Michael Baizerman Author

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 ...

The second chapter in my current research is devoted to William of Rubruck who was sent by the French king to Sartack Khan to check up on rumors of his baptism and give spiritual aid to certain German slaves captured by the Tartars. The traveler reached the khan but made sure that the steppe notable stuck to his nomadic traditional values. William had never seen the prisoners. However, the Mongol chiefs were indecisive what to do with this weird monk and he eventually made his way to the court of the Great Khan Mongke and visited his capital city Karakorum. His account presents a wide range of data which I classified into a few topics: Appearance, Dwellings, Religion, etc. I find that William was neither an ambassador nor a missionary but rather a spy. The Mongol leaders probably understood this and wanted to manipulate him to serve their own interests. Now, when a draft copy is over, I will study materials connected to the life of a great missionary, John of Montecorvino, who wa...