The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck: His Journey to the Court of the Great Khan Möngke, 1253–1255

by Willem van Ruysbroeck (Translator), Peter Jackson (Editor), David O. Morgan (Editor)

"William of Rubruck was a Franciscan friar who wrote the first great travel book about Asia. In 1253–55 he made the journey from the Holy Land to the court of the Great Khan Möngke at Qaraqorum in Mongolia and back again. . . . William was interested in all that he saw. . . . His account is particularly vivid because he related to the individual people he met. This is the first annotated translation to be made from the definitive Latin text published by A. Van den Wyngaert in 1929, and Peter Jackson and David Morgan are to be congratulated on producing an exemplary edition. The historical introduction is comprehensive and succinct, the translation excellent and idiomatic, while the notes clarify the text and explain why important variant readings have been chosen." --Bernard Hamilton, Times Literary Supplement

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel, Asia, Medieval, School, Classics

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1255

Reviews

[Kostiantyn Levin]

Вагаюся яку оцінку ставити. Переклад Андрія Содомори, вперше опублікований 1976-го року у "Всесвіті", передмова і примітки Андрія Козицького — п'ять. Передмова Дмитра Павличка, відсутність даних про джерела ілюстрації — одиниця.

Сама "Подорож..." цікава. Я раніше читав Плано Карпіні, який мандрував на Схід майже одночасно з Вільгельмом, і тому зрадів появі цієї об'ємної доповіді Рубрука Людовіку ІХ окремою книгою. На відміну від першого, Вільгельм намагається бути максимально критичним до всього що бачить, занотовувати якомога більше фактів, географічних назв, етнографічних особливостей. Тож вийшов такий собі розлогий путівник по Дешт-і-Кипчак ХІІІ століття.

[Meltem Sağlam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plano Carpini’nin aynı amaçlı seyahatinden dönüşünden 5 yıl sonra yola çıkan seyyah, seyahati sonrası daha sistematik bir ‘rapor’ hazırlamış.

Daha uzun süren seyahatin ön plandaki amacı Moğollar’ın ülkelerini istilasını engellemek olsa da, aslında bir misyonerlik ve bir yönüyle de Haçlı Seferlerine yönelik bir casusluk faaliyeti olduğunu anlıyoruz.

Asıl metinden mi yoksa tercümeden mi kaynaklandığını bilmiyorum ama metinde okumayı zorlaştıran dilbilgisi hataları var.

Bilim insanları için değerli bilgiler içerebilir, okuma zevki açısından vasat.

[Stacia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting text about Friar William's travels. He endured trials & hardships (weather, bad interpreters, lack of food & drink, etc...) in his travels, yet gives a lively account of his time in his telling of it to King Louis IX of France. Truthfully, he comes across a bit whiny at times (but I would have been too, given the circumstances under which he traveled).

I enjoyed this particular passage where Friar William is debating religion with some "idolators" (a version of Buddhism):

Then they asked me, somewhat mockingly, 'Where is God?'
To which I replied, 'Where is your soul?'
'In our bodies,' they said.
'Is it not everywhere in your body,' I asked, 'and in complete control of it, and yet is not to be seen? In this way God is everywhere and governs all things, while being invisible, because He is wisdom and understanding.' But at this point, when I wanted to argue further with them, my interpreter, who was tired and incapable of finding the right words, made me stop talking.

While the footnotes were helpful, I found them tedious to read in relation to Friar William's text. Additionally, it would have helped had I been more familiar with Franciscan interpretations of Christianity while reading.

[Caterina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doneme asinaysaniz hizla okuyabileceginiz, asina degilseniz de sikilmayacaginizi garanti een bir kitap.

Icerikteki bazi detaylar ve Rubruk seyahatnamesinin doneme dair verdigi detaylar bugun bile cok kiymetli.

Keyifle Okunasi.

[Onur Toptaş · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carpini Seyahatnamesi'nden daha ayrıntılı, akıcı ve daha akademik. Carpini de hiç fena değildi ama o daha çok Moğol adetleri ve ilişkilerinden bahsederken von Rubruk yolculuğu, coğrafyayı, siyasi/dini yapıyı ve o dönem Moğollar'ın sınırları içindeki yollarda başlarına neler geldiğini(herhangi bir kimsenin başlarına neler gelebileceğini) anlatmış.

Ortamın ve moğol töresinin brutal acımasızlığı ve medeniyetsizliği karşısında bugün bile birader Rubruk'un 800 yıl önce düştüğü kadar hayrete ve korkuya düşebilir, lan bu dothraklar, orklar, klingonlar filan iyiymiş insaflıymış diyebilirsiniz. Ben dedim.

Bu vesileyle Hunları, Gotları, Kumanları ve diğer tüm barbarların toplamını bile mumla aratan bu akıl almaz ölçüde gaddar kavmi durdurmakta emeği geçen ne kadar kişi kurum halk vb. varsa bir kez daha hepsinin ruhları şad olsun.

[Adam McPhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably not as exciting as Giovanni da Pian del Carpin's travels to Mongolia a decade earlier, but probably a better account overall. The narrative is extensive, more detailed and the author is a far more skeptical about dog-headed people or whatever (but he still falls for a kneeless people story!). Möngke Khan's playing of the religions off of one another is masterful, in keeping with the Mongolian tradition. Particularly liked the monk's description of the Nestorians and the Buddhists. His trouble with interpreters is funny, though he eventually hooks up with a a European who has been hired as an architect at the Khan's palace, and who built an interesting fountain.

My other favourite bits:

The Nestorians there know nothing. They say their offices, and have sacred books in Syrian, but they do not know the language, so they chant like those monks among us who do not know grammar, and they are absolutely depraved. In the first place they are usurers and drunkards; some even among them who live with the Tartars have several wives like them. When they enter church, they wash their lower parts like Saracens; they eat meat on Friday, and have their feasts on that day in Saracen fashion. The bishop rarely visits these parts, hardly once in fifty years. When he does, they have all the male children, even those in the cradle, ordained priests, so nearly all the males among them are priests. Then they marry, which is clearly against the statutes of the Fathers, and they are bigamists, for when the first wife dies these priests take another. They are all simoniacs, for they administer no sacrament gratis. They are solicitous for their wives and children, and are consequently more intent on the increase of their wealth than of the faith. And so those of them who educate some of the sons of the noble Mo'al, though they teach them the Gospel and the articles of the faith, through their evil lives and their cupidity estrange them from the Christian faith, for the lives that the Mo'al themselves and the Tuins [=Buddhists, from Chinese T'ao-yen: "man of the path." The term properly refers only to priests but Rubruck applies it here to all Buddhists] or idolaters lead are more innocent than theirs.

Another version of Caesar's kneeless elk. Can definitely see how this leads to all of the crazy shit in the Prester John letters, especially once you realize how little context people had for this:

One day a priest from Cathay was seated with me, and he was dressed in a red stuff of the finest hue, and I asked whence came such a color; and he told me that in the countries east of Cathay there are high rocks, among which dwell creatures who have in all respects human forms, except that their knees do not bend, so that they get along by some kind of jumping motion; and they are not over a cubit in length, and all their little body is covered with hair, and they live in inaccessible caverns. And the hunters (of Cathay) go carrying with them mead, with which they can bring on great drunkenness, and they make cup-like holes in the rocks, and fill them with this mead. (For Cathay has no grape wine, though they have begun planting vines, but they make a drink of rice.) So the hunters hide themselves, and these animals come out of their caverns and taste this liquor, and cry "Chin, chin," so they have been given a name from this cry, and are called Chinchin. Then they come in great numbers, and drink this mead, and get drunk, and fall asleep. Then come the hunters, who bind the sleeper's feet and hands. After that they open a vein in their necks, and take out three or four drops of blood, and let them go free; and this blood, he told me was most precious for coloring purples. They also told me as a fact (which I do not, however, believe), that there is a province beyond Cathay, and at whatever age a man enters it, that age he keeps which he had on entering

Möngke Khan's 'diplomatic' letter to the king of France:

Finally, the letter he sends you being finished, they called me and interpreted it to me. I wrote down its tenor, as well as I could understand through an interpreter, and it is as follows: "The commandment of the eternal God is, in Heaven there is only one eternal God, and on Earth there is only one lord, Chingis Chan. This is word of the Son of God, Demugin, (or) Chingis 'sound of iron.' " (For they call him Chingis, 'sound of iron,' because he was a blacksmith; and puffed up in their pride they even say that he is the son of God). "This is what is told you. Wherever there be a Mo'al, or a Naiman [J: Whosoever we are, whether a Mo'al or a Naiman], or a Merkit or a Musteleman, wherever ears can hear, wherever horses can travel, there let it be heard and known; those who shall have heard my commandments and understood them, and who shall not believe and shall make war against us, shall hear and see that they have eyes and see not [J: For the moment they hear my order and understand it but place no credence in it and wish to make war against us, you shall see that though they have eyes they shall be without sight]; and when they shall want to hold anything they shall be without hands, and when they shall want to walk they shall be without feet: this is the eternal command of God.

"This, through the virtue of the eternal God, through the great world of the Mo'al, is the word of Mangu Chan to the lord of the French, King Louis, and to all the other lords and priests and to all the great realm of the French, that they may understand our words. For the word of the eternal God to Chingis Chan has not reached unto you, either through Chingis Chan or others who have come after him.

...

"These two monks, who have come from you to Sartach, Sartach sent to Baatu; but Baatu sent them to us, for Mangu Chan is the greatest lord of the Mo'al realm. Now then, to the end that the whole world and the priests and monks may be in peace and rejoice, and that the word of God be heard among you, we wanted to appoint Mo'al envoys (to go back) with these your priests. But they replied that between us and you there is a hostile country, and many wicked people, and bad roads; so they were afraid that they could not take our envoys in safety to you; but that if we would give them our letter containing our commandments, they would carry them to King Louis himself. So we do not send our envoys with them; but we send you in writing the commandments of the eternal God by these your priests: the commandments of the eternal God are what we impart to you. And when you shall have heard and believed, if you will obey us, send your ambassadors to us; and so we shall have proof whether you want peace or war with us. When, by the virtue of the eternal God, from the rising of the Sun to the setting, all the world shall be in universal joy and peace, then shall be manifested what we are to be. But if you hear the commandment of the eternal God, and understand it, and shall not give heed to it, nor believe it, saying to yourselves: 'Our country is far off, our mountains are strong, our sea is wide,' and in this belief you make war against us, you shall find out what we can do. He who makes easy what is difficult, and brings close what is far off, the eternal God He knows."

[Kolya Terletskyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Деталізована оповідь про подорож автора до монголів, практично до західної межі сучасного Китаю. Подорож проходить через Крим, повз Азовське та Каспійське моря, з переправами через Дон, Волгу на інші річки.
Вільгельм де Рубрук описує дуже багато цікавих подій, звичаїв, а також природу, вбрання, їжу, мови народів чи поселень через які йому прийшлось проходити. Розповідь містить дуже багато застарілих назв річок, місцевостей, етносів, що дозволяє зануритись в ті часи з іще більшою цікавістю та читається дуже легко, наче читаєш казкові пригоди

На жаль, не так багато описів про Русь чи словʼян, Галицько-Волинське князівство (Руське королівство) чи напад ординців, та все ж згадки є, тому можна знайти цікаві деталі.

Також приємно, що це переклад безпосередньо з латини, що свідчить про максимальну близкість/точність до оригінального тексту.

[Mesoscope · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1253, the Flemish Franciscan friar William of Rubruck made his way to the courts of the Mongol rulers Batu and Möngke bearing a letter from the French Crusader king Louis IX. This book is an annotated a translation from Latin of his subsequent report to the king. It is a fascinating and rare glimpse of the life of the Mongols during the heyday of their empire in the aftermath of the conquests of Genghis Khan, and a true masterpiece of European medieval travel literature. William is a keen observer who writes throughout with clarity and discernment of the many wonders he encounters on his journey, and we see through his eyes as he makes the enormous journey to the fabled "Tent City" capital of the Mongols, Karakorum. Along his way he frequently rubs shoulders with Muslims, Nestorian Christians, soothsayers, and Chinese and Tibetan priests and monks, and makes what is very probably the first European report of the Tibetan system of reincarnating lamas.

I was certain going in that this would be a fascinating read, but I was surprised by how engaging and brisk it is. It is superbly translated and annotated by Peter Jackson and David Morgan, who unobtrusively offer excellent support in their rich footnotes, detailing the geography, politics, and cultural background with great erudition.

I believe subsequent generations of historians will take for granted a fact that we seem to be in the slow process of waking up to realize now - the mobile and dynamic cultures of Central Eurasia, including but not limited to the peoples of the steppe, are not peripheral or incidental to the history of Europe and Asia, but central to it. The dynamics of the high civilizations of the landmass cannot be understood on an elementary level without attending to the rich systemic interplay between its various centers, which inevitably plays out historically through the movements of these peoples. This book offers a rare first-hand glimpse at one of the greatest of these nomadic civilizations, and is a thrilling and illuminating work of a high order.

[Czarny Pies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by Father William of Rubruck in which he describes his diplomatic mission in 1254 on behalf of Louis IX of France to the court of the Mongolian emperor Mongke is a treasure. Contrary to his famous contemporary Marco Polo Rubruck is an exemplary chronicler describing only what he has witnessed personally. Rubruck who seems to consume even more Cervoise (barley beer) than Asterix is a charming narrator who makes this book a pleasure to read.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 'Introduction' lays a magnificent foundation of related history creating a page-turning enthusiasm for the reader. Quite an adventure ensues, with more encounters with differing people groups than one can count. Reading of these unique peoples provides a wonderful window for the reader into the lives, times, and interactions with those of centuries past. Continual encounters with Nestorians (named after the monk Nestorius born in Syria and died in A.D. 451 - See: Nestorianism error/heresy, https://carm.org/heresies/nestorianism/ for more information).

While on our journey with the author, we learn that many of these encounters included those who retained their pagan beliefs and simply picked-and-chose what the wished from one or more of the 66 books of the Bible, along with whatever traditions they also desired: "The Mongols did not regard shamanistic beliefs and rituals as necessarily incompatible with the elements of other faiths... It was consequently possible to adopt Christianity, for example, while continuing to see guidance from shamans and practice divination."

An abundance of Footnotes containing a plethora of references to original source documents will keep the historian and researcher well pleased. Ample information is contained in the appendices for additional details and clarifications.

- Also of possible interest:

The Other Friars: The Carmelite, Augustinian, Sack and Pied Friars in the Middle Ages

The Coming of the Friars by Augustus Jessop

Into Great Silence (2 Disc Collector's Edition) [2006] [DVD] - Philip Gröning
Run time: 2 hours and 49 minutes
Writer/Director Philip Gröning's award-winning documentary about life in the Grande Chartreuse monastery, the mother house of the legendary Carthusian Order in the French Alps.

[Tunahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moğolların nasıl yaşadıklarına dair gayet açıklayıcı bilgilere sahip. Eski tip Gezi-Anı okumak isteyenler için gayet güzel.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

William of Rubruck was a Flemish friar who journeyed to the Mongols in 1253-1255 when they were a mysterious enemy for the West, having quickly overrun Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Near East. On the orders of the king of France, William was initially sent to the Mongol ruler Sartaq Khan, then sojourning in what is now Ukraine, on the basis of the mistaken impression that Sartaq had converted to Christianity. Sartaq sent William on to his father Batu Khan a short distance to the east, who in turn sent William on to the Great Khan Möngke all the way over in Mongolia. After a few months at Möngke’s court, William then headed back by way of what is now Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey.

It was a fairly long and impressive journey for a European at the time, and the account that William wrote for the king of France upon his return is a valuable source on Mongol customs of the time and what Europeans thought of them. William describes, for example, the Mongols’ diet, clothing, animal husbandry, standards of beauty, and social classes. It isn’t just about the Mongols, though. In Central Asia, William encountered many representatives of the Armenian and Nestorian churches, and so readers will get a palpable sense of the rivalry between William’s proud Roman Catholicism and these other Christian communities.

This is an entertaining read, and a rare window into what must have been a lively historical era. William mentions meeting so many other Europeans in Central Asia: Germans, Hungarians, French. A large number of Europeans ended up among the Mongol lands because the Mongols abducted them from their homes and enslaved them, but in addition there must have been a lively interchange between East and West in terms of trade, but no writings from all these people have come down to us.

At the time of my review here, the most up-to-date and ample translation and commentary on William’s work is the one by Peter Jackson and David Morgan published in 1990. As a translation, it is smooth reading, and the commentary is helpful in telling us what places and people William was referring to exactly, and the editors also compare Williams account to other words like Rashid Al-Din who back up some of his claims. The commentary, however, now feels outdated. Were this published just a few years later, it would benefit from e.g. more recent scholarship on the Hungarian–Bashkir connection or the Mordvin–Burtas connection. Indeed, by failing to draw on many Soviet sources, and preferring instead scholarship in German or English, Jackson and Morgan’s commentary was out of date the moment it was published. Finally, Jackson & Morgan make certain mistakes (referring to the Mordvins as a “Finnish” people, conflating Turkic and Turkish) that suggest they were not themselves proficient in those matters, and therefore their version would have benefited from some more peer review.

[Lauren Stotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating glimpse into the lives of several people from the eastern steppes and beyond, circa 1254. Medieval travel literature is always a real kick, but for some reason it had never occurred to me how perilous it would be to travel hundreds of miles without significant gifts/tribute to provide to the rulers whose territory one is passing through. Needless to say, they run out of butter biscuits really quickly.
Rubruck references many, many times how irritating he finds the begging habits of the various interpreters and servants who he meets. ("It was already past the third hour, so they set down their dwellings near some water, and [Scatay's] interpreter came to us, and as soon as he learnt that we had never been among them before he begged of our provisions, and we gave him some. He wanted also a gown, for he was to act as translator of our words in the presence of his master. We excused ourselves.") He also considers them to be fairly stupid, which doesn't reflect all that well on Rubruck. He also notes every time he enters into the presence of some wealthy so-and-so and they don't deign to give him adequate food or supplies -- hypocrite, much? One can imagine how terrifying it would be to translate all the things he says, out loud, to parties of men not known for their pacifistic qualities.
Overall, very funny and interesting. Definitely worth a read if you have any interest in olden-times Mongolian customs or the cleverness (which goes straight over Rubruck's head) of Genghis Khan's grandson.

[Yaroslava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Мотивацією до прочитання даної книги стало бажання дізнатися більше про життя русів у XIII столітті. На жаль, відомостей про них виявилося занадто мало, натомість, розповідь рясніла подробицями про життя монголів, татар, згадувалися тибетці, китайці, вірмени та численні інші народи того часу. Українцям буде цікаво дізнатися про країну Моксель, де не панувало право, та її мешканців, що дійшли з татарами аж до Німеччини.

Автор дотримується фактологічного викладу, схиляючись до оціночних суджень лише у випадку переваг християнства над ідолопоклонництвом, ісламом тощо. Згадує чимало цікавих деталей, як то наявність паперових грошей у Китаї у той час, коли руси використовували для платежів шкірки тварин, чи значення слова драгоман (перекладач з перекрученого арабського "тарджуман"). Читач не знайде у книзі фантастичних істот, а з міфів наявний лише переказаний йому чужоземцями про видобування червоного барвника у Китаї.

Книгу перекладено з латини Андрієм Содоморою. Варто звернути увагу на факт, що сучасних перекладів цього твору дуже мало (існують англійський, французький та італійський, що з"явилися у 2009-2014 роках).

[Tech Nossomy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful chronicle of the travels of William of Rubrouck to the east, a by then largely unknown and uncharted land to the Europeans, a few decades before the much more well known Marco Polo did. The tellings of having to bear gifts to the chieftains and the lore surrounding the people inhabiting the various lands make this an entertaining read. This was a book that I read after Eco's Baudolino, but it appears that Williams travelogues served as an inspiration for the modern version.

The anecdote of the meeting between William and a french speaking woman deep in Central Asia is unforgettable. The morale of the story being that true pioneers, those taking the boldest of steps, remain mostly in anonymity.

[Samet Tekin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rubruk, Carpini ve kendisinden sonra yine Moğol İmparatorluğu'una doğru seyahata çıkacak Marco Polo'ya göre seyahatnamesinde Moğolların kültürü, yaşam tarzı, aile ilişkileri, devlet yapısı ve savaş taktiklerine çok az değinir. Rubruk daha ziyade kendi şahsi tecrübelerini aktarır. Esas amacı bir elçi olarak Han'a Papa ve kralın mesajını aktarmak olsa da seyahat gayesi bir misyonerlik görevini de ihtiva eder.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent notes and citations

[Serhiy Dzyubin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Цікавий історичний артефакт. Кому цікава історія монголів і їхньої імперії рекомендується до ознайомлення. Хоча це мабуть і так всім відомо і очевидно ))

[Onur Bülbül · Rating 2 out of 5]

Son zamanlarda denk geldiğim en kotu tercümelerden biri. Eğer imkânınız varsa mutlaka Fransızca okumanızı tavsiye ederim.

[Paul H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scholarship is impressive, translation is good ... the content itself is mind-numbingly boring. Essentially Rubruck spends 250 pages complaining about hard travel days, describing minutiae of Nestorian church services, briefly mentioning that the mission trip was a complete failure (near the end), and very rarely describing anything of interest about the daily life of the Mongols or interreligious dialogue or anything else that might be insightful in any way about any topic.

[Michael Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This account provides a decent window on how the Mongols lived in the mid-13th century. There is an astonishing level of similarity to today, as far as everyday life. While sometimes rambling and preachy (after all, he was a monk), Rubruck does provide a relatively objective view of what he observed.

[Stirling_TSC · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Elizabeth Scott Tervo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very unusual & interesting journey: a European friar visits Genghis Khan's court to try to evangelize him. Fascinating cultural exploration. The footnotes alone are a tour-de-force of scholarly research. One of my favorite books now.