When the Mongols first came to Europe in about 1240, the medieval Western image of the world was still quite intact. This image, as well as the old patterns of eschatological interpretation, formed the framework within which any information that was received about the newcomers had to fit. At the same time, however, the Mongol onslaught initiated a true revolution in the Western Christian knowledge of the world and its peoples. This change is mirrored in eschatology; conversely, the great importance of eschatology during this time of crisis is revealed by the roles the Mongols could play in medieval Christian eschatological reflections during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. These roles were manifold and changeable. After a review of the initial stages of the inclusion of the Mongols in Western eschatology up to about 1250, I will move to Christianity's changing opinion concerning the political and thus eschatological value of the Mongols up to 1300. Finally, I will consider the broad range of possible eschatological interpretations resulting from the knowledge collected about the new people in the midfourteenth century.
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