BLOUNT, Henry
English traveller Henry Blount (1602-1682) initially studied at St. Albans school. Being highly gifted, he was accepted as a student at Trinity College, Oxford, before he had turned fourteen. After graduating from Oxford, he pursued studies in Law with great diligence and at that same period started travelling to Italy, France and Spain. In May 1634 he started out on a journey to the East from the port of Venice. Sailing through the Adriatic, he disembarked in Spalatro of Dalmatia, having Istanbul as his destination. After a short stay in that city, Blount continued on to Alexandria and Cairo via Rhodes. He returned to Venice by the route of Palermo and Naples. His short chronicle was hugely successful and he met with great acclaim as author and traveller. His critical point of view, especially with regard to the populations of the Ottoman Empire, was pioneering for his time.
Written by: Ioli Vingopoulou
