On February 2, 1245, an incredible journey began. The main character was Giovanni da Plano Carpini, a clever and stout Franciscan friar. At sixty years old, he was an eager preacher, keen observer, and skilled organizer. These qualities earned him the trust of Pope Innocent IV, who tasked him with delivering a message to the great khan of the Mongols.

The Mongol warriors had stormed out of the east, ruthlessly killing anyone who opposed them. They defeated the Chinese to the south and massacred Muslim and Christian communities to the west. Concerned about this fierce army, the pope wanted to learn their intentions and instructed Carpini to gather any information possible.

As Carpini traveled through the Balkans toward Kiev, he received warm welcomes from Christians along the route. However, the pagan Lithuanians posed a threat. Once he entered Mongol territory, he faced increasing challenges and dangers posed by the Mongols. Carpini described the grim sights he encountered, noting, “We found many skulls and bones of dead men lying upon the earth like a dunghill.” He struggled to convey his purpose and faced severe weather, bandit attacks, hunger, and delays caused by suspicious officials.

Eventually, he delivered the pope’s message. It urged the khan not to attack Europe, warning him of divine punishment, and called for him to repent for the terrible killings. The letter also implored the Mongols to embrace Christianity for their salvation.

However, Güyük, the khan, viewed Carpini and the pope as insignificant. He made Carpini wait for weeks. During this time, Carpini carefully documented the family tree of the khans and gathered details about the empire from Christian captives. When he finally met Güyük, Carpini attempted to persuade him to convert to Christianity. Güyük considered it but ultimately declined baptism.

Carpini’s group faced a challenging return across Central Asia in the winter. They often woke buried in snow. They didn’t reach Kiev until June, with more travel ahead.

The message Carpini carried back to Rome was disappointing for the pope. The khan demanded that the pope come to the Mongol court to ensure peace, declaring, “We have chastised the Christian nations because they disobeyed the commandments of God and Genghis Khan. The power of God is manifestly with us.” Europe remained fearful of another Mongol attack. The pope honored Carpini by appointing him an archbishop. Carpini lived to the age of sixty-seven.

ALSO ON THIS DAY

1738 – Young George Whitefield departs for Georgia, intending to become a permanent missionary to the American colony.

1864 – Hymnwriter Adelaide Anne Procter died in London, England. Charles Dickens had published many of her verses and she had been a favorite of Queen Victoria.

1900 – Temperance leader Annie Wittenmeyer died in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. She was active in home missions, founded orphanages, edited Christian periodicals, written hymns, and authored several books. Among her significant roles was as the first president of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union which grew to 1,000 chapters under her leadership.

1902 – Macedonian rebels release Ellen Stone, an American missionary to Turkey from the Congregational Church. They had held her and an associate for five months demanding a large ransom. Friends and the American public raised the money.

1911 – College teacher Eliza George of Texas has a vision of Africans passing before the judgment seat of Christ, weeping and moaning, “But no one ever told us You died for us.” Two years later she will leave her teaching position and establish a mission in Liberia.

*Information retrieved from ChristianHistoryInstitute.org 01 February 2022.