All Topics  
William of Rubruck

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

William of Rubruck
 
 
  Topics William of Rubruck Topic Home

William of Rubruck (c. 1220 in Rubrouck
Rubrouck

Rubrouck is a Communes of France in the Nord Departments of France in northern France....
 Flanders - c. 1293) was a Flemish Franciscan
Franciscan

The term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders that follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St....
 missionary and explorer. His account is one of the masterpieces of medieval geographical literature comparable to that of Marco Polo
Marco Polo

Marco Polo was a trader and exploration from the Venetian Republic who gained fame for his worldwide travels, recorded in the book Il Milione also known as Oriente Poliano and the Description of the World....
. Known also as William of Rubruk, Willem van Ruysbroeck, Guillaume de Rubrouck or Willielmus de Rubruquis.

iam accompanied Louis IX
Louis IX of France

Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was List of French monarchs from 1226 to his death. He was also Counts of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile....
 on the Seventh Crusade
Seventh Crusade

The Seventh Crusade was a crusade led by Louis IX of France from 1248 to 1254. Approximately 50,000 gold bezants was paid in ransom for King Louis who, along with thousands of his troops, were captured and defeated by the Egyptian army led by the Ayyubid Sultan Al-Muazzam Turanshah supported by the Bahri dynasty Mamluks led by Faris ad-Din A...
 in 1248. On May 7, 1253, on Louis' orders, he set out from Constantinople
Constantinople

Constantinople was the empire capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire . Strategically located between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara at the point where Europe meets Asia, Byzantine Constantinople had been the capital of a Christendom empire, successor to ancient ancient Greece...
 on a missionary journey to convert the Tartars.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'William of Rubruck'
Start a new discussion about 'William of Rubruck'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


William of Rubruck (c. 1220 in Rubrouck
Rubrouck

Rubrouck is a Communes of France in the Nord Departments of France in northern France....
 Flanders - c. 1293) was a Flemish Franciscan
Franciscan

The term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders that follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St....
 missionary and explorer. His account is one of the masterpieces of medieval geographical literature comparable to that of Marco Polo
Marco Polo

Marco Polo was a trader and exploration from the Venetian Republic who gained fame for his worldwide travels, recorded in the book Il Milione also known as Oriente Poliano and the Description of the World....
. Known also as William of Rubruk, Willem van Ruysbroeck, Guillaume de Rubrouck or Willielmus de Rubruquis.

Mission

William accompanied Louis IX
Louis IX of France

Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was List of French monarchs from 1226 to his death. He was also Counts of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile....
 on the Seventh Crusade
Seventh Crusade

The Seventh Crusade was a crusade led by Louis IX of France from 1248 to 1254. Approximately 50,000 gold bezants was paid in ransom for King Louis who, along with thousands of his troops, were captured and defeated by the Egyptian army led by the Ayyubid Sultan Al-Muazzam Turanshah supported by the Bahri dynasty Mamluks led by Faris ad-Din A...
 in 1248. On May 7, 1253, on Louis' orders, he set out from Constantinople
Constantinople

Constantinople was the empire capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire . Strategically located between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara at the point where Europe meets Asia, Byzantine Constantinople had been the capital of a Christendom empire, successor to ancient ancient Greece...
 on a missionary journey to convert the Tartars. He actually followed the route of first journey of the Hungarian Friar Julian
Friar Julian

Friar Julian was one of a group of Hungarian Dominican Order friars who, in 1235, left Hungary in order to find those Magyars who — according to the chronicles — remained in the eastern homeland....
. With William's party were Bartolomeo da Cremona, an attendant called Gosset, and an interpreter named Homo Dei, "man of God", literally translating Abdullah.

Travels


After reaching the Crimean town of Sudak
Sudak

Sudak or Sudaq is a small historic town located in Crimea, Ukraine situated to the west of Feodosiya and to the east of Simferopol, the Capital of Crimea....
, William continued his trek with oxen and carts. Nine days after crossing the Don he met Sartaq Khan
Sartaq Khan

Sartaq Khan was the son of Batu Khan and Regent Dowager Khatun Boraqcin of Alchi Tatar. Sartaq succeeded Batu as Khan of the Golden Horde ....
, ruler of the Kipchak Khanate. The Khan sent William on to his father, Batu Khan
Batu Khan

Batu Khan was a Mongols ruler and the founder of the Blue Horde. Batu was a son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. His Blue Horde became the Golden Horde , which ruled Kievan Rus' and the Caucasus for around 250 years, after also destroying the armies of Poland and Hungary....
, at Sarai
Sarai (city)

Sarai Batu was a capital city of the Golden Horde and one of the largest cities of the medieval world, with a population estimated by the 2005 Britannica at 600,000....
 near the Volga. Five weeks later, after the departure from Sudak, he reached the encampment of Batu Khan
Batu Khan

Batu Khan was a Mongols ruler and the founder of the Blue Horde. Batu was a son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. His Blue Horde became the Golden Horde , which ruled Kievan Rus' and the Caucasus for around 250 years, after also destroying the armies of Poland and Hungary....
, Mongol ruler of the Volga River
Volga River

The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, Discharge , and Drainage basin. It flows through the western part of Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia....
 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 5000 miles journey to the court of the Great Khan at Karakourum. 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
Tripoli, Lebanon

Tripoli is a city in Lebanon. Situated north of Batroun and the cape of Lithoprosopon, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Districts of Lebanon of the same name....
 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
Giovanni da Pian del Carpine

Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, or John of Plano Carpini or John of Pian de Carpine or Joannes de Plano was one of the first Europeans to enter the court of the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire....
 and Ascelin of Lombardia in 1245 and André de Longjumeau
Andrew of Longjumeau

Andrew of Longjumeau was a 13th century Dominican Order missionary and diplomat and one of the most active Occidental diplomats in the East in the 13th century....
 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
Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and People's Republic of China to the south, east and west....
 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
Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
 in Inner Asia
Inner Asia

Inner Asia can refer to:*The western frontier lands outside China proper*Central Asia...
.

William also answered a long-standing question, demonstrating by his passage north of the Caspian
Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the List of lakes by area or a full-fledged sea. It has a surface area of 371,000 square kilometers and a volume of 78,200 cubic kilometers ....
, that it was an inland sea and did not flow into the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic North Pole region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions....
; 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 11 - 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
Jack Weatherford

Jack Weatherford is a professor of Anthropology at Macalester College, specializing in Mongolia. He recently received media spotlight for his 2004 book, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World....
 in his book Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World is a 2004 book by Jack Weatherford, Dewitt Wallace Professor of Anthropology at Macalester College....
:

Footnotes


See also

  • Exploration of Asia