Portrait: AI-generated imagined likeness
Explorer · missionary · Writer · historian
Franciscan friar and papal nuncio. He was dispatched to the Mongol Empire and recorded the earliest observations of Mongolia by Europeans. He is a person who thinks about Eurasian exchange.
View in catalogLyon
Work
Karakorum
Campaign
Papal mission to the Mongols
1245–1247
Expedition · Leader
Map: Natural Earth (PD)
Born in central Italy, he was involved in the early expansion of the Franciscan Order. In the 13th century, Europe was shocked by the invasion of the Mongol army and rushed to understand the actual situation.
At the order of Pope Innocent IV, he traveled to the Mongol court, where he also encountered Guyuk's accession to the throne. After returning home, he compiled a report on Mongolia's military, politics, and customs.
Plano-Carpini's journey was not only a missionary mission, but also an intelligence-gathering mission. It is significant in that it records the feared Mongol Empire not only as an enemy but also as an object of observation.
Studying Plano-Carpini shows that the expansion of the Mongol Empire brought a sense of crisis and diplomatic contacts to Europe. Understand the Eurasian information network before Marco Polo. It can also be used for comparison with surrounding areas from the same era.
