ABSTRACT:
At the end of the ‚Ambraser Heldenbuch’, there is a remarkable text which doesn’t seem to quite fit in with the rest of the collection: the so-called Letter of Prester John. Whereas earlier scholars tended to mark this text and the preceding ‚Titurel’-fragment as ‚appendix’, newer research tries to see it in the context of Emperor Maximilian’s conception of his rule and above all his conception of ‚gedechtnus’ (memory). In the article, I try to shed light on yet another aspect on the question why this text has been incorporated in the collection of the ‚Ambraser Heldenbuch’. Prester John’s empire could have served as a role model for Maximilian’s own ambitions to rule the world as its secular and clerical head. His plan to become pope in 1511 as well as his attempts at forcing Spain and Portugal under his governance can serve as examples in case. In these countries, a large portion of the motivation to discover a sea route to India has been sparked by the legend of Prester John and these two kingdoms’ new discoveries were also to be included into Maximilian’s renewed universal empire.
