Simon FitzSimon
Encyclopedia
Symon Semeonis 14th century Irish
Franciscan
friar and author.
origin, Symon is the author of Itinearium Symonis Semeonis ab Hybernia ad Terram Sanctam (The Journey of Symon Semeonis of Ireland to the Holy Land). In 1323 he and his companion friar, Hugo Illuminator (Hugh the Illuminator), undertook a pilgrimage from Clonmel
in Ireland to Jerusalem. In his manuscript account he describes his experiences and encounters during that journey.
His enounter with a migrant group ‘the descendants of Cain’ outside the town of Heraklion
(Candia) in Crete
is probably the earliest surviving description by a Western chronicler of the Romani people in Europe. The account of his experiences in what is now Albania
is also one of the earliest written reports of that land to reach Britain.
He received a special passport for Mendicants from the Sultan at a reduced fee. This passport was apparently authenticated by the application of Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad's
fingerprints. The original manuscript is currently held as MS 407 in the Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
.
His surname
is now rendered FitzSimon, FitzSimmonds, or Simmonds, and still found in Ireland
.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friar and author.
Biography
Of Hiberno-NormanHiberno-Norman
The Hiberno-Normans are those Norman lords who settled in Ireland who admitted little if any real fealty to the Anglo-Norman settlers in England, and who soon began to interact and intermarry with the Gaelic nobility of Ireland. The term embraces both their origins as a distinct community with...
origin, Symon is the author of Itinearium Symonis Semeonis ab Hybernia ad Terram Sanctam (The Journey of Symon Semeonis of Ireland to the Holy Land). In 1323 he and his companion friar, Hugo Illuminator (Hugh the Illuminator), undertook a pilgrimage from Clonmel
Clonmel
Clonmel is the county town of South Tipperary in Ireland. It is the largest town in the county. While the borough had a population of 15,482 in 2006, another 17,008 people were in the rural hinterland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked both...
in Ireland to Jerusalem. In his manuscript account he describes his experiences and encounters during that journey.
His enounter with a migrant group ‘the descendants of Cain’ outside the town of Heraklion
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
(Candia) in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
is probably the earliest surviving description by a Western chronicler of the Romani people in Europe. The account of his experiences in what is now Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
is also one of the earliest written reports of that land to reach Britain.
He received a special passport for Mendicants from the Sultan at a reduced fee. This passport was apparently authenticated by the application of Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad's
Al-Nasir Muhammad
Al-Nasir Muhammad b. Cairo 1285, d...
fingerprints. The original manuscript is currently held as MS 407 in the Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
.
His surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
is now rendered FitzSimon, FitzSimmonds, or Simmonds, and still found in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
See also
- James of IrelandJames of IrelandJames of Ireland, Irish friar, fl. 1316-1330.James of Ireland was the companion of Odoric of Pordenone on his travels as far as Sumatra and China. The commune of Udine, , voted a sum of money to James for travelling with their fellow citizen.-Sources:* A New History of Ireland, volume one,...
(fl.1316-1330), companion of Odoric of PordenoneOdoric of PordenoneOdoric of Pordenone was an Italian late-medieval traveler...
, travelled to SumatraSumatraSumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
and ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Sources
- Itinerarium Symonis Semeonis Ab Hybernia Ad Terrum Sanctam, ed. and translated by Mario EspositoMario EspositoMario Esposito was an Irish-born scholar who specialised in Hiberno-Latin studies.He was born in Dublin, the third of four children of Michele Esposito, an Italian, and Natalia Klebnikoff who hailed from St Petersburg. Michele was an influential music professor at the Royal Irish Academy of Music...
, Dublin, 1960. - A New History of Ireland, volume one, pp. 453, 460.
- An Early Irish Visitor to the Island of Crete by Conn Murphy, UCC, at Classics Ireland.
- The itineraries of Fr. Simon Fitzsimons-1322-23 and others. Thomas Brygg. (Scroll to last PDF entry)
- http://www.scribd.com/doc/87009/Two-Irish-Travellers-in-Albania-in-1322
- http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID=
- http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID=