Everyone feared the Mongols of the 13th century. There are many reasons why people cringed when they heard the word Mongolian. King Louis IX was particularly afraid of the Mongols. He was so anxious that he sent William of Rubruck to infiltrate Mongol society, foil their plans, integrate Christianity into their society, and show the world the culture of the medieval Mongols. William of Rubruck was an itinerant Franciscan monk. He lived from approximately 1200 to 1256. He accompanied King Louis IX during the Seventh Crusade and became friends with him. Louis feared that Europe would be next on the list of Tartars to conquer. His response was to send William to the court of the Great Khan in 1253 to convert them to Christianity and ensure that Europe was safe from invasion. The first reason Louis feared the Mongols was not because of their superior weaponry; this was the traditional riding skill of the Tartars. Stirrups were the standard for riders. These stirrups allow riders to achieve great agility. The Mongols were such skilled horsemen that they could ride at full speed, shoot arrows with precision, and skillfully wield swords. This dexterity allowed them to be incredibly deadly. Although horsemanship was an important factor in the effectiveness of the Mongols' military attacks, it was not the main reason why the Mongols were so fearful. The most important element of the Mongols' success was "the ruthless use of two psychological weapons, loyalty and fear." (Gascoigne 2010). Ghengis Khan, the Mongol ruler from 1206 to 1227, was ruthless and made a sly contrast in his treatment of nomadic kin and city dwellers. For example, a warrior from a rival tribe who bravely fights against Ghengis Khan and loses will be in the middle of paper......stianity and determine if he would invade, but neither of these objectives would be achieved. This is true because of the austere and impetuous ways of the Mongolian people. However, some never-before-seen achievements were made during William's travels, whether he knew it or not. He revealed the situation of China and the fact that the Caspian was an inland sea. Most importantly, William created the most distinguished and researched account of the medieval Mongols in the world today. Works Cited Dawson, Christopher. “Mission to Asia.” Toronto: University of Toronto Press, for the Medieval Academy of America. 1980.Gascoigne, Bamber. “History of the Mongols”. History World. http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa76.Schlager, Patricius. “Guillaume Rubruck. » The Catholic Encyclopedia. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13217a.htm.