2017/02/08 by Matteo Salvadore · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Global Maritime and Colonial Histories #African history and culture analysis #Colonialism, slavery, and trade #Diaspora #Pilgrim #History #Historiography #Cosmopolitanism #Black african #Portuguese #Ancient history #Classics #Ethnology #Gender studies #Sociology #Political science #Archaeology #Politics #Philosophy #Law
paper · doi:10.1017/s002185371600058x
openalex publication_date 2017/02/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract The article chronicles the diasporic life of the Cyprus-born Ethiopian priest Yoḥannǝs (1509–65), who, after traveling far and wide across Europe and to Portuguese India, eventually settled in Rome and served the papacy for over two decades. Rare language skills and a cosmopolitan coming of age enabled his remarkable ecclesiastical career as an agent of the Counter-Reformation. Shortly before an untimely death, Yoḥannǝs became the second black bishop and the first black nuncio in the history of the Roman Church, rare appointments that would not be accessible to black Africans again until the 20th century. His unique experience represents a significant addition to the available historiography on blacks in early modern Europe and calls into question some commonly held assumptions in African diaspora studies.