William of Rubruck: Cosmopolitan Curiosity and Restraint in an Age of Conquest and Mission

Authors

Duncan WeaverFollow

Keywords

William of Rubruck, Mongolia, Franciscan missions

Abstract

William of Rubruck’s account of journeying to Mongolia (1253-55) remained relatively elusive in scholarly and popular discourses. A Franciscan friar, his mission helped tentatively acquaint two (literally/figuratively) distant civilizations, Latin Christendom and the Mongol Empire. We may assess the extent to which a critical reading of Rubruck can propel knowledge of a Christian Eastward mission. Rubruck’s account was found to evince a degree of restraint and cosmopolitan curiosity that not only went against the grain of Christendom’s exceptionalism and expansionism, but also enabled the pursuit of a rudimentary inter-civilizational dialogue.

Recommended Citation

Weaver, Duncan (2020) "William of Rubruck: Cosmopolitan Curiosity and Restraint in an Age of Conquest and Mission," Comparative Civilizations Review: Vol. 83: No. 83, Article 14.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr/vol83/iss83/14