The Travels of Sir John Mandeville

Sir John Mandeville is the pseudonym of the book’s author, whose real identity remains unknown. Despite the book purporting to be about Mandeville’s travels, he only rarely refers to himself. When he does use the first person, it is often to relay personal experiences, or the lack thereof, at certain locations. For example, he refers to drinking from the Well of Youth in Chapter 18 and admits he has not traveled to Jerusalem via the entirely overland route outlined in Chapter 14.

It is hard to form a biography of Mandeville even as a character because he gives so few details about who he is. He describes himself as a knight of St Albans who left England in 1322 and returned in either 1356 or 1366, depending on the version of the manuscript. Over the course of his decades traveling, Mandeville claims, he spent time in the service of the Egyptian sultan and the Mongol khan, fighting against Bedouin tribes and the Manzi Kingdom, respectively. He alludes to further “honourable deeds of arms with worthy men” performed during his travels (189), but he gives no specifics. Mandeville’s role in the book is mostly that of a narrator and guide, as he purports to be an exceptionally knowledgeable man who is sharing his hard-earned wisdom.