Rabban Sauma's Visits to European Countries

Timeline

1. 1287Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireUnder Arghun's orders, Rabban Sauma set out from the Ilkhanate, traveling overland to the Byzantine Empire, where he had an audience with Emperor Andronikos II, explaining the Ilkhanate's intention to unite with the Christian world against the Mamluks.
2. 1287–1288Rome · ItalyRabban Sauma was received in Rome by Pope Nicholas IV, participating in religious ceremonies and diplomatic talks as an envoy of the Eastern Mongol khans; the Curia expressed interest in his proposal for joint resistance but failed to form any substantive military commitment.
3. 1288Paris · FranceRabban Sauma continued north to visit King Philip IV of France, completing the main European itinerary before returning east. Though received with courtesy, no country dispatched an actual expeditionary force, and the diplomatic mission failed to achieve its goal of a military alliance.