He reached Moscow, using the normal round around Scandinavia and through the White Sea, in December 1557. One thing he noticed in Moscow were the peculiar Russian marriage customs: A woman would accept and even expect her husband to give her regular whippings.
He left from Moscow on 23 April 1558, and navigated down the Volga to Astrakhan, on the Caspian Sea. These regions had only recently been added to the Russian empire, before that they were controlled by the Tartars (Mongols). Jenkinson found that the country was still much affected by the preceding turmoil. He noted that "At my being there I could have bought many goodly Tartars' children, of their own fathers and mothers, a boy or a wrench for a loaf of bread worth six pence in England, but we had more need of victuals at that time than of any such merchandise." (text from the Penguin edition of Hakluyt's works, for bibliographical note see below)
As a trader, Jenkinson ws of course most interested in the trading possibilities that the region would provide. He saw little good in Astrakhan, finding only few and poor merchandise there, and even less in the still Tartar areas further west. Here his bark was entered by a group of armed men. Rather than merchandize to rob, they were looking for 'Russians or other infidels'. One of Jenkinson's Tartar companions swore there were none on board, thus saving Jenkinson's life.
Jenkinson discharged his ship, and formed a caravan to travel further into Central Asia. The local ruler tried to get as much money out of them as possible, asking double of the normal price fro horses and camels, and charging them for their drinking water. The sultan of Urgenj, further up the route, proved more friendly, and gave them letters of good conduct. Later Jenkinson met upon a gang of robbers. Jenkinson and heis group decided to fight. A full day of shooting followed, then an agreement was reached: The thieves would receive an amount of merchandise, but their lifes and the rest of their products were spared.
On 21 December, Jenkinson reached Bokhara. The sultan despatched a force against the thieves that had attacked Jenkinson. To set an example, some of them were executed, and Jenkinson got part of his lost goods restored.
Even though traders visited Bokhara from India, Persia, Russia, Afghanistan and various other countries, Jenkinson still found the market rather poor. In earlier days, he was told, Bukhara had also traded with Cathay, but wars and robbers now made the passage impossible. Thus, much against his desire, the nest year (1559) Jenkinson turned back to Russia.
After a visit to England, Jenkinson returned to Russia in 1561, and on 27 April of that year, he again departed from Moscow, this time with Persia as his destination. He was accompanied by a Persian ambassador returning home. On the Caspian Sea they met with a great storm, but with much hardship and loss of goods, they got through it safely, and landed in Derbent.
Jenkinson visited Shemakha (west of Baku), the capital of Shivan (now Azerbaijan). The region used to be an independent kingdom, but had recently been conquered by the Persians. The local sultan offered him his hospitality, inviting him to various rich diners, having him join in a hawking, and asking him all sort of questions.
Through some other cities, Jenkinson reached Qazvin, at that time the capital of Persia. He had a meeting with the Shah, and presented him presents, but upon finding that Jenkinson was a European and a Christian, the Shah was not interested in further contacts. Jenkinson's timing was also unlucky in this respect: The Shah had just signed a treaty of friendship with the Turks, who regarded almost all Europeans as enemies. Still, on request of his son, who warned him that doing evil unto strangers coming to his country might scare away other visitors, the Shah eventually let Jenkinson go without doing him any harm, and even sent him a rich garment.
Jenkinson returned roughly by the way by which he had come, arriving in Moscow on 20 August 1563 and in London on 28 September.
After Jenkinson, several more traders were sent to Persia by the Muscovy Company, but they were even less succesful than Jenkinson, sometimes not even surviving their exploits. Central Asia, on the other hand, had only a handful of European visitors, and no English ones, for over two centuries.
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This page, part of Discoverers Web was created by Andre Engels.