Humanist or Exclusivist? A Critical Analysis of The Commentary of Father Monserrate S.J. on His Journey to the Court of Akbar

Abstract

On November 17, 1579, at the invitation of the Akbar, the Mughal emperor, three Jesuit missionaries set out from Goa on a journey that would lead them across much of the Indian subcontinent as they travelled to Fatehpur Sikri, the capital of the Mughal Empire. In true Jesuit form, the three missionaries produced copious writings during the mission, which included detailed journals and letters. Before the fathers departed, the Provincial superior of Goa had charged Father Antony Monserrate with keeping a comprehensive record of the mission. Between 1582 and 1590, Monserrate compiled his Commentary based on the notes that he had made daily for the duration of the mission. Once completed, the Commentary effectively disappeared from the historical record until 1906 when it was rediscovered at St. Paul’s Cathedral Library in Kolkata. Since its re-emergence, the Commentary has become one of the foremost primary resources for both the study of Akbar and the Mughal Empire and early Jesuit missions. Yet, despite its presence in all major studies and analyses in the areas mentioned above, there has never been a detailed examination of the Commentary itself. Monserrate spent eight years meticulously assembling the Commentary; therefore, the deliberate method, language, and structure he used in its construction deserve some consideration of their own. Monserrate demonstrated both humanist and exclusivist elements within the text of the Commentary. To assess the presence of these positions within the text, both travel literature theory and martyrological literary analysis are employed.