material perspectives. Contributions from Islamic, Jewish, Eastern Christian or any other relevant perspectives are welcomed, as are cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approaches. Preference will be given to proposals employing new methodologies and exploring new subject areas.

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Nubia, Ethiopia, and the Crusading World, 10951402

Adam Simmons

Adam Simmons

First published 2023

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2023 Adam Simmons

The right of Adam Simmons to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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ISBN: 978-0-367-48121-6 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-032-33458-5 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-003-03810-8 (ebk)

DOI: 10.4324/9781003038108

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This book owes a great gratitude to the support of many. Financially, various elements of this research have been supported by funding awards. Its earliest incarnation as a PhD thesis was funded by an Iredell PhD Studentship from Lancaster University, in addition to further support from the History Department and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The awards of a Research Assistantship at the Ruhr Universitt Bochum and a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at Nottingham Trent University have enabled me to develop and expand the material into its current incarnation.

I owe a great debt of gratitude to the support of many, both in reading versions of the current manuscript and in discussing its contents and formulating my ideas throughout its many stages. I would like to begin by highlighting my gratitude to the early encouragements of Bernard Hamilton, who gave belief in the project from its inception but who has sadly not been able to see the final work. I would also like to give a special mention to Verena Krebs, Solomon Gebreyes, Adam Knobler, Alexandra Cuffel, Alexandros Tsakos, Robin Seignobos, Giovanni Ruffini, Vincent van Gerven Oei, Wendy Belcher, Michael Kleiner, Natasha Hodgson, Nic Morton, Sihong Lin, Marci Freedman, Andrew Jotischky, and Sophie Ambler, all of whom have made this book possible.

Many others have played their part in the completion of this book and all who have engaged with these ideas at workshops and conferences have offered inspiration. Their significance has also not been forgotten.

The completion of this book owes everything to the encouragement and support of family and friends. Especially to those no longer here to view it. Let this work be a reminder of that.

AOrLatinArchives de lOrient latin, 2 vols. (Paris, 18814)BSOASBulletin of the School of Oriental and African StudiesDBMNTDatabase for Medieval Nubian Texts, available at http://www.dbmnt.uw.edu.pl/EAEncyclopaedia Aethiopica, eds. S. Uhlig and A. Bausi, 5 vols. (Wiesbaden, 200314)FHNFontes Historiae Nubiorum, eds. T. Eide, T. Hgg, R. H. Pierce, and L. Trk, 4 vols. (Bergen, 19942000)Golubovich, BibliotecaG. Golubovich, Biblioteca bio-bibliografia della Terra Santa e dellOriente, first series, 5 vols. (Florence, 190627)HPECHistory of the Patriarchs of the Egyptian Church, Known as the History of the Holy Church, by Sawirus ibn al-Mukaffa, Bishop of al-AsmuninNext page