Abyssinorum sive Magni Regis Davidis Quem Vulgo Presbyterum Joannum vocant

Early map of the central region of Africa showing the mythical Empire of Prester John.

The Empire of Prester John was a famous historical hoax promoting the existence of a large Christian Empire either in Asia or Africa which would come to the aid of western Europe as they faced the might of the Ottoman Empire. It is believed to have been instigated by the Papacy as a method of rousing morale, finance and leveraging political power. 

The theory of the existence of the Empire of Prester John in Africa originates from reports brought back by the Portuguese in the 15th and 16th century of the existence of Christianity in Ethiopia or Abyssinia as it was known. 

This map is a reduction of the map first published by Abraham Ortelius in 1571, which was the first map to depict the Empire of Prester John. 

Coloured. [AFR6359]