The Pilgrimage of Arnold von Harff

1946

Journals G161 H2 Ser. 2 no. 94

London: Printed for the Hakluyt Society

Arnold von Harff (1471-1505) set off on a pilgrimage from Cologne, Germany, in November 1496. His travel account tells of an Easter visit to Rome and a meeting with Pope Alexander VI; a stay in Venice to provision himself for travel to the Middle East; and his time in India and Africa, where he claims to have discovered the source of the Nile. Von Harff probably did not travel to India or Africa, but ‘cribbed’ descriptions of those places from sources such as Ptolemy and John Mandeville. En route, von Harff travelled with merchants to avoid paying pilgrim’s tribute. Unfortunately, this proved disastrous while visiting Gaza. He was locked ‘in irons with neck, hands and feet for three weeks’ for not paying up.