Mission to the Mongols: How papal envoy failed to win over the Tatars

AMMAN — In the mid-13th century, a flurry of diplomatic efforts unfolded between the Papal State and the rising Tatar Empire, with Rome hoping to convert the Mongols to Christianity, while the Tatars sought recognition as a dominant world power.

Among these early emissaries was Simon of Saint-Quentin, a Dominican friar who played a central role in a little-known but significant papal mission to the East.

In 1245, Pope Innocent IV dispatched an embassy led by Dominican friar Ascelin of Lombardia, accompanied by Simon of Saint-Quentin, to the Mongol frontier. Their journey, which lasted over three years, would culminate not in alliance, but in diplomatic failure and near disaster.

“The embassy of Ascelin and Simon proceeded to the camp of Baiju at Sitiens in Armenia, lying between the Aras River and Lake Sevan, fifty-nine days' journey from Acre,” noted Canadian historian Stephan Pow, an expert on medieval missions to the East.

Simon later compiled his observations in a now-fragmentary account titled History of the Tartars, preserved in the writings of fellow Dominican Vincent of Beauvais.

Unlike the more complete History of the Mongols by Franciscan envoy John of Plano Carpini, Simon’s work survives only in excerpts, offering scattered insights into a mission marked by cultural clashes and political missteps.

Historical records suggest Ascelin’s party departed Lyon in early spring 1245, carrying papal letters—Dei patrisimmensae and Cum non solum, urging the Mongols to embrace Christianity and refrain from further attacks on Christian territories. These letters were also delivered by the Franciscan Carpini to Mongol leaders Batu and Güyük Khan.

According to Simon, Ascelin’s journey spanned “three years and seven months,” ending in late 1248. The party grew during the mission to include Dominicans Alexander and Albertus, while Simon himself joined in autumn 1246. They set out from Acre for Baiju’s encampment in the Armenian highlands.

Instead of the traditional overland route through Antioch and Aleppo, the friars opted for a detour via Cilicia and Anatolia, likely to avoid conflict zones in northern Syria. Their path led them through Kayseri, Sivas, and Ani to Tbilisi, where they were joined by Guichardus of Cremona, a friar familiar with Tatar customs.

On May 24, 1247, the mission reached Baiju Noyan’s headquarters near Sisian, in present-day southern Armenia. However, tensions quickly arose. The Dominicans refused to show deference to the Mongol commander, declining to kneel or recognize the authority of Güyük Khan. Their insistence on Christian supremacy further inflamed hostilities.

Baiju reportedly considered executing the envoys, but was dissuaded by one of his advisers and his senior wife. The friars were detained for two months and only released after the arrival of Arghun Aqa, a newly appointed Mongol administrator in Georgia.

Ultimately, the mission ended in failure. Ascelin refused to continue to the Mongol court, and the group returned westward with little to show for their efforts.

Though overshadowed by more famous expeditions, the mission of Saint-Quentin and his companions reveals the complexities—and perils—of medieval diplomacy at the crossroads of empires.