Nestorians at the Court of the Great Khan According to William of Rubruck

The purpose of the study is to identify data from the records of the French Ambassador
William of Rubruck about Nestorians at the court of the supreme ruler of the Mongol Empire,
Möngke Khan. The source base of the research includes the treatises “The Journey of William of
Rubruk to the Eastern Parts” by William of Rubruck, “The Story of the Mongols Whom We Call
the Tartars” by Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, “The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries” by Abu
Rayhan al-Biruni, “The Journey through the Holy Land” by Riccoldo da Monte di Croce, “The

Compendium of Chronicles” by Rashid al-Din. The article examines evidence from a mid-13th-century Latin source. The Mongol Empire and the Genghisid uluses, which were formed after its
collapse, were multi-religious states where, until a certain time, a policy of religious tolerance was in effect. While the religious policy of the Mongol Empire and the Genghisid states, as
well as the spread of Islam and several Christian traditions (Gregorian, Catholic, and Orthodox), have been studied in considerable detail, Nestorianism — or East Syriac Christianity — during the Mongol period remains comparatively under-researched. Based on a critical analysis of the sources, data on the geographical distribution of Nestorianism and its influence among the nobility and offi cials are revealed.

Nestorians, East Syriac Christianity, Mongol Empire, Turkic-Mongolian peoples, Uighurs, religious syncretism