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"The Court of the Great Khan"

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T HE COURT OF THE GREAT KHAN about 1255 William of Rubruck In 1253, a French Christian missionary, William of Rubruck, journeyed from Constantinople to Central Asia. His mission was to convert Mongols to Christianity. His 5,000-mile journey brought him to the court of Mangu Khan, a grandson of the great Genghis Khan. Although the khan received William in a friendly fashion, the missionary had little luck converting Mongols. However, William’s account of his travels has provided historians with rich details about the Mongol empire. THINK THROUGH HISTORY: Forming and Supporting Opinions What is your impression of William of Rubruck? Give examples to support your opinion. On the Octave of the Innocents [3rd January, 1254] we were taken to court; and there came certain Nestorian priests, whom I did not know to be Christians, and they asked me in what direction I prayed. I said “to the east.” And they asked that because we had shaved our beards, at the suggestion of our guide, so as to appear before the chan [Khan] according to the fashion of our country. ‘Twas for this that they took us for Tuins,1 that is idolators. They also made us explain the Bible. Then they asked us what kind of reverence we wanted to make the chan, according to our fashion, or according to theirs. I replied to them: “We are priests given to the service of God. Noblemen in our country do not, for the glory of God, allow priests to bend the knee before them. Nevertheless, we want to hum- ble ourselves to every man for the love of God. We come from afar: so in the first place then, if it please you, we will sing praises to God who has brought us here in safety from so far, and after that we will do as it shall please your lord, this only excepted, that nothing be required of us contrary to the worship and glory of God.” Then they went into the house, and repeated what I had said. It pleased the lord, and so they placed us before the door of the dwelling, holding up the felt which hung before it; and, as it was the Nativity,2 we began to sing: “A solis ortus cardine Et usque terre limitem Christum canamus principem Natum Maria virgine.”3 When we had sung this hymn, they searched our legs and breasts and arms to see if we had knives upon us. They had the interpreter examined, and made him leave his belt and knife in the custody of a door-keeper. Then we entered, and 1. Tuins: non-Christian religious leaders 2. Nativity: Christmas 3. A solis . Maria virgine: Let the world/ to all the ends of the earth/ sing of Christ the King/ born of the Virgin Mary 1 World History: Patterns of Interaction © McDougal Littell Inc. The Court of the Great Khan there was a bench in the entry with cosmos,4 and near it they made the interpreter stand. They made us, however, sit down on a bench near the ladies. The house was all covered inside with cloth of gold, and there was a fire of briars and worm- wood roots—which grow here to great size—and of cattle dung, in a grate in the centre of the dwelling. He [Mangu] was seated on a couch, and was dressed in a skin spotted and glossy, like a seal’s skin. He is a little man, of medium height, aged forty-five years, and a young wife sat beside him; and a very ugly, full-grown girl called Cirina, with other children sat on a couch after them. This dwelling had belonged to a certain Christian lady, whom he had much loved, and of whom he had had this girl. Afterwards he had taken this young wife, but the girl was the mistress of all this ordu,5 which had been her mother’s. He had us asked what we wanted to drink, wine or terracina, which is rice wine (cervisia), or caracosmos, which is clarified mare’s milk, or bal, which is honey mead. For in winter they make use of these four kinds of drinks. I replied: “My lord, we are not men who seek to satisfy our fancies about drinks; whatever pleases you will suit us.” So he had us given of the rice drink, which was clear and fla- vored like white wine, and of which I tasted a little out of respect for him, but for our misfortune our interpreter was standing by the butlers, who gave him so much to drink, that he was drunk in a short time. After this the chan had brought some falcons and other birds, which he took on his hand and looked at, and after a long while he bade us speak. Then we had to bend our knees. He had his interpreter, a certain Nestorian, who I did not know was a Christian, and we had our interpreter, such as he was, and already drunk. Then I said: “In the first place we render thanks and praise to God, who has brought us from so far to see Mangu Chan, to whom God has given so much power on earth. And we pray Christ, by whose will we all live and die, to grant him a happy and long life.” For it is their desire, that one shall pray for their lives. Then I told him: “My lord, we have heard of Sartach6 that he was a Christian, and the Christians who heard it rejoiced greatly, and prin- cipally my lord the king of the French. So we came to him, and my lord the king sent him letters by us in which were words of peace, and among other things he bore witness to him as to the kind of men we were, and he begged to allow us to remain in his country, for it is our office to teach men to live according to the law of God. He sent us, however, to his father Baatu, and Baatu sent us to you. You it is to whom God has given great power in the world. We pray then your mightiness to give us permission to remain in your dominion, to perform the service of God for you, for your wives and your children. We have neither gold, nor silver nor pre- cious stones to present to you, but only ourselves to offer to you to serve God, and to pray to God for you. At all events give us leave to remain here till this cold has passed away, for my companion is so feeble that he cannot with safety to his life stand any more the fatigue of travelling on horse-back.” My companion had told me of his infirm condition, and had adjured me to ask for permission to stay, for we supposed that we would have to go back to Baatu, 4. cosmos: fermented mare’s milk 5. ordu: a set of houses built around a central courtyard 6. Sartach: a Mongol chieftain 2 World History: Patterns of Interaction © McDougal Littell Inc. The Court of the Great Khan unless by special grace he gave us permission to stay. Then he began his reply: “As the sun sends its rays everywhere, likewise my sway and that of Baatu reach every- where, so we do not want your gold or silver.” So far I understood my interpreter, but after that I could not understand the whole of any one sentence: ‘twas by this that I found out he was drunk, and Mangu himself appeared to me tipsy. His speech, it seemed to me, however, showed that he was not pleased that we had come to Sartach in the first place rather than to him. Then I, seeing that I was without interpreter, said nothing, save to beg him not to be displeased with what I had said of gold and silver, for I had not said that he needed or wanted such things, but only that we would gladly honor him with things temporal as well as spiritual. Then he made us arise and sit down again, and after awhile we saluted him and went out, and with us his secretaries and his interpreter, who was bring- ing up one of his daughters. And they began to question us greatly about the king- dom of France, whether there were many sheep and cattle and horses there, and whether they had not better go there at once and take it all. And I had to use all my strength to conceal my indignation and anger; but I answered: “There are many good things there, which you would see if it befell you to go there.” Then they appointed someone to take care of us, and we went to the monk. And as we were coming out of there to go to our lodgings, the interpreter I have mentioned came to me and said: “Mangu Chan takes compassion on you and allows you to stay here for the space of two months; then the great cold will be over. And he informs you that ten days hence there is a goodly city called Caracarum. If you wish to go there, he will have you given all you may require; if, however, you wish to remain here, you may do so, and you shall have what you need. It will, however, be fatiguing for you to ride with the court.” I answered: “May the Lord keep Mangu Chan and give him a happy and long life! We have found this monk here, whom we believe to be a holy man and come here by the will of God.
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