მეფე-ხუცესის ლეგენდის მონღოლური რემინისცენციები ქართულ წყაროებში

Abstract

The legend about John Prester had influenced the consciousness of medieval people regarding the historical and ethnographical study of the East. This legend about Prester began to spread by the crusaders in the 12th c. and it lived in the public memory for several centuries. It was associated with the different historical persons. Prester was the hope for crusaders in the fights against the Muslims. In the 13th c., during the Fifth Crusade the Prester was identified with Genghis Khan. This idea was based on their belief that the Mongols were Christians, which was widespread in the sources of those times. Therefore, the crusaders were considering the Mongols as possible allies in the liberation of Jerusalem. The Georgian sources do not contain the direct information about this legend, nevertheless the mentioning of Mongols’ Christianity in Georgian chronicles can be considered as the trace of the legend. During the Fifth Crusade, the Georgian military activity towards Syria led Europeans to the consideration of Georgians as their new allies. It was a new interpretation of the legend.