''Viam agnoscere veritatis'' is the name of a letter written by

Pope Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV ( la, Innocentius IV; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universitie ...

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 ...

. It was written on November 22, 1248, and was Pope Innocent's reply to a message from Mongol commander Baiju. Innocent IV had previously sent two letters to the Mongols in 1245, ''

Cum non solum __NOTOC__ ''Cum non solum'' was a letter written by Pope Innocent IV to the Mongols on March 13, 1245. In it, Pope Innocent appeals to the Mongols to desist from attacking Christians and other nations, and inquires as to the Mongols' future intenti ...

'' and ''

Dei patris immensa __NOTOC__ ''Dei patris immensa'' was a letter written by Pope Innocent IV to the Mongols (the Pope also wrote other letters to the Mongols, which are known as ''Cum non solum'' and '' Viam agnoscere veritatis''). It was written on March 5, 1245, wa ...

''. The letter was probably transmitted from the Pope via Mongol 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 ...

, was dated November 22, 1248, and was the Pope's reply to a letter from Baiju.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''").Sinor, in Setton, p.522 "The Pope's reply to Baidju's letter, ''Viam agnoscere veritatis'', dated November 22, 1248, and probably carried back by Aibeg and Sargi

Note that Setton refers to the letter as "Viam agnoscere" though the actual letter uses the text "Viam cognoscere" Some historians refer to it as "Viam agnoscere veritatis" and some as "Viam cognoscere veritatis" (both "agnoscere" and "cognoscere" are Latin for "to know"). According to historian Denis Sinor, the letter "stated that Innocent IV had acted out of a sense of duty to let the true religion be known to the Mongols, and that he regretted the Mongols' perseverance in their errors and adjured them to cease their menaces."

Notes

References

* René Grousset , Grousset, René, ''Histoire des Croisades, III'', Tempus, 2006 edition, * * Rachewiltz, I, ''Papal Envoys to the Great Khans'', Stanford University Press, 1971. * Roux, Jean-Paul, ''Histoire de l'Empire Mongol'', 1993, Fayard, *

Runciman, Steven Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman ( – ), known as Steven Runciman, was an English historian best known for his three-volume ''A History of the Crusades'' (1951–54). He was a strong admirer of the Byzantine Empire. His history's negative ...

, ''History of the Crusades, III'', Penguin Books, 2002 edition, {{ISBN, 0-14-013705-X * Kenneth Meyer Setton, "A History of the Crusades" 1248 works Documents of Pope Innocent IV Letters (message)