The land of Prester John

[Leej]

What if the Land of Prester John really existed around OTL South Africa.
As per the stories it is a white latin speaking christian country that is mega rich.
So what'll happen after the Portugese run in with them..

[NapoleonXIV]

Prester John was based on either the Ethiopian Christians or the Nestorians in China. One story I saw said that Genghis Khan's grandfather was one source of the Asian version of the legend.

The Portugeuse would have done what they did with everybody they met. Cannily guaged their power and then either traded with them or gone to war. I vote for war. They would have been a good source of slaves . Their Christianity would be different and thus heretical so it could be shrugged off and I doubt they would be all that powerful or they would not have remained so isolated.

Didn't Haggard's She owe something to this.

[DominusNovus]

He said they were white. Was white slavery allowed?

[Straha]

whjy not west africa?

[wkwillis]

You could build a European and Christian culture in New Zealand or Madagascar with nothing but iron pretty easily circa 600, before the Maori or Malagasy arrived. Invading without a constant flow of diseases, advanced gunpowder technology, and lots of colonists is not going to be successful.
The Mascarenes (Mauritius or Reunion) were uninhabited until after 1600. No minerals on either of the islands, though.
Better make sure that the Madagascar or Mascarene colonists have thalasemia or sickle cell to make sure that the eventual vistors don't wipe them out with malaria.

[Count Dearborn]

It was also a land of Dragons and other fantasic creatures.