''Exultavit cor nostrum'' is a letter, also known as a Papal bull, from

Pope Urban IV Pope Urban IV ( la, Urbanus IV; c. 1195 – 2 October 1264), born Jacques Pantaléon, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1261 to his death. He was not a cardinal; only a few popes since his time ha ...

to the Mongol

Ilkhanate The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate ( fa, ایل خانان, ''Ilxānān''), known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (, ''Qulug-un Ulus''), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm, ...

leader

Hulagu Hulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulegu ( mn, Хүлэгү/ , lit=Surplus, translit=Hu’legu’/Qülegü; chg, ; Arabic: fa, هولاکو خان, ''Holâku Khân;'' ; 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of West ...

in 1263/1264. The letter was evidently in response to a message brought to Urban by John the Hungarian, who claimed to be the Mongol envoy (it was not uncommon for individuals to present themselves as envoys, even when they were not). According to John, Hulagu desired to become a Christian, and requested that Urban send a representative who would help to baptise him.Jackson, 2003, p. 198 Pope Urban responded with the ''Exultavit'', which indicated that Urban had heard of Hulagu's sympathies towards Christianity through other sources. Urban cautiously welcomed Hulagu's envoy, and announced that William II of Agen,

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem ( la, Patriarchatus Latinus Hierosolymitanus) is the Latin Catholic ecclesiastical patriarchate in Jerusalem, officially seated in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was originally established in 1099, wit ...

, would be investigating further.Jackson, 2005, p. 166

John the Hungarian

Little is known of John the Hungarian, except that he had some standing in Hulagu's court, was referred to in the ''Exultavit'', and was possibly the intermediary between Hulagu and the Christians. However, when he arrived to Pope Urban, though John claimed to be Hulagu's envoy, he had no letters of credentials. He reportedly brought a letter written by Hulagu in

Maragha Maragheh ( fa, مراغه, Marāgheh or ''Marāgha''; az, ماراغا ) is a city and capital of Maragheh County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. Maragheh is on the bank of the river Sufi Chay. The population consists mostly of Iranian Azerb ...

on April 10, 1262, dated the Year of the Dog, and John's purpose was to transport the letter to King

Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the ...

. According to the historian Jean Richard, its wording "bore signs of the intermediary of a western scribe, probably the Ilkhan's Latin notary,

Rychaldus Rychaldus, Richaldus or Richardus (13th century) was a clerk and translator (''notarius...ac interpreters Latinorum'')Jackson, p.173 for the Mongol Ilkhanate rulers Hulagu Khan, and then Hulagu's son Abaqa Khan. He was best known for delivering a r ...

." The letter followed the usual form of Mongol communications, expecting submission. It also referred to a gift received by the previous envoy

Andrew of Longjumeau Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

, and explained that the Mongols had previously thought that the Pope was the leader of the Christian people, until "it had been realized where true power lay among the French." The letter went on to describe previous Mongol campaigns such as against the

Assassins An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. Assassin may also refer to: Origin of term * Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins Animals and insects * Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviida ...

, and suggested joint efforts between the Mongols and the Christians against their common enemy, the Egyptian

Mamluk Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...

s. The letter also expressed Hulagu's desire to return

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

to the Christians.Jean Richard, ''The Crusades'', p. 421 King Louis sent John and the letter along to Pope Urban, and John probably returned to Maragha in late 1262.

Notes

References

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...

, ''Mongols and the West'', 2005 * Peter Jackson, "Hulagu Khan and the Christians: the making of a myth", ''Experience of Crusading: Defining the Crusader Kingdom'', Volume 2, 2003 * Jean Richard, ''The Crusades: 1071-1291'' 1260s works 13th-century papal bulls Documents of Pope Urban IV Hulagu Khan {{Christianity-stub

John the Hungarian

See also

Notes

References