Question

How does the following account enlarge upon the character of the Pax Mongolica created by the Mongols by the middle of the thirteenth century'?

The Franciscan monk, William of Rubruck, was sent by Louis IX of France on an embassy to the great Khan Mongke's court. He reached Karakorum, the capital of Mongke. in 1254 and come upon a woman from Lorraine (in France) called Paquette, who had been brought from Hungary and was in the service of one of the prince's wives who was a Nestorian Christian. At the court he came across a Parisian goldsmith named Guillaume Boucher, 'whose brother dwelt on the Grand Pont in Paris'. This man was first employed by the Queen Sorghaqtani and than by Mongke's younger brother. Rubruck found that at the great court festivals the Nestorian priests were admitted first, with their regalia, to bless the Grand Khan's cup, and were followed by the Muslim clergy and Buddhist arid Taoist monks.

Answer 1

Before we start inferring the characteristics of the Pax Mongolica from the given excerpt, it is essential to understand the concept first. The term ‘PaxMongolica’ is used to describe the era of peace, social stability and economic prosperity brought forth by the Mongol conquests of the 13^th and 14^th centuries.

By the middle of the 13th century, the Mongols had established a large empire that included a heterogeneous population. Genghis Khan adopted every possible means to maintain peace and create an environment where diverse groups could co-exist harmoniously. His efforts created a phase of amity and concord or the period of Pax Mongolica. Let’s now see how the text given above highlights the features of the Pax Mongolica as those existed under Genghis Khan.

In the given passage, a French woman was in service of the Great Khan’s Nestorian Christian wife. The statement proves that people of all religions were treated equally in the Mongolian society. The Great Khan had a Christian wife, which proves that inter-religious marriages were accepted during those times. The Mongolian society accepted people from different regions of the world with open arms. The same is highlighted in the later part of the text where Nestorian Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Taoist priests attend the court to bless the Khan’s cup.

The text also mentions a goldsmith from Paris who was in service of a queen and later the Khan’s brother. This portrays the image of a society where skill and workmanship were respected. This indeed emphasises on the diversification of the economy where activities other than farming were also in demand.

The mention to the people from different countries also proves that travellers during the period of Pax Mongolica could safely move from one place to another. This helped the Franciscan monk William of Rubruck and women from Lorraine to reach the land of the Mongols.

Thus, it will not be wrong to say that the Pax Mongolica laid the path towards progress for the Mongol Empire.