Bertrandon de la Broquière, the spy of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, underwent a long pilgrimage in the Holy Land and Turkey during 1432-1433. In his declining years, in the 1450s, he wrote an account of his travels in the genre of an adventurous memoir entitled Le Voyage d’outre-mer (The Overseas Voyage). His primary task was to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor in espionage Guillebert de Lannoy and gather information that could be used in the next crusade and liberation of Jerusalem. However, he had set a different personal goal for himself: to gather information about the life and faith of the Osman Turks. The unusual nature of Bertrandon’s memoirs accommodated the shift from his original objective. The Overseas Voyage was not intended as a mere handbook for future crusaders and pilgrims; it was also designed to serve as a tool for understanding the “other” world. and Martin Nejedlý.
Memoirs About a Dragon Who Meowed Like a Cat and About the Ruby on the Crown of Saint Wenceslas that was a Big as a Ripe Date. The Spy Bertrandon de la Broquière on a Journey Towards (Self-)Knowledge.