elusive in scholarly and popular discourses. A Franciscan friar, his mission helped
tentatively acquaint two (literally/figuratively) distant civilizations, Latin Christendom and the
Mongol Empire. We may assess the extent to which a critical reading of Rubruck can propel
knowledge of a Christian Eastward mission. Rubruck's account was found to evince a
degree of restraint and cosmopolitan curiosity that not only went against the grain of …