Rubruck with the Mongols
The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat.
Confucious
Perhaps the first quotation above is a harsh assessment of the lack of success William of Rubruck experienced on his journeys into Mongol territory from 1253-1255, but highly accurate when considering his intended goal of spreading the gospel and bolstering an alliance with the perceived Christian Mongol prince Sartach. That he also failed to make contact with slaves from Hungary who had been carted off to Asia from Mongol invaders a decade prior is rather insignificant in retrospect considering the larger significance of his travels. As precursor to his venture, it is important to be reminded of the Mongol invasions of Russia, Poland and Hungary with as many as 150,000 warriors from 1240-1242; this army was virtually unstoppable throughout all of western Europe, as no Christian force large enough could unite against this highly mobile and fiercely destructive enemy. Almost as quickly the Mongols withdrew with no clear explanation, and although many feared their immanent return it was Pope Innocent IV who foresaw that only through diplomacy in the form of papal envoys could he determine Mongol composition and intentions. Rubruck was not the first missionary to travel through Crimea, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Asia Minor- nor was he even sent on behalf of the Pope. Of his own accord did he decide to undertake his mission of faith and through his detailed and lucid observations of the Mongols, do we see the futility of his efforts to spread the gospel and create converts to Christianity. Perhaps Rubruck’s own prejudices foiled his attempts; his western perceptions (and misperceptions) of their customs, daily practices, and standing belief systems failed to yield the proper empathy required of a missionary. This paper will examine Rubruck’s harsh misperceptions of the Mongol lifestyle, and a few examples how it changed (although modestly). Unlike
Confucious
Perhaps the first quotation above is a harsh assessment of the lack of success William of Rubruck experienced on his journeys into Mongol territory from 1253-1255, but highly accurate when considering his intended goal of spreading the gospel and bolstering an alliance with the perceived Christian Mongol prince Sartach. That he also failed to make contact with slaves from Hungary who had been carted off to Asia from Mongol invaders a decade prior is rather insignificant in retrospect considering the larger significance of his travels. As precursor to his venture, it is important to be reminded of the Mongol invasions of Russia, Poland and Hungary with as many as 150,000 warriors from 1240-1242; this army was virtually unstoppable throughout all of western Europe, as no Christian force large enough could unite against this highly mobile and fiercely destructive enemy. Almost as quickly the Mongols withdrew with no clear explanation, and although many feared their immanent return it was Pope Innocent IV who foresaw that only through diplomacy in the form of papal envoys could he determine Mongol composition and intentions. Rubruck was not the first missionary to travel through Crimea, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Asia Minor- nor was he even sent on behalf of the Pope. Of his own accord did he decide to undertake his mission of faith and through his detailed and lucid observations of the Mongols, do we see the futility of his efforts to spread the gospel and create converts to Christianity. Perhaps Rubruck’s own prejudices foiled his attempts; his western perceptions (and misperceptions) of their customs, daily practices, and standing belief systems failed to yield the proper empathy required of a missionary. This paper will examine Rubruck’s harsh misperceptions of the Mongol lifestyle, and a few examples how it changed (although modestly). Unlike