Isol the Pisan, also known as Ciolo Bofeti di Anastasio or Zolus Bofeti de Anestasio ( fl. 1300), was an Italian merchant, diplomat, and military leader. For some time he resided at the court of the

Mongol 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 member ...

Ilkhan,

Ghazan Mahmud Ghazan (5 November 1271 – 11 May 1304) (, Ghazan Khan, sometimes archaically spelled as Casanus by the Westerners) was the seventh ruler of the Mongol Empire's Ilkhanate division in modern-day Iran from 1295 to 1304. He was the son of ...

, in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, rising to become his ambassador or liaison to the

Kingdom of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus (french: Royaume de Chypre, la, Regnum Cypri) was a state that existed between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan. It comprised not only the island of Cyprus, but it also had a foothold on the Ana ...

. His high status at Ghazan's court may stem from his being the godfather of Öljeitü at the latter's

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

.Sinor, 535–6. Little is known about Isol, but the French historian Jean Richard concluded that he was probably the governor of a Persian province. In a letter dated 20 September 1300 from Pope Boniface to the Archbishop of Nicosia, Isol was titled "Vicar of Syria and the Holy Land for Ghazan the Emperor of the Tartars", suggesting that he was put in charge of coordinating relations between the Crusader states and the Mongols. Isol is also a probable source for some of the information about Europe in the "History of the World" chronicle by the Mongol historian

Rashid-al-Din Hamadani Rashīd al-Dīn Ṭabīb ( fa, رشیدالدین طبیب;‎ 1247–1318; also known as Rashīd al-Dīn Faḍlullāh Hamadānī, fa, links=no, رشیدالدین فضل‌الله همدانی) was a statesman, historian and physician in Ilk ...

. In 1300, Isol acted as an intermediary between Ghazan and European leaders such as

Henry II of Cyprus Henry II (June 1270 – 31 August 1324) was the last crowned King of Jerusalem (after the fall of Acre on 28 May 1291, this title became empty) and also ruled as King of Cyprus. He was of the Lusignan dynasty. He was the second surviving so ...

and Pope Boniface VIII. This is mentioned in a letter dated 2 July 1300 written from

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

by Romeu de Marimundo, counsellor of

James II of Aragon James II (Catalan: ''Jaume II''; Spanish: ''Jaime II;'' 10 April 1267 – 2 or 5 November 1327), called the Just,, an, Chaime lo Chusto, es, Jaime el Justo. was the King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. He ...

From the Tatars, the king of Armenia, the king of Cyprus, the Great Master of the Templars or other nobles from Outremer, are arriving ambassadors on a visit to the Pope. They are already in Apulia and should reach the Pope in the next few days.Demurger, 146.

Isol was also present as the Mongol representative in July 1300 aboard a small Cypriot fleet of sixteen galleys which were attacking

Rosetta Rosetta or Rashid (; ar, رشيد ' ; french: Rosette ; cop, ϯⲣⲁϣⲓⲧ ''ti-Rashit'', Ancient Greek: Βολβιτίνη ''Bolbitinē'') is a port city of the Nile Delta, east of Alexandria, in Egypt's Beheira governorate. The Ro ...

and other targets along the Palestinian coast.Demurger, 147.

Notes

References

* Demurger, Alain (2007). ''Jacques de Molay''. Editions Payot. * Richard, Jean (1970). "Isol le Pisan: Un aventurier franc gouverneur d'une province mongole?" ''Central Asiatic Journal'', 14: 186–94. *Richard, Jean. ''Histoire des Croisades''. Fayard. *Schein, Sylvia (1979)
"Gesta Dei per Mongolos 1300. The Genesis of a Non-Event."
''

English Historical Review ''The English Historical Review'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal that was established in 1886 and published by Oxford University Press (formerly Longman). It publishes articles on all aspects of history – British, European, and ...

'', 94:373 (October), pp. 805–819. *Sinor, Denis (1975)
"The Mongols and Western Europe."
''A History of the Crusades III: The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries'', Harry W. Hazard, ed. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. *M. Balard, “''Génois et Pisans en Orient (fin du XIIIe-début du XIVe siècle)''”, in Atti Società ligure di storia patria, n.s. Vol. XXIV (XCVIII), fasc. II, Genova, Società ligure di storia patria,

984 Year 984 ( CMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – German boy-king Otto III (4-years old) is seized by the deposed Henry II ...

pp. 179–209. *M. Chiaverini, "''Il ‘Porto Pisano’ alla foce del Don tra il XIII e XIV secolo''", Pisa, MARICH, 2000, pp. 51–52. {{DEFAULTSORT:Isol The Pisan Italian explorers Christians of the Crusades Year of birth unknown People from Pisa 14th-century diplomats 14th-century Italian businesspeople