Eastern View and Knowledge of Europe in the Thirteenth Century

Abstract

Infrequent communications between the extremes of Eurasia existed prior to the Mongols, but they were often through intermediaries. Despite of its destructive force, the rise of the Mongol Empire allowed merchants and missionaries to transverse Eurasia. The conquests in many ways changed and enriched Eastern knowledge of Europe. This paper will firstly introduce what was known of Europe from a small quantity of Chinese and Mongol source material, including records mentioning the ‘Franks’ in the Early Yuan Period. The Mongol view and knowledge of Christian Europe in the thirteenth century will be discussed. The paper will be ended by examining Rabban Sawma’s mission to the Latin West.