Relatione del reame del Congo (1591)

​Here Duarte Lopes situates the capital of Prester John's kingdom in Belmalechi (Ethiopia).

Brooks summarizes how Lopes oriented himself in Africa with reference to the kingdom of Prester John (p. 145):

Lopes believed that Prester John's kingdom was separated from that of the Congo by a "well populated country [that] extends for 150 miles" and that the kingdom was bordered by the Congo, the Nile, and "the two lakes." Interestingly, Lopes seemed to be describing the region of modern-day Uganda and Rwanda; perhaps British explorers Speke, Burton, and Stanley possessed the account of Lopes in their planning of expeditions to seek the source of the Nile River.

Lopes describes the kingdom of Prester John thusly (qtd. in Brooks, p. 145):

In round numbers the empire of this Christian king has a circumference of about 4000 miles. The principal city, and where he chiefly resides and holds his Court, is called Belmalechi, and forms the seat of empire of many provinces, which are themselves ruled by kings. The territory is rich, and abounds in gold, silver, precious stones, and every kind of metal...courtiers and nobles are splendidly attired in silk robes, gold, and jewels...these people are to some extent Christians.

Brooks continues (p. 145):

There is a sober and detached quality to the text as it describes the social, economic, and political characteristics of the Kingdom of Congo, and the reader is likely to find this part of the work to be a solid source for early modern African history. The Lopes account becomes much more suspect as an accurate African historical source – although an ideal example of the power of the European desire to link up with an eastern ally - when the author broached the subject of the Kingdom of Prester John, whom he introduced as the “greatest and richest prince in all of Africa.” One might suspect that the author, while possessing relatively solid geographical knowledge of the continent, inserted snippets of folklore and earlier travel narratives in places where his direct knowledge may have been limited. Lopes next delved into a description that had its origin in one of the many versions of the Prester John legend, most likely some combination of Mandeville and one of the Letters of Prester John.

More on the Relatione (in Portuguese)

The Relatione is also available in an English translation.