AP World History · Contextualization
Which broader claim about Afro-Eurasia from c. 1200 to c. 1450 is best supported by Bar Sauma's background and diplomatic role?
Rabban Bar Sauma and trans-Eurasian travel, late thirteenth century
Rabban Bar Sauma, a Christian monk born near Beijing in Mongol-ruled China, traveled west with a companion. After reaching Ilkhanid Persia, he later served as an envoy of Ilkhan Arghun to Byzantine and western European rulers. Accounts of his mission describe audiences in Constantinople, Paris, and England and the Christian communities he encountered across Eurasia.
Adapted from <em>The History of the Life and Travels of Rabban Sawma</em>, translated by E. A. Wallis Budge, 1928.
Which broader claim about Afro-Eurasia from c. 1200 to c. 1450 is best supported by Bar Sauma's background and diplomatic role?
Answer and explanation
Answer: B: Religious affiliation and political allegiance did not map neatly onto regional boundaries in Mongol-ruled Eurasia
Bar Sauma was a Christian born in Mongol-ruled East Asia who served a Persian ilkhan as envoy to European courts. His background and role show that religion and political allegiance did not align neatly with regional boundaries, so B is correct. Choice A is tempting because the Mongols ruled widely, but they generally governed religiously diverse populations without imposing one faith. Choice C claims diplomacy replaced commerce, though trade remained extensive. Choice D says Asian Christians survived only under western European rule, which Bar Sauma himself contradicts.
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