The Black Prince
Image: The Khitans at the eagle hunt Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khitan_people This chapter brings to light the life of Yelu Dashi, the first candidate on the role of Prester John. This Khitan prince, whose dynasty was ousted from power by a rival nomadic confederation, fled to Central Asia where he carved an empire. His outstanding victory over the Seljuk emperor caused the legend of Prester John to take root among the Latin crusaders. In their view, the confrontation with the Muslim host would qualify the opponent to be a Christian. In reality, the Kara Khitai Empire combined the nomadic and sedentary segments who were loosely united by the imperial regime based on a standing army. The emperor declared the freedom of conscience and did not exaggerate in his demands of tribute and troops from the dependent populations. The man, who embraced both the Buddhist and the nomadic cultures, had never dreamed of conquering the Near East ...