Jayme Alaric de Perpignan was an ambassador sent by

Pope Clement IV Pope Clement IV (; 23 November 1190 – 29 November 1268), born Gui Foucois (; or ') and also known as Guy le Gros ( French for "Guy the Fat"; ), was bishop of Le Puy (1257–1260), archbishop of Narbonne (1259–1261), cardinal of Sabina ( ...

and

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conqueridor''; ; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1 ...

to the Mongol ruler

Abaqa Khan Abaqa Khan (27 February 1234 – 4 April 1282, , "paternal uncle", also transliterated Abaġa), was the second Mongol ruler ('' Ilkhan'') of the Ilkhanate. The son of Hulagu Khan and Lady Yesünčin and the grandson of Tolui, he reigned from 1265 ...

in 1267. The Byzantine Emperor

Michael VIII Palaiologos Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus (; 1224 – 11 December 1282) reigned as Byzantine emperor from 1261 until his death in 1282, and previously as the co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea from 1259 to 1261. Michael VIII was the founder of th ...

had sent his illegitimate daughter

Maria Palaiologina Maria Palaiologina () was the daughter of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos () who became the wife of the Mongol ruler Abaqa Khan, and an influential Christian leader among the Mongols. After Abaqa's death, she beca ...

to be the bride of

Hulagu Khan Hulegu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulagu; ; ; ; ( 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Western Asia. As a son of Tolui and the Keraite princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan and brother of ...

, Abaqa's predecessor. Hulagu died before she arrived, and she was thus wed instead to Abaqa. She became a popular religious figure to the Mongols, who had previously looked to Doquz Khatun, Hulagu's wife, as a religious leader. After the death of Doquz, this sentiment turned to Maria, who was called "Despina Khatun". Clement and James had been encouraged by this, towards the possibility that the Mongols might join the Europeans in a

Franco-Mongol alliance Several attempts at a military alliance between the Franks#Crusaders and other Western Europeans as "Franks", Frankish Crusaders and the Mongol Empire against the Islamic caliphates, their common enemy, were made by various leaders among them dur ...

against the Muslims. From

Viterbo Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...

in 1267, they sent a letter, carried by Jayme Alaric de Perpignan. It was responding positively to previous messages from the Mongols, and informed Abaqa of the upcoming Crusade (the

Eighth Crusade The Eighth Crusade was the second Crusade launched by Louis IX of France, this one against the Hafsid dynasty in Tunisia in 1270. It is also known as the Crusade of Louis IX Against Tunis or the Second Crusade of Louis. The Crusade did not see an ...

). However, Abaqa was distracted by wars with other sections of the Mongol Empire, and would only make vague promises of assistance.Runciman, pp. 331-332 Jayme Alaric would return to Europe in 1269, accompanied by a Mongol embassy.

Notes

References

*"Histoire des Croisades III", Rene Grousset *"A history of the Crusades III", Steven Runciman {{DEFAULTSORT:Perpignan, Jayme Alaric de 13th-century births Ambassadors to the Mongol Empire Christians of the Crusades Year of death unknown 13th-century diplomats

See also

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References