Bertrando de Mignanelli

Bertrando de Mignanelli was an Italian merchant from Siena. He was born to a noble family of Siena in 1370, and became wealthy in Damascus. His advantage was that he spoke Arabic as well as his native Italian, and for that he was often contracted as translator by the powerful Sultan Burquq and by the Christian visitors to the Mamluk court. On one such occasion he served as an intermediary for a legation sent to Barquq by the Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti. The mission, to obtain permission to repair a church in Bethlehem, was unsuccessful, but Bertrando eventually obtained it after many labors, expenses and discussions.

After many years trading in Damascus, Bertrando returned to Italy in 1416 where he produced a Latin account on life of Barquq, as well as on life of Timur. The book was concentrated on Timur’s invasion of Syria in 1400 – 1401, and is a valuable source for the history of that period.

On Bertrando’s death on 26 January 1455, his body was carried in grand procession to the tomb of his ancestors in the church of San Dominicos in Siena.