On Chinghis Khan (1270s) Marco Polo

Polo, Marco. 1903. The Book of Ser Marco Polo, the Venetian: Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East.. Translated b Colonel !ir "enr #$le. %e&ised b "enri Cordier. 'e( #or)* Charles !cribner+s !ons. Marco Polo was the son of an Italian merchant who traveled the Silk Road to Mongol China in the year 1275. gifted ling!ist and master of fo!r lang!ages" Marco Polo was a##ointed $y em#eror %!$lai %han as an official in the Privy Co!ncil in 1277 and for three years he was a ta& ins#ector in 'an(ho!" a city on the )rand Canal near the northeastern coast. *e also visited %arakor!m" the old ca#ital of the original Mongol em#ire. Marco Polo stayed in %han+s co!rt for seventeen years" ac,!iring great wealth in gold and -ewelry. .he original work of Marco Polo" also known in /nglish as The Travels of Marco Polo" has $een lost and there are several conflicting versions that e&ist. .here are a few key dis#!ted dates in the te&t e&cer#ted $elow" which is likely d!e to conflicting dates $y $oth the Chinese and Persian te&ts on Chinggis %han and the so!rces that Marco Polo gathered to create his work. .he e&cer#t $elow e&#lains Chinggis %han and his defeat of Christian king Prester 0ohn. key indication of dis#!ted dates reflects the end of the #assage" which states that Chinggis %han died of a mortal wo!nd" when in fact" other so!rces stated that he s!rvived for as long as twenty years after the descri$ed incident.

Cha,ter -./00. O1 Chinghis, and "o( "e 2eca3e the 4irst K55' o1 the Tartars Now it came to pass in the year of Christs Incarnation 1187 that the Tartars made them a King whose name was Chinghis Kaan !e was a man of great worth" and of great a#ility $elo%&ence'" and valo&r (nd as soon as the news that he had #een chosen King was spread a#road thro&gh those co&ntries" all the Tartars in the world came to him and owned him for their )ord (nd right well did he maintain the *overeignty they had given him +hat shall I say, The Tartars gathered to him in astonishing m&ltit&de" and when he saw s&ch n&m#ers he made a great f&rnit&re of spears and arrows and s&ch other arms as they &sed" and set a#o&t the con%&est of all those regions till he had con%&ered eight provinces +hen he con%&ered a province he did no harm to the people or their property" #&t merely esta#lished some of his own men in the in the co&ntry along with a proportion of theirs" whilst he led the remainder to the con%&est of other provinces (nd when those whom he had con%&ered #ecame aware how well and safely he protected them against all others" and how they s&ffered no ill at his hands" and saw what a no#le prince he was" then they -oined him heart and so&l and #ecame his devoted followers (nd when he had th&s gathered s&ch a m&ltit&de that they seemed to cover the earth" he #egan to thin. of con%&ering a great part of the world Now in the year of Christ 1/00 he sent an em#assy to Prester 1ohn" and desired to have his da&ghter to wife 2&t when Prester 1ohn heard that Chinghis Kaan demanded his da&ghter in marriage he wa3ed very wroth" and said to the 4nvoys" 5+hat imp&dence is this" to as. my da&ghter to wife6 +ist he not well that he was my liegeman and serf, 7et ye #ac. to him and tell him that I had liever set my da&ghter in the fire than give her in marriage to him" and that he deserves death at my hand" re#el and traitor that he is68 *o he #ade the 4nvoys #egone at once" and never come into his presence again The 4nvoys" on receiving this reply" departed straightway" and made haste to their master" and related all that Prester 1ohn had ordered them to say" .eeping nothing #ac. Cha,ter -./000. "o( Chinghis M$stered "is Peo,le to March 5gainst Prester 6ohn.

+hen Chinghis Kaan #eard the #r&tal message that Prester 1ohn had sent him" s&ch rage sei9ed him that his heart came nigh to #&rsting within him" for he was a man of a very lofty spirit (t last he spo.e" and that so lo&d that all who were present co&ld hear him: 5Never more might he #e prince if he too. not revenge for the #r&tal message of Prester 1ohn" and s&ch revenge that ins&lt never in this world was so dearly paid for (nd #efore long Prester 1ohn sho&ld .now whether he ere his serf or no68 *o then he m&stered all his forces" and levied s&ch a host as never #efore was seen or heard of" sending word to Prester 1ohn to #e on his defence (nd when Prester 1ohn had s&ch tidings that Chinghis was really coming against him with s&ch a m&ltit&de" he still professed to treat it as a -est and a trifle" for" %&oth he" 5these #e no soldiers 8 ;Nonetheless< he marshaled his forces and m&stered his people" and made great preparations" in order that if Chinghis did come" he might ta.e him and p&t him to death In fact he marshaled s&ch an host of many different nations that it was a worlds wonder (nd so #oth sides ;got< them ready to #attle (nd why sho&ld I ma.e a long story of it, Chinghis Kaan with all his host arrived at a vast and #ea&tif&l plain which was called T(N=>C" #elonging to Prester 1ohn" and there he pitched his camp? and so great was the m&ltit&de of his people that it was impossi#le to n&m#er them (nd when he got tidings that Prester 1ohn was coming" he re-oiced greatly" for the place afforded a fine and ample #attle@ gro&nd" so he was right glad to tarry for him there" and greatly longed for his arrival 2&t now leave we Chinghis and his host" and let &s ret&rn to Prester 1ohn and his people Cha,ter -.0-. "o( Prester 6ohn Marched to Meet Chinghis. Now the story goes that when Prester 1ohn #ecame aware that Chinghis with his host was marching against him" he went forth to meet him with all his forces" and advanced &ntil he reached the same plain of Tand&c" and pitched his camp over against that of Chinghis Kaan at a distance of /0 miles (nd then #oth armies remained at rest for two days that they might #e fresher and heartier for #attle *o when the two great hosts were pitched on the plains of Tand&c as yo& have heard" Chinghis Kaan one day s&mmoned #efore him his astrologers" #oth Christians and *aracens" and desired them to let him .now which of the two hosts wo&ld gain the #attle" his own or Prester 1ohns The *aracens tried to ascertain" #&t were &na#le to give a tr&e answer? the Christians" however" did give a tr&e answer" and showed manifestly #eforehand how the event sho&ld #e Aor they got a cane and split it lengthwise" and laid one half on this side and one half on that" allowing no one to to&ch the pieces (nd one piece of cane they called Chinghis Kaan" and the other piece they called Prester 1ohn (nd then they said to Chinghis: 5Now mar.6 (nd yo& will see the even of the #attle" and who shall have the #est of it? for those can soever shall get the other" to him shall victory #e 5 !e replied that he wo&ld fain see it" and #ade them #egin Then the Christian astrologers read a Pslam o&t of the Pslater" and went thro&gh other incantations (nd lo6 +hilst all were #eholding" the cane that #ore the name of Chinghis Kaan" witho&t #eing to&ched #y any#ody" advanced to the other that #ore the name of Prester 1ohn" and got on the top of it +hen the Prince saw that he was greatly delighted" and seeing how in this matter he fo&nd the Christians to tell the tr&th" he always treated them with great respect" and help them for men of tr&th for ever after 8 Cha,ter .. The 2attle 2et(een Chinghis Kaan and Prester 6ohn. (nd after #oth sides had rested well those two days" they armed for the fight and engaged in desperate com#at? and it was the greatest #attle that ever was seen The n&m#ers that

were slain on #oth sides were very great" #&t in the end Chinghis Kaan o#tained the victory (nd in the #attle Prester 1ohn was slain (nd from that time forward" day #y day" his .ingdom passed into the hands of Chinghis Kaan til the whole was con%&ered I may tell yo& that Chinghis Kaan reigned si3 years after this #attle" engaged contin&ally in con%&est" and ta.ing many a province and city and stronghold 2&t at the end of those si3 years he went against a certain castle that was called Caa-&" and there he was shot with an arrow in the .nee" so that he died of his wo&nd ( great pity it was" for he was a valiant man and a wise