PRESTER JOHN (Priest or Presbyter John), a semi-legendary character of the Mid dle Ages. It was reported by travelers that there was a Christian prince who reigned in the interior of Asia under his name, and the same story was also known to the Crusaders. Albert of Aix and Otto of Freisingen speak of him in the 12th century; the Franciscan Rubruquis, in the 13th, attributes the name of Prester John to a Nestorian prince, Ung Khan, who had reigned in Karakoram over two Mongol tribes and perished in a war against Genghis Khan, above half a century before the time of his journey. Other travelers of the 13th century also mention this personage. Who this Prester John was cannot be determined. The supposi tion that he was one of the chief priests of the Lamaites does not agree with the position as signed to his residence by the travelers, nor do any etymological explanations seem satisfic tory. The Portuguese in the 15th century, hear a story of the Christian prince in the in terior of Africa, whose name was Ogan, and who was in fact the negus (king) of Abyssinia, and being misled by the resemblance of the names Ogan and Ung Khan, made the mistake of transferring the throne of Prester John from Asia to Africa and giving the name to the Abyssinian prince, Consult Baring-Gould, S., 'Curious Myths bf the Middle Ages' (2
vols., London 1867-68) ; Brunet, G., 'La Legende du Pretre-Jean) (Bordeaux 1877); Hakluyt Society, 'The Book of Sir Marco Polo) (2 vols., London 1874) ; Oppert, G., 'Der Presbyter Johannes in Sage and Geschichte) (2d ed., Berlin 1870) ; Yule, Sir Henry, 'Cathay and the Way Thither) (2 vols., London 1866) ; Zarncke, F., 'Der Priester Johannes) (in 'Aihhandlungen der Koenigl. Saechsischen. Gesellschaft der Wissenschaf ten,) Vols. XVII and XIX, Philologisch-Historische Klasse, Vol. VII, pp. 827-1030, Vol. VIII, pp. 1-186, Leip zig 1879-83).