David and Marc were two

Eastern Christians Eastern Christianity comprises Christian traditions and church families that originally developed during classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region or locations further east, south or north. The term does not describe a ...

who were sent as ambassadors to the French king

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis ...

by the Mongols in 1248. David is also known by his Arab name Saif al-Din Muzaffar Dawaud. David and Marc were first met by

André de Longjumeau André de Longjumeau (also known as Andrew of Longjumeau in English) was a French diplomat and Dominican missionary and one of the most active Occidental diplomats in the East in the 13th century. He led two embassies to the Mongols: the first c ...

in 1245 in

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

, during his mission to the Mongol realm.Roux, “Les explorateurs”, p.106

Embassy to King Louis

Little is known about the envoys except for their mission. In 1248, the two men were sent by the Mongol general

Eljigidei Eljigidei Noyan (, d. 1251) was a Mongol commander in Persia. Career He was a commander of the Kheshig during reign of Ögedei, the second ruler of the Mongol Empire and the third son of Genghis Khan. Following the election of Güyük in 124 ...

, acting on behalf of the Khan Güyük, to meet with Louis IX on

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. King Louis had arrived on the island on 17 November 1248, making preparation for his Crusade. The two envoys met with him on 20 December. The speed of their arrival is perhaps because they had been informed of Louis’ journey beforehand, as he had left from

Aigues-Mortes Aigues-Mortes (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region of southern France. The medieval Ramparts of Aigues-Mortes, city walls surrounding th ...

on 25 August 1248. They claimed they had received the information from the sultan of Mossoul. The envoys also met with the Papal legate Eudes de Chateauroux. The two envoys brought with them a missive to Louis from Khan Güyük. This letter contrasted with earlier Mongol letters, which had been filled with contempt and demands for submission. However, Güyük's letter called Louis "the great king" ("maximus rex"), and wished him the best for his battles against the Muslims. Güyük also asked Louis to respect all the Christian faiths present in the Orient: David and Marc claimed that Güyük had been converted to Christianity with 18 other princes by "Bishop Malassias" and that Eljigedei had already been Christian for a long time. After celebrating Christmas together, David and Marc had a final interview with the king on 25 January 1249. They left on the 26th, together with the seven French envoys led by King Louis' envoy,

. The group included two other Dominican friars, Jean de Carcassonne and Andre’s brother Guillaume de Longjumeau; two clerks Jehanz Godriche and Robert de Poissy; and two officers Gilbert de Sens and Herberz le Sommelierz. A more or less independent clerk named Theodule d’Acre would also join the group, and later visit Karakorum. They carried rich presents from the king of France to the Mongol ruler: a scarlet tent-chapel with an embroidered scene of the life of Christ, and precious parcels of the cross of Jesus Christ. From

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...

Saint-Jean d'Acre Acre ( ), known in Hebrew as Akko (, ) and in Arabic as Akka (, ), is a List of cities in Israel, city in the coastal plain region of the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. The city occupies a strategic location, sitting ...

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

, the group is known to have travelled under a Mongol guard using the "admirably organized" Mongol imperial post."On allait grand train, utilisant la poste imperiale admirablement organisee" (Roux, ''Les explorateurs au Moyen-Age'', p.110).

Notes

References

* Roux, Jean-Paul, ''Les explorateurs au Moyen-Age'', Fayard, 1985, {{DEFAULTSORT:David And Mark Christians of the Crusades Mongol Empire Christians 13th-century diplomats Ambassadors to the Mongol Empire

Embassy to King Louis

See also

Notes

References