William of Rubruck

William of Rubruck or Rubrouck (fl. 1248–1257) was a Franciscan friar who, with the support of Louis IX of France, undertook a mission to the Great Khan Möngke of the Mongol Empire. On his return, William wrote his Itinerarium, an account addressed to King Louis, detailing his experiences and observations.

William was born likely in the 1210s or 1220s in Rubrouck in the County of Flanders of the Kingdom of France, and died, according to sources, in the 1270s or after 1293. He is known for his travels to various parts of the Middle East and Central Asia in the 13th century, including the Mongol Empire.

He traveled to Mongolia in 1253–1254, thus preceding the journeys of Marco Polo and Odoric of Pordenone. He visited Karakorum, the capital of the empire, and provided some descriptions of it. Upon his return, unable to meet the King of France in person, he wrote him a long letter in Latin recounting his journey through the Mongol Empire.

His account of his travels is one of the masterpieces of medieval travel literature, comparable to those of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta, as well as an essential historical source. However, it never attained the popularity of Marco Polo’s book.


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