That which is in the south is called Sinopolis, and is a fortress and a port of the Soldan of Turkia while that which is in the north is a certain province now called by the Latins Gazaria, but by the Greeks who inhabit along its sea coast it is called Cassaria, which is Cesaria. For about the middle of it there are two points of land, the one in the north and the other in the south. Nevertheless in whatever way I may have done, since you commanded me when I took my leave of you that I should write you whatever I should see among the Tartars, and you did also admonish me not to fear writing a long letter, so I do what you enjoined on me, with fear, however, and diffidence, for the proper words that I should write to so great a monarch do not suggest themselves to me.īe it known then to your Sacred Majesty that in the year of our Lord one thousand two hundred and fifty-three, on the Nones of May (7th May), I entered the Sea of Pontus, which is commonly called Mare Majus, or the Greater Sea, and it is one thousand four hundred miles in length, as I learnt from merchants, and is divided as it were into two parts. It is written in Ecclesiasticus of the wise man: "He shall go through the land of foreign peoples, and shall try the good and evil in all things." This, my lord King, have I done, and may it have been as a wise man and not as a fool for many do what the wise man doth, though not wisely, but most foolishly of this number I fear I may be. O the most excellent lord and most Christian Louis, by the grace of God illustrious King of the French, from Friar William of Rubruck, the meanest in the order of Minor Friars, greetings, and may he always triumph in Christ. The digitalization has been done by Janeen Richards (April, 2002) the annotation and check against the Jackson translation by Lance Jenott (July, 2002). Alternative translations from the Jackson edition are provided throughout the text in the format. The light annotation provided here has been appropriated from the latter. by Peter Jackson introduction, notes and appendices by Peter Jackson with David Morgan (London: Hakluyt Society, 1990). Endless sky ships mule location full#Notes and some additional headings have been added, and the text checked against the more recent Hakluyt Society translation, whose extensive notes by two noted Mongol specialists make it the preferred edition for those who wish full scholarly annotation: The mission of Friar William of Rubruck : his journey to the court of the Great Khan Möngke, 1253-1255, tr. from the Latin and ed., with an introductory notice, by William Woodville Rockhill (London: Hakluyt Society, 1900). Rockhill: The journey of William of Rubruck to the eastern parts of the world, 1253-55, as narrated by himself, with two accounts of the earlier journey of John of Pian de Carpine. His describes generally with great precision Mongol traditional culture, many features of which have survived amongst the herders one may observe today in inner Asia. Understandably, he was particularly interested in the Nestorian Christians. He provides a unique description of the Khan's palace there and abundant detail about the individuals of various ethnicities and religions whom he encountered. William had the distinction of being the first European to visit the Mongol capital of Karakorum on the Orhon River and return to write about it. His roundtrip journey lasted the better part of three years. In 1253 he set out through the lands of the western part of their empire (what we know as the Golden Horde)-that is starting out through the southern steppes of what is now Ukraine and Russia. Rubruck then decided to undertake his own mission to the Mongols primarily in the hope of promoting their conversion to Christianity. William had participated in the crusade of King Louis IX of France to Palestine and there heard about the Mongols from friar Andrew of Longjumeau, a Dominican who had been involved in papal diplomacy aimed at trying to enlist the Mongols in the Christian crusade against the Muslims. 1270) wrote the most detailed and valuable of the early Western accounts of the Mongols. The Khan's letter to the King of FranceĪ Flemish Franciscan monk, William of Rubruck (Willem van Ruysbroeck, ca.Kumiss (fermented mare's milk, called cosmos by Rubruck). The Mongols' social and religious customs celebrations.William of Rubruck's Account of the Mongols William of Rubruck's Account of the Mongols
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |