High Middle Ages · Central Asia · Exploration
1253
William of Rubruck rides to Karakorum
1253
A Flemish Franciscan, sponsored by Louis IX, journeyed across the Black Sea and the steppes to the court of Mongke. He debated Buddhists, Nestorians, and Muslims before the Khan and left behind one of the sharpest travel accounts of the medieval world. His detailed description of Mongol food, dress, and religious tolerance remains more reliable than Marco Polo's famous but often embellished narrative.
In context
Also in 1253 (3 other events on record)
- Nichiren proclaims the Lotus Sutra in Kamakura · East Asia · Religion
- Kublai Khan conquers the Dali kingdom · East Asia · War
- Flor della Terra by Vicente of Beauvais circulates · Europe · Culture
Before and after in Central Asia
Before and after in Exploration
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.