2017. Vol. 5, no. 2. Huub Kurstjens

2017. Vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 258-275

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2017-5-2.258-275

   THE INVASION OF THE CHRISTIAN WEST  BY THE TATARS (MONGOLS).
A CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS BETWEEN FREDERICK II,
GREGORY IX AND THE TATARS*

Huub Kurstjens
National Institute for Educational Measurement (CITO – Centraal Instituut voor Toetsontwikkeling)
Arnhem, Netherlands
Huub.Kurstjens@cito.nl

Research objectives: The author of this article wants to show how the clash of two di­f­ferent civilizations, until then practically unaware of the other’s existence, the Tatars and the Christian West, undermined the superior and self-confident position of the latter. In the author’s view, Western Christian Society in the first part of the thirteenth century regarded itself as superior to other civilizations. This article is not focused on either civilization, but tries to unveil motives, background and perspectives from both sides’ attempts to try to be the strongest power and the most important civilization at that time. In the Christian West there was a constant struggle for power between the Pope and the Emperor, going back to the Investiture Controversy of the eleventh and twelfth centuries and culminating in the conflict between Emperor Frederick II and the papacy in the thirteenth century. At the height of that struggle, in 1241, the Tatars (Mongols) invaded Hungary and Poland. Western Civilization was threatened, although at first almost nobody realized the danger and underestimated the consequences. It was due to the superior tactics of the Tatars that they surprised the Christian West. The Tatars were far better in their communication, strategy and information than the divided society in the West. The Tatar invasion, through their use of a kind of Tsunami Stra­tegy, had all the necessary ingredients to destroy Western, Christian society.
Research materials: By using contemporary sources and books that illuminate the Tatars as well as the Christian West, the character of the conflict that took place becomes clear.
Results and novelty of the research: The end result was a clash of civilizations, an exp­losive mixture of a political-cultural conflict, a time-bomb which ultimately, narrowly, failed to explode, thanks to a sudden and somewhat mysterious retreat of the Tatars, but leaving Western Civilization faced with an existential crisis that undermined Western superiority. Although in the West the fact of the coming and going of the Tatars is well-known, the background of both sides in this conflict and the narrow escape of the Christian West is often underestimated and barely appreciated in the modern West.

Keywords: Tatars (Mongols), Pope Gregory IX, Emperor Frederick II, Matthew Paris, Kingdom of Hungary, Christianity, Christian West, Apocalypse

For citation: Kurstjens H. The Invasion of the Christian West by the Tatars (Mongols). A Clash of Civilizations between Frederick II, Gregory IX and the Tatars. Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review. 2017. Vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 258–275. DOI: 10.22378/2313-6197.2017-5-2.258-275

* I have chosen in this article to use the spelling Tatars instead of Tartars. This choice has been made on the basis of the dictionary (Dutch: Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal, English: Oxford English Dictionary) which lists Tatars as the name of a Turkic tribe; since the Middle Ages, however, and extra
–r has been added, probably because of popular etymology with the Latin Tartarus, which means ‘Hell’, or ‘a place of punishment in the Underworld’. Furthermore, the term Tatars is used to describe the thirteenth century specifically, as is overwhelmingly the case in this article. When describing a more general range, one can also employ the term Mongols.

Thanks

The author thanks drs. Ron van den Beemt, prof. dr. Ben Crul, dr. Tjeerd de Graaf, dr. Harry Jansen, prof. Bruno Naarden en drs. Ton Vissers for their to-the-point observations concerning the content.

REFERENCES

  1. Annales monasterii de Waverleia. Luard (ed.). Annales monastici II. RS 36.2. 324 p. (In Latin)
  2. Baltrušaitis J. Das phantastische Mittelalter. Antike und exotische Elemente der Kunst der Gotik, Darmstadt, 1985. 415 p. (In German)
  3. Bezzola G.A. Die Mongolen in abendländischer Sicht (1220–1270). Ein Beitrag zur Frage der Völkerbegegnungen. Bern, 1974. 251 p. (In German)
  4. Chambers J. The Devil’s Horsemen: The Mongol Invasion of Europe. New York, 2003. 111 p.
  5. Dörrie H. Drei Texte zur Geschichte der Ungarn und Mongolen: Die Missionsreisen des fr. Julianus O.P. ins Uralgebiet (1234/1235) und nach Ruβland (1237) und der Bericht des Erzbischofs Peter über die Tataren. Göttingen, 1956, pp. 126–202. (In German, Latin)
  6. Fried J. Auf der Suche nach der Wirklichkeit. Die Mongolen und die abendländische Erfahrungswissenschaft im 13. Historische Zeitschrift 243, 1986, pp. 287–332. (In German)
  7. Göckenjan H., Sweeney J.R. Der Mongolensturm. Berichte von Augenzeugen und Zeitgenossen 1235–1250, Graz, Wien, Köln, 1985. 335 p. (In German)
  8. Heinisch K.J. Kaiser Friedrich II., In Briefen und Berichten seiner Zeit. Darmstadt, 1968. 679 p. (In German)
  9. Hormayr J. von. Die goldene Chronik von Hohenschwangau, der Burg der Welfen, der Hohenstauffen und der Scheyren. München, 1842. 416 p. (In German, Latin)
  10. Jackson P. The Mongols and the West, 1221–1410. Harlow, 2005. 414 p.
  11. Marshall R. Storm from the East. From Genghis Khan to Khubilai Khan. London, 1993. 256 p.
  12. May T. The Mongol Art of War and the Tsunami Strategy. Golden Horde Civilization. 8. Kazan, 2015, pp. 31–36.
  13. Ostrowsky D. Muscovy and the Mongols, Cross-Cultural Influences on the Steppe Frontier, 1304–1589. Cambridge, 2002. 312 p.
  14. Paris Matthew. Chronica Majora, vol. IV. RS 57, 7 vols. London, 1872–1883. (In Latin)
  15. Pow L.S. Deep Ditches and Well-built Walls: A Reappraisal of the Mongol Withdrawal from Europe in 1242. Calgary, 2012. 144 p.
  16. Segl P. Die Feindbilder in der politischen Propaganda Friedrichs II. und seiner Gegner. Feindbilder: Die Darstellung des Gegners in der politischen Publizistik des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit. Bosbach F. (ed.). Keulen, 1992, pp. 41–71. (In German)
  17. Sinor D. The Mongols in the West. Journal of Asian History 33/1, 1999, pp. 1–44.
  18. Stürner W. Friedrich II. Teil 2: Der Kaiser 1220–1250. Darmstadt, 2003. 659 p. (In German)
  19. Weiers M. Geschichte der Mongolen. Stuttgart, 2004. 269 p. (In German)
  20. Wheatcroft A. The Enemy at the Gate. New York, 2009. 327 p.

About the author: Huub Kurstjens – МА, Educational Assessment Expert, Subject Specialist History Examinations, National Institute for Educational Measurement (CITO – Centraal Instituut voor Toetsontwikkeling) (Amsterdamseweg 13, 6814 CM Arnhem, Netherlands). E-mail: Huub.Kurstjens@cito.nl

Received  January 25, 2017   Accepted for publication  May 5, 2017
Published online  June 30, 2017