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In modern times the Mongols are primarily Buddhist, but in previous eras, especially during the time of the Mongol empire (13th–14th centuries), they were primarily shamanist and had a substantial minority of Christians, many of whom were in positions of considerable power.〔Foltz, Richard, ''Religions of the Silk Road'', Palgrave Macmillan, 2nd edition, 2010 ISBN 978-0-230-62125-1〕〔(E-Aspac )〕 Overall, Mongols were highly tolerant of most religions, and typically sponsored several at the same time. Many Mongols had been proselytized by the Church of the East since about the 7th century,〔Weatherford, p. 28〕 and some tribes' primary religion was Nestorian. In the time of Genghis Khan, his sons took Christian wives of the Khereid clan, and under the rule of Genghis Khan's grandson, Möngke, the primary religious influence was Christian. The practice of Nestorian Christianity was somewhat different from that practiced in the West, and Europeans tended to regard Nestorianism as heretical for its beliefs about the nature of Jesus. However, the Europeans also had legends about a figure known as Prester John, a great Christian leader in the East who would come to help with the Crusades. One version of the legend connected the identity of Prester John with a Christian Mongol leader, Toghrul, leader of the Kerait clan. When the Mongols conquered northern China, establishing the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), Nestorian Christianity was re-introduced to China after a gap of centuries. As the Mongols further expanded, the Christian sympathies of the court, primarily through the influential wives of the khans, led to changes in military strategy. When the Mongols conquered Baghdad in 1258, many of the citizens of the city were massacred, but the Christian inhabitants were spared. As the Mongols further encroached upon Palestine, there were some attempts at forming a Franco-Mongol alliance with the Christians of Europe against the Muslims. Mongol contacts with the West also led to many missionaries, primarily Franciscan and Dominican, traveling eastward in attempts to convert the Mongols to Roman Catholicism. == Background == The Mongols had been proselytised since about the 7th century.〔"The Silk Road", Frances Wood, p.118 "William of Ribruk was shocked to discover that there were, indeed, Christians at the Mongol court, but that they were schismatic Nestorians (...) Nestorians had long been active along the Silk Road. Their existence in Tang China is testified by the "Nestorian monument", a stela still to be seen in the forest of Stelae in Xi'an"〕〔Foltz "Religions of the Silk Road", p.90-150〕〔For existensive detail and the testimony of Rabban Bar Sauma, see "The Monks of Kublai Khan Emperor of China", Sir E. A. Wallis Budge. (Online )〕 Many Mongol tribes, such as the Khereid,〔"Early in the eleventh century their ruler had been converted to Nestorian Christianity, together with most of his subjects; and the conversion brought the Khereids into touch with the Uighur Turks, amongst whom were many Nestorians", Runciman, p.238〕 the Naimans, the Merkit, the Öngüd,〔For these four tribes: Roux, p.39-40〕 and to a large extent the Kara Khitan (who practiced it side-by-side with Buddhism),〔Grousset, ''Empire'', p. 165〕 were Nestorian Christian.〔"In 1196, Genghis Khan succeeded in the unification under his authority of all the Mongol tribes, some of which had been converted to Nestorian Christianity" "Les Croisades, origines et conséquences", p.74〕 Genghis Khan himself was a Shamanist, but was tolerant of other faiths. When, as the young Temüjin, he swore allegiance with his men at the Baljuna Covenant around 1200, there were representatives of nine tribes among the 20 men, including "several Christians, three Muslims, and several Buddhists."〔Weatherford, p. 58〕 His sons were married to Christian princesses of the Khereid clan who held considerable influence at his court.〔 Under the Great Khan Mongke, Genghis's grandson, the main religious influence was that of the Nestorians.〔Under Mongka "The chief religious influence was that of the Nestorian Christians, to whom Mongka showed especial favour in memory of his mother Sorghaqtani, who had always remained loyal to her faith" Runciman, p.296〕 Some of the major Christian figures among the Mongols were: * Sorghaghtani Beki, daughter in law of Genghis Khan by his son Tolui, and mother of Möngke, Kublai Khan, Hulagu Khan and Ariq Boke, who were also married to Christian princesses;〔Runciman, p.246〕〔"Sorghaqtani, a Kerait by birth and, like all her race, a devout Nestorian Christian", Runciman, p.293〕〔"His () principal Empress, Kutuktai, and many other of his wives also were Nestorians", Runciman, p.296〕 * Doquz Khatun, wife of Hulagu and mother of the Ilkhan Abaqa,〔"This remarkable lady was a Kerait princess, the granddaughter of Toghrul Khan and cousin, therefore of Hulagu's mother. She was a passionate Nestorian, who made no secret of her dislike of Islam and her eagerness to help Christians of every sect", Runciman, p.299〕 who for his part married Maria Palaiologina, daughter of Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus in 1265. After the death of Arghun's mother Doquz, Maria filled her role as a major Christian influence in the Ilkhanate. * Sartaq, son of Batu, who converted to Christianity during his lifetime;〔"Early in 1253 a report reached Acre that one of the Mongol princes, Sartaq, son of Batu, had been converted to Christianity", Runciman, p.280. See Alexander Nevsky for details.〕 * Kitbuqa,〔"Kitbuqa, as a Christian himself, made no secret of his sympathies", Runciman, p.308〕 general of Mongol forces in the Levant, who fought in alliance with Christian vassals. * Mar Yaballaha III, an Ongud Mongol earlier known as Rabban Marcos, who became the highest authority (Patriarch) of the Nestorian church from 1281 to 1317.〔Grousset, p.698〕 * Rabban Bar Sauma, Chinese monk who made a pilgrimage from Khanbaliq (Beijing), and testified to the importance of Christianity among the Mongols during his visit to Rome in 1287. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Christianity among the Mongols」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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