The Image of the Far East in the West from the Accounts of Medieval Travellers: The Image of the Far East in the West from the Accounts of Medieval Travellers Contents: - Mongol Empire - Records: Friar John of Pian del Carpini William of Rubruck Marco Polo John of Monte Corvino Friar John of Marignolli Odoric of Pordenone - John Mandeville and the fantastic image of the Orient in Medieval Europe - Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta - Role of Christopher Columbus - First impressions of Japan N.A. Samoylov


Premongol World: Premongol World


Mongol Empire : Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire (1206–1405) was the largest contiguous empire in history, covering over 33 million km at its zenith, with an estimated population of over 100 million people


Genghis Khan (“Temüjin” )ca. 1162– 1227 : Genghis Khan (“Temüjin” ) ca. 1162– 1227 Genghis Khan’s Empire


Friar John of Pian del Carpini (c. 1180-1252): Friar John of Pian del Carpini (c. 1180-1252) (add. names Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, or John of Plano Carpini or John of Pian de Carpine or Joannes de Plano) One of the first Europeans to enter the court of the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire Visited: Northern and Central Asia, Russia, and and other regions of the Mongol dominion Author: manuscript “Historia Mongalorum quos nos Tartaros appellamus” ("History of the Mongols, which we call Tartars")


Friar John of Pian del Carpini’s journey : Friar John of Pian del Carpini’s journey


William of Rubruck (c. 1220 – c. 1293): William of Rubruck (c. 1220 – c. 1293) 1253-1255 visited the court of Mongke Khan His travel report is full of new and accurate observations in Far Eastern geography and anthropology Rubruck about Chinese: “The inhabitants of Cathay (China) are little men, and when they speak they breathe heavily through their noses; it is a general characteristic of all Orientals that they have a small openings for the eyes. They are very fine craftsmen in every art, and their physicians know a great deal about herbs and diagnose very cleverly from pulse… ”


Marco Polo (1254 –1324) : Marco Polo (1254 –1324)


Marco Polo: Marco Polo Venetian trader and explorer who gained fame for his worldwide travels, recorded in the book Il Milione ("The Million" or The Travels of Marco Polo) One of the first Westerners to travel the Silk Road to China (which he called Cathay) and visit the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire ( Yuan dynasty), Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis Khan)


Marco Polo statue in Hangzhou: Marco Polo statue in Hangzhou


John of Monte Corvino (1246 - 1328) : John of Monte Corvino (1246 - 1328) (Giovanni Da/di Montecorvino in Italian, also spelled Monte Corvino) (1246, Montecorvino, Southern Italy - 1328, Beijing) - Franciscan missionary, traveller and statesman, founder of the earliest Roman Catholic missions in India and China, and archbishop of Peking. 12 years in China, bapptised 6000 people


Friar John of Marignolli (c. 1290 - ?) : Friar John of Marignolli (c. 1290 - ?) (real name Giovanni de' Marignolli), a notable traveller to the Far East in the 14th century, (born probably before 1290, sprung from a noble family in Florence). Dec. 1338: sent by Pope Benedict XII from Avignon to Beijing with the other clerks Spent: 5,5 years in China, 4 years in Beijing Author: “Chronicon Joannis Marignolae”


Odoric of Pordenone (Odorico da Pordenone) (1286 –1331) : Odoric of Pordenone (Odorico da Pordenone) (1286 –1331) (real name Odoric Mattiussi or Mattiuzzi) Visited: Middle Eastern countries, India, Ceylon, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Champa (Indochina) In China: Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Grand Canal of China, Cambaluc (Beijing) Returned overland across Asia, through the Land of Prester John (possibly Mongolia), and through Casan


Odoric of Pordenone’s tomb: Odoric of Pordenone’s tomb


John Mandeville and the fantastic image of the Orient in Medieval Europe : John Mandeville and the fantastic image of the Orient in Medieval Europe Jehan de Mandeville", translated as "Sir John Mandeville", is the name claimed by the compiler of a singular book of supposed travels, written in Anglo-Norman French, and published between 1357 and 1371.


Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta (1304 - 1368 or 1377) : Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta (1304 - 1368 or 1377) (Arabic: أبو عبد الله محمد ابن بطوطة). Known as a traveler and explorer. During 30 years (1325-1355) he covered in excess of 117,000 km. He visited the entirety of the known Islamic world and beyond, extending from West Africa, North Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe in the west, to Pakistan, India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and China in the east. His accounts were known inEurope. West’s growing interstn the East.


Role of Christopher Columbus(1451-1506) : Role of Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)


First impressions of Japan : First impressions of Japan Saint Francis Xavier (Basque: San Frantzisko Xabierkoa; Spanish: San Francisco Javier; Portuguese: São Francisco Xavier;) (7 April 1506 - 2 December 1552). Spanish pioneering Roman Catholic Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order). The Roman Catholic Church considers him to have converted more people to Christianity than anyone since St. Paul. Xavier reached Japan on July 27, 1549, but it was not until August 15 that he went ashore at Kagoshima, the principal port of the province of Satsuma on the island of Kyūshū.


Saint Francis Xavier: Saint Francis Xavier