RUBRUCK, William

RUBRUCK, William (between 1215 and 1220 – 1293), Flemish Traveller, Monk. Between 1253– 55 he headed a diplomatic mission sent by French King Louis IX to the Mongol Empire. The route he traveled went through the Ural steppes. Author of the book titled The Journey to the Oriental Countries, containing materials on history, ethnography and geography. Bashkirs in his work were referred to as the Pascatir, Bashkortostan was seen as part of Greater Hungary. Various research results by R., Carpini Plano, Julian and others formed the basis of the Finno‑Ugric theory of the origin of the Bashkirs.