The European Princes Could Not Get Over The Belief That The Mongols Were
Necessarily The Inveterate Enemies Of Mahomedanism And
All its professors.
Though Ghazan was professedly a zealous Mussulman, we find King James of
Aragon, in 1300, offering Cassan
Rey del Mogol amity and alliance with
much abuse of the infidel Saracens; and the same feeling is strongly
expressed in a letter of Edward II. of England to the "Emperor of the
Tartars," which apparently was meant for Oljaitu, the successor of Ghazan.
(Fraehn de Ilchan. Nummis, vi. and passim; Raynald. III. 619;
J.A.S.B. XXIV. 490; Kington's Frederick II. I. 396; Capmany,
Antiguos Tratados, etc. p. 107; Rymer, 2d Ed. III. 34; see also p. 20.)
There are other assertions, besides our author's, that Baidu professed
Christianity. Hayton says so, and asserts that he prohibited Mahomedan
proselytism among the Tartars. The continuator of Abulfaraj says that
Baidu's long acquaintance with the Greek Despina Khatun, the wife of
Abaka, had made him favourable to Christians, so that he willingly allowed
a church to be carried about with the camp, and bells to be struck
therein, but he never openly professed Christianity. In fact at this time
the whole body of Mongols in Persia was passing over to Islam, and Baidu
also, to please them, adopted Mahomedan practices. But he would only
employ Christians as Ministers of State. His rival Ghazan, on the other
hand, strengthened his own influence by adopting Islam, Baidu's followers
fell off from him, and delivered him into Ghazan's power.
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