Ascelin of Lombardy, also known as Nicolas Ascelin or Ascelin of Cremona, was a 13th-century Dominican friar whom Pope Innocent IV sent as an envoy to the

Mongols The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal membe ...

in March 1245. Ascelin met with the Mongol ruler Baiju, and then returned to Europe with a message and Mongol envoys in 1248. Prior to the

First Council of Lyon The First Council of Lyon (Lyon I) was the thirteenth ecumenical council, as numbered by the Catholic Church, taking place in 1245. The First General Council of Lyon was presided over by Pope Innocent IV. Innocent IV, threatened by Holy Roman ...

in March 1245, Innocent IV dispatched four embassies to the Mongols, one of which included Ascelin. He was accompanied by

Simon of St Quentin Simon of Saint-Quentin ( fl. 1245-48) was a Dominican friar and diplomat who accompanied Ascelin of Lombardia on an embassy which Pope Innocent IV sent to the Mongols in 1245. Simon’s account of the mission, in its original form, is lost; but a ...

, who wrote the account of the mission in his ''Historia Tartarorum''; two unknown men, Alberic and Alexander; and the Dominican friar Guichard of Cremone, who had already been stationed for 5 years in

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

. Ascelin met with the Mongol ruler Baiju at his camp in the valley of the Arax River in 1247.Roux ''Histoire de l'Empire Mongol'', p.313 Ascelin is generally described as stubborn and unflexible in character. He did not bring gifts to the Mongols, and refused to show them respect by genuflection unless they would accept baptism, thereby angering them to a considerable extent. The Mongols replied indignantly "that they couldn’t care about becoming Christians and dogs as they were, that the Pope was a dog, and that they were dogs themselves."Roux, ''Les explorateurs'', pp. 97–98 Ascelin reportedly barely escaped death, owing only to the respect which the Mongols traditionally granted to envoys. During his mission, he also met with Muslim princes such as the uncle of the prince of

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

, and the brother of the prince of

Mossul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...

, who were on their way to pay their own respects to the Khan. The princes invited Ascelin to travel further east with them to meet the Great Khan in

Karakorum Karakorum (Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian Script:, ''Qaraqorum''; ) was the capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan dynasty in the 14–15th centuries. Its ruins lie in the ...

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

, but he declined the offer. Ascelin carried Baiju's reply, a missive which demanded the submission of the Pope, back to Europe. He was accompanied by two Mongolian envoys,

Aïbeg and Serkis Aïbeg and Serkis, also Aibeg and Sergis or Aïbäg and Särgis, were two ambassadors sent by the Mongol ruler Baichu to Pope Innocent IV in 1247–1248. They were the first Mongol envoys to Europe. Aïbeg ("Moon Prince") is thought to have been a ...

, who traveled with him back to

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

and met with Innocent in 1248. In response, the pope issued the papal bull '' Viam agnoscere veritatis'', which appealed to the Mongols that they should stop killing Christians.Roux, ''Histoire de l'Empire Mongol'', p.316: "Sergis et Aibeg were finally sent back on November 22, 1248, with an answer, known as Viam agnoscere veritatis" (Original French quote: "''Serbeg et Aibeg furent finalement congédiés le 22 Novembre 1248 avec une réponse, la lettre connue comme Viam agnoscere veritatis''"). The envoys returned to their realm with the pope's letter on November 22, 1248.

Notes

References

* René Grousset, ''Histoire des Croisades'', * Rachewiltz, I, ''Papal Envoys to the Great Khans'', Stanford University Press, 1971 * Roux, Jean-Paul, ''Histoire de l'Empire Mongol'', 1993, Fayard, * Roux, Jean-Paul, ''Les explorateurs au Moyen-Age'', Fayard, 1985, {{Authority control Italian Dominicans Diplomats of the Holy See 13th-century explorers Historians of Iran Historians of Armenia Ambassadors to the Mongol Empire Mongol Empire Christians 13th-century diplomats

See also

Notes

References