The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck: His Journey to the Court of the Great Khan Möngke, 1253–1255 (Hackett Classics)

In 1253, the Flemish Franciscan friar William of Rubruck made his way to the courts of the Mongol rulers Batu and Möngke bearing a letter from the French Crusader king Louis IX. This book is an annotated a translation from Latin of his subsequent report to the king. It is a fascinating and rare glimpse of the life of the Mongols during the heyday of their empire in the aftermath of the conquests of Genghis Khan, and a true masterpiece of European medieval travel literature. William is a keen observer who writes throughout with clarity and discernment of the many wonders he encounters on his journey, and we see through his eyes as he makes the enormous journey to the fabled "Tent City" capital of the Mongols, Karakorum. Along his way he frequently rubs shoulders with Muslims, Nestorian Christians, soothsayers, and Chinese and Tibetan priests and monks, and makes what is very probably the first European report of the Tibetan system of reincarnating lamas.I was certain going in that this would be a fascinating read, but I was surprised by how engaging and brisk it is. It is superbly translated and annotated by Peter Jackson and David Morgan, who unobtrusively offer excellent support in their rich footnotes, detailing the geography, politics, and cultural background with great erudition.I believe subsequent generations of historians will take for granted a fact that we seem to be in the slow process of waking up to realize now - the mobile and dynamic cultures of Central Eurasia, including but not limited to the peoples of the steppe, are not peripheral or incidental to the history of Europe and Asia, but central to it. The dynamics of the high civilizations of the landmass cannot be understood on an elementary level without attending to the rich systemic interplay between its various centers, which inevitably plays out historically through the movements of these peoples. This book offers a rare first-hand glimpse at one of the greatest of these nomadic civilizations, and is a thrilling and illuminating work of a high order.

William of Rubruck was a Franciscan friar that traveled to Asia for missionary reasons and left one of the most detailed writings about Asia and the Mongols that was unsurpassed until the modern age. In fact, it's still of value to scholars today. This is the only critical edition of William's travels and possibly the best translation still to date. The scholars behind this work, Peter Jackson and David Morgan, are one of the most respected scholars of Mongol, Persian, and Islamic studies. The translation itself is quite amazing. It's simple, crisp, and easy to understand. There's rarely any technical jargon. The book starts with a very enlightening introductory essay by the authors that give a comprehensive overview of the historical background, culture, religions and geography of William's travels and of the Mongol Empire. The book contains numerous valuable footnotes in virtually every page and appendices with a extra wealth of information.Other indispensible features include a concise chronology of Rubrucks's mission, a genealogical table of the Mongol imperial family and a extensive bibliography. As its clear to see now this book was considered a major breakthrough when it was published over 20 years ago and is still the definitive translation to date. This is essential reading for scholars, students or general readers. Before I end the review I should mention that this specific edition published by Hackett is of lower quality than its original publisher The Hakluyt Society. The probelm isn't the contents. It's the same contents by the same scholars. The problem is the quality of the print, ink and paper. This edition has small print, cheaper ink and cheaper paper. However, if you don't really care then get this version as its very affordable. If you do mind it than the original might be preferable.

The book lived up to expectations. A little known look at a major force in Eurasian history.

This is a very nice edition of a relatively rare work on Medieval history.

This is an excellent translation of Friar William of Rubruck's account of his journey to the Mongol Empire. The beginning has a lengthy introduction that provides essential historical context. The account itself contains many details about Rubruck's difficult journey, the Mongol customs and leaders, as well as many other peoples and kingdoms.The translator also provides a copious amount of informative footnotes to help the reader get more insight. He compares Rubruck's work to other first-hand accounts such as Carpini's and Marco Polo's, and points out differences with other translations of Rubruck's work. Many other scholarly sources and accounts are referenced for further reading as well. I really appreciate how thorough the translator is!My only wish is that the book could have had illustrations of some of the places and things that Rubruck saw. For instance, there is an excellent illustration of the Khan's Drinking Fountain that you can find online.

Good reading of pre.- Marco polo