Reflection of Mongolian imperial ideas in the medieval Syrian sources

The article continues the theme of reflection of the Mongol imperial ideology in medieval sources written in countries and regions faced with the Mongol invasion in the XIII century [Drobyshev, 2019, Drobyshev, 2020]. The peculiarities of mentality, cultural traditions, including those related to annals, character of the Mongol invasion and formation of the Mongol power in occupied lands determined differences in the perception of this new formidable political force. Syrian historiography during the Mongol rule was firmly adhered to the tradition laid down by the Roman historian Eusebius of Caesarea (CA. 265–339/340) in his famous “Church history”. In view of the absence of a secular Syriac-speaking upper class, it was exclusively religious, addressed to educated priests and monks, therefore, all events were considered by its authors as the unfolding of the plan for the salvation of mankind by God. Based on this premise, the Syrian authors chose the facts of political or military history, placing in place every person who acted according to the will of Divine Providence, including, of course, the Mongols – from the great khans to ordinary soldiers. This peculiarity of Syrian historiography opens a new frontier in our understanding of the Mongols’ aggressive plans, the claims of their khans to universal rule, and the methods of justifying these claims for the conquered peoples

Ancient history · Annals · Archaeology · Divine Providence · Epistemology · Frontier · Historiography · Ideology · Political science · Politics · Premise · Theology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Byzantine Studies and History · Classics · Eurasian Exchange Networks · History · Law · Philosophy