Voyage of William of Rubruck in 1253-1255.
(c. 1220 - c. 1293) was a Flemish
Franciscan missionary and explorer. His account is one of the masterpieces of medieval geographical literature comparable to that of
Marco Polo.
Born in in
Rubrouck,
Flanders, he is known also as William of Rubruk, Willem van Ruysbroeck, Guillaume de Rubrouck or Willielmus de Rubruquis.
Mission
William accompanied King
Louis IX of France on the
Seventh Crusade in 1248. On
May 7,
1253, on Louis' orders, he set out from
Constantinople on a missionary journey to convert the
Tartars. He actually followed the route of first journey of the Hungarian
Friar Julian. With William's party were Bartolomeo da Cremona, an attendant called Gosset, and an interpreter named Homo Dei (meaning "man of God", literally translating the Arabic
Abdullah).
Travels
After reaching the Crimean town of
Sudak, William continued his trek with oxen and carts. Nine days after crossing the
Don he met
Sartaq Khan, ruler of the
Kipchak Khanate. The Khan sent William on to his father,
Batu Khan, at
Sarai near the
Volga. Five weeks later, after the departure from Sudak, he reached the encampment of
Batu Khan, Mongol ruler of the
Volga River region. Batu refused conversion but sent the ambassadors on to the great
Mongol Mangu Khan. He and his travelling companions set off on horseback on
September 16,
1253 on a 9,000 km journey to the court of the Great Khan at
Karakorum. Upon arrival they were received courteously and stayed at the Khan's camp until
July 10,
1254, when they began their long journey back home. William and his companions reached the
Crusader State of
Tripoli on
August 15,
1255. William of Rubruck's was the fourth European mission to the Mongols. Before William of Rubruck went
Giovanni da Pian del Carpine and
Ascelin of Lombardia in 1245 and
André de Longjumeau in 1249. The King was encouraged to send another mission by reports of the presence of
Nestorian Christians at the Mongolian court.
Account
On his return, William presented to the king a very clear and precise report, entitled
Itinerarium fratris Willielmi de Rubruquis de ordine fratrum Minorum, Galli, Anno gratia 1253 ad partes Orientales.
In this report, he described the peculiarities of
Mongolia as well as many geographical observations, making it the first scientific description of central Asia. There were also anthropological observations, such as his surprise at the presence of
Islam in
Inner Asia.
William also answered a long-standing question, demonstrating by his passage north of the
Caspian, that it was an inland sea and did not flow into the
Arctic Ocean; although earlier Scandinavian explorers had doubtless already known this, he was the first to report it.
William's report is divided into 40 chapters. Chapters 1-10 relate general observations about the Mongols and their customs. Chapters from 11 to 40 give an account of the course and the events of William's voyage.
The report of William of Rubruck is one of the great masterpieces of medieval geographical literature, comparable to that of Marco Polo, although they are very different. William was a good observer, and an excellent writer. He asked many questions along the way and did not take folk tale and fable as truth.
At one point of his stay among the Mongols, William entered into a famous competition at the Mongol court, as the khan encouraged a formal debate between the Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims, to determine which faith was correct, as determined by three judges, one from each faith. The debate drew a large crowd, and as with most Mongol events, a great deal of alcohol was involved. As described by
Jack Weatherford in his book
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World:
See also
Footnotes
