John of Montecorvino (2)

Having finished collecting the data about the first Catholic archbishop of Beijing, I started to write the first draft of the chapter. This is going to be the third chapter of the last unit of my manuscript. The following extract explains the shift in the task laid on western travelers eastward, from reconnaissance to missionary work.

 Toward the end of the thirteenth century, the leading powers of the world realized that the East Asia was going to be their next playground. The Lord Pope, not intending to fall behind, made up his mind to spread his reconnaissance network to cover this novel venue.

His choice fell on a forty-two-year-old friar priest with ample diplomatic experience and close familiarity with the Middle Eastern politics. John of Montecorvino had been involved in negotiations for the reunion of Constantinople with Rome and was well connected to the courts of the Il-Khan of Persia and the king of Armenia.

John set off in a disguise as a missionary to sow the word of God among the heathens of India and China. To make his mission a success, the Franciscan friar had to reach the court of the Great Khan in Khanbalik (Beijing) and convert him to Christianity. Did the Pope truly believe that it was possible?

Since the ongoing hostilities choke the land road via the Caspian Sea and the Central Asia, the papal legate opted for a marital route, embarking in Hormus, a port on the Persian Gulf, on a dhow bound for southern India.  This ocean-going vessel made of sewn plunks with a double-ended hull, a lateen sail, and a pair of steering oars at the stern was designed to deliver pearls and Arab horses to foreign harbors. Taking advantage of monsoon winds, it would sail overseas in winter and made a return trip in summer.

The ocean passage was hazardous. Our passenger, who was used to relatively safe travel across the Mediterranean, put no trust in local boats which were “sewn like clothes with twine” and liable to leaks. They seemed utterly unsuitable for a deep-water voyage, being “mighty frail and uncouth” and lacking iron nails and caulking. Their only sail, made of “matting or some miserable cloth”, fluttered in the breeze like a miserable butterfly. Off the Malabar Coast they were in constant danger of running aground against countless reefs and shoals. [Henry Yule, (ed.) Cathay and the Way Thither, vol. iii. (New Delhi: Asia Educational Services, 2005), 66-67.

While watching the nocturnal sky, the traveler was puzzled by another peculiarity: the Polar Star lay unexpectedly low, suggesting the proximity to the equator.  [Ibid, 60] 

A dhow in the Indian Ocean 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhow#/media/File:Dhow_znz.jpg