The Journey of William of Rubruck to the Eastern Parts of the World, 1253-55
Author: Guilelmus de Ruysbroek
Publisher:
Published: 1967
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13:
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The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck
Author: Peter Jackson
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2017-05-15
Total Pages: 285
ISBN-13: 1317023889
DOWNLOAD EBOOKPrior to the 13th century the horizons of Western Christians extended no further than the principalities of what is now European Russia and the Islamic powers of the near East. Beyond lay a world of which they had only the haziest impressions. The belief that Christian communities were to be found here was nurtured in the 12th century by the growth of the legend of Prester John; but otherwise Asia was peopled in the Western imagination by monstrous races borrowed from the works of late Antiquity. The rise of the Mongol empire, however, and the Mongol devastation of Hungary and Poland in 1241-2, brought the West into much closer contact with Inner Asia. Embassies were being exchanged with the Mongols from 1245; Italian merchants began to profit from the commercial opportunities offered by the union of much of Asia under a single power; and the newly emerging orders of preaching friars, the Franciscans and the Dominicans, who had been active in Eastern Europe and in the Islamic world since the 1220s, found their field of operations greatly expanded. The Franciscan William of Rubruck, who travelled through the Mongol empire in 1253-55, composed the earliest report of such a missionary journey that has come down to us. Couched in the form of a long letter to the French king Louis IX, this remarkable document constitutes an extremely valuable source on the Mongols during the era of their greatness. Rubruck was also the first Westerner to make contact with Buddhism, to describe the shamanistic practices by which the Mongols and other steppe peoples set such store, and to make detailed observations on the Nestorian Christian church and its rites. His remarks on geography, ethnography and fauna (notably the ovis poli, which he encountered a generation before the more celebrated Venetian adventurer from whom it takes its scientific name) give him an additional claim to be one of the keenest of medieval European observers to have travelled in Asia. This new annotated translation is designed to supersede that of W.W. Rockhill, published by the Society in 1900, by relating Rubruck's testimony to the wealth of material on Mongol Asia that has become accessible in other sources over the past nine decades.
Women and the Making of the Mongol Empire
Author: Anne F. Broadbridge
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2018-07-18
Total Pages: 368
ISBN-13: 1108636624
DOWNLOAD EBOOKHow did women contribute to the rise of the Mongol Empire while Mongol men were conquering Eurasia? This book positions women in their rightful place in the otherwise well-known story of Chinggis Khan (commonly known as Genghis Khan) and his conquests and empire. Examining the best known women of Mongol society, such as Chinggis Khan's mother, Hö'elün, and senior wife, Börte, as well as those who were less famous but equally influential, including his daughters and his conquered wives, we see the systematic and essential participation of women in empire, politics and war. Anne F. Broadbridge also proposes a new vision of Chinggis Khan's well-known atomized army by situating his daughters and their husbands at the heart of his army reforms, looks at women's key roles in Mongol politics and succession, and charts the ways the descendants of Chinggis Khan's daughters dominated the Khanates that emerged after the breakup of the Empire in the 1260s.
Daily Life in the Mongol Empire
Author: George Lane
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Published: 2006-02-28
Total Pages: 339
ISBN-13: 0313027315
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe Mongol Empire comes to life in this vivid account of the lives of ordinary people who lived under the rule of Ghengis Khan. The book allows the reader to enjoy traditional Mongol folktales and experience life in a yurt, the tent in which the nomadic Mongols lived. It explains why the Mongols had a reputation for being savage barbarians by describing their fur-lined clothes and their heavy, meat- and alcohol-based diet. It supplies first-hand accounts of fighting in Ghengis Khan's decimalized army, and explores the various tasks that were left up to the women, such as loading and unloading the wagons when traveling. High school students and undergraduates can compare and contrast religious beliefs and various laws of the Mongols with those of other cultures they are studying. From traditional medicinal treatments to the Great Yasa law system, readers young and old can enjoy this comprehensive, in-depth study of everyday living during the Mongol Empire. The Mongol Empire comes to life in this vivid account of the lives of ordinary people who lived under the rule of Ghengis Khan. The book allows the reader to enjoy traditional Mongol folktales and experience life in a yurt, the tent in which the nomadic Mongols lived. It explains why the Mongols had a reputation for being savage barbarians by describing their fur-lined clothes and their heavy, meat- and alcohol-based diet. It supplies first-hand accounts about fighting in Ghengis Khan's army and explores the various tasks that were left up to the women, such as loading and unloading the wagons when traveling. High school students and undergraduates can compare and contrast religious beliefs and various laws of the Mongols with those of other cultures they are studying. From traditional medicinal treatments to the Great Yasa law system, readers young and old can enjoy this comprehensive, in-depth study of everyday living during the Mongol Empire. In addition to general questions, Lane delves into specific situations of everyday living during the Mongol Empire. Questions such as How did the judicial system of the Mongol Empire work? and What spices were generally used in Mongol cooking? are answered in this extensive study. Subjects include: the structure of steppe society; clothes and hairstyles; the evolution of the nomadic life to one more permanent; the decimalization of the Mongol army; and the shaman's methods of healing sick patients. Other topics are: the Mongols' insatiable thirst for airag, an alcoholic beverage; Hu Szu-hui's royal cookbook; the liberal religious beliefs held by the Mongols; Ghengis Khan's strict law system; and the status of Mongol women. Passages from ancient texts and authors enhance this reference work, one that is essential to all school and public libraries.
Heavenly Khan
Author: Victor Cunrui Xiong
Publisher: Airiti Press
Published: 2014-08-01
Total Pages: 278
ISBN-13: 9866286665
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis historical fiction is based on the true story of Li Shimin (also known as Tang Taizong), the greatest sovereign in Chinese history. About 30 years younger than Muhammad, he grew up in a world of devastating upheaval that tore China asunder and was thrust into the role of a military commander in his father’s rebel army while still a teenager. In the process of vanquishing his enemies on the battlefield, he proved himself to be a great military genius. As emperor he encouraged critical suggestions by his court officials, which he often adopted, and lent support to the religions of his day, notably, Buddhism, Daoism, and Christianity. The international prestige he had won for Tang China was so high that the states of Central and North Asia honored him with the title of “Heavenly Khan.” Although his father founded the dynasty, it was his reign that laid the groundwork for a brilliant empire that was to endure for centuries. 本書根據史實，描述唐太宗李世民透過一場場的征戰，消滅敵軍，開疆闢土；同時鼓勵諫言，包容不同宗教，進而成就唐代偉大盛世，獲得「天可汗」的美名。
Mission to Asia
Author: Christopher Dawson
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Published: 1980-01-01
Total Pages: 300
ISBN-13: 9780802064363
DOWNLOAD EBOOKPreviously published as The Mongol Mission by Sheed and Ward, Ltd., 1980.
Crossroads of Cuisine
Author: Paul David Buell
Publisher: BRILL
Published: 2020-11-04
Total Pages: 352
ISBN-13: 9004432108
DOWNLOAD EBOOKCrossroads of Cuisine offers history of food and cultural exchanges in and around Central Asia. It discusses geographical base, and offers historical and cultural overview. A photo essay binds it all together. The book offers new views of the past.
The Voyage of Johannes de Plano Carpini
Author: Johannes De Plano Carpini
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2012-09-20
Total Pages: 78
ISBN-13: 9781479374298
DOWNLOAD EBOOKGiovanni da Pian del Carpine, or John of Plano Carpini or John of Pian de Carpine or Joannes de Plano (1182 - August 1, 1252) was one of the first Europeans to enter the court of the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. He is the author of the earliest important Western account of northern and central Asia, Rus, and other regions of the Mongol dominion. He was the Serbian Primate and Archbishop of Antivari from 1247 to 1252. "The voyage of Iohannes de Plano Carpini" is the report, compiled by Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, of his trip to the Mongol Empire and presented to Pope Innocent IV, and later translated by Richard Hakluyt from the original Latin. Written in the 1240s, it is the oldest European account of the Mongols. Carpine was the first European to try to chronicle Mongol history. The report gives a narrative of his journey, what he had learned about Mongol history, as well as Mongol customs of the time. Many scholars have speculated that Carpine was undoubtedly on a spy mission because the largest portion of the report consists of detailed descriptions of how well prepared the Mongols were for war and suggestions of how the various military leaders might resist them.
The Story of the Mongols Whom We Call the Tartars
Author: Giovanni (da Pian del Carpine, Archbishop of Antivari)
Publisher: Branden Books
Published: 1996
Total Pages: 142
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKExcept for Marco Polo (whose book entitled, The Million, meaning a million lies about a fabulous China), Europeans knew very little about China. When the Mongols pushed out of China in their conquests to the west, suddenly the Europeans were faced with a veritable threat. In 1241, Mongols had killed more than 100,000 knights and soldiers in Russia, Poland and Hungary. In addition, the invaders laid waste to the land like no other force in history. Pope Gregory IX, understanding too well the threat of doom, was helpless because Europe knew nothing about those invaders; worse, there was no standing army to meet the challenge. The Pope put together a team of missionaries to go to China with the secret mission of gathering appropriate intelligence to bring back. Friar Giovanni Carpini did exactly that. He went to China, gathered the information, wrote them down in Latin, and presented them to the Pope. His extensive report, however, was never published. This English translation by Hildinger is the first ever to be published in English, and may still be one of a kind in the world.
Beyond Ambassadors
Author: Maurits A. Ebben
Publisher: BRILL
Published: 2020-09-07
Total Pages: 233
ISBN-13: 900443898X
DOWNLOAD EBOOKBecause of the overarching shadow of ‘the state’ in all things diplomatic, traditional diplomatic history has neglected the study of any actors in foreign relations other than state diplomats, such as ambassadors. This volume focuses on the question of how and why consuls, missionaries, and spies not formally tied to the state or a prince could play a role in premodern diplomatic relations. It highlights their multiple loyalties, their volatility, and the porous boundaries of diplomatic activity. Historical research on non-state actors – in the context of the so-called new diplomatic history – is all the more urgent as it demonstrates their undeniably significant contributions to the formation of Europe’s international relations. Contributors are: Maurits Ebben, Dante Fedele, Alan Marshall, Jacques Paviot, Felicia Roșu, Jean-Baptiste Santamaria, Louis Sicking, and John Watkins.
