Podcasts about eastern med

"USS Cole is in the Eastern Med right now helping defend Israel against Iranian ballistic missiles. And it's because of my crew of heroes."   On October 12, 2000, Kirk Lippold was the Commanding Officer on the USS Cole when it was attacked by al-Qaeda. In an instant, Commander Lippold oversaw saving his men and his rapidly sinking ship. Though 17 sailors tragically lost their lives, he and his crew did achieve a historic feat: saving the USS Cole.   Commander Lippold joins Benjamin to discuss the events of that horrific day and to weigh in on the connection between his 2000 attack and the terrorist attacks on 9/11, as well as the current state of U.S. national security. Follow Benjamin on X: @BenjaminHallFNC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sheldon took an Eastern Med cruise on Celebrity Apex last fall and gives us a comprehensive review of his sailing and trip. 

RR The Wire 1600Z October 12, 2023PRECEDENCE: ROUTINE RRDTG: 160012Z OCT 23ICOD: 150012Z OCT 23CONTROLS: Public ReleaseQQQQBLUF: ISRAEL STRIKES DAMASCUS AND ALEPPO. PALESTINE DECLARES OCTOBER 13 GLOBAL DAY OF JIHAD.-----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East Front: Israel expands conflict by conducting pre-emptive strikes in the heart of Syria, with IDF officials confirming futures strikes to take place over the next few days. The Damascus and Aleppo airports were taken out of action in the strikes. Israel continues bombing campaign of Gaza with the goal of total annihilation as described by IDF officials. IDF officials have vowed to turn Gaza into a “tent city”, with no structure left standing. Israeli strikes in Lebanon continue as harassing fires originate from border skirmishes. Various Lebanese Hezbollah subgroups have declared a general mobilization. Thousands of Egyptian Bedouin fighters stage on the Egyptian border with Gaza with the intent to join the war. Iranian IRGC ground forces reportedly making movement toward Iraq border.Palestine declares Global Day of Jihad scheduled for Friday, Oct 13th. Many claims of demonstrations and more violent actions are planned to reach a zenith tomorrow, as users on social media announce planned demonstrations in most US cities as well as throughout Europe.US CSG-12 remains O/S, Eastern Med. 101st ABN preparing for mobilization, allegedly to a remote FOB in Israel. NFI ATT. HMS Queen Elizabeth CSG making preparations for possible deployment to the Middle East.US State Department reaffirms standard policy of charging fees for rescue flights. DoS will offer emergency evacuation plan for Americans stranded in Israel, but will only rescue citizens if they sign a promissory note obligating citizens to repay rescue costs. Despite common thought to the contrary, this is a standard DoS policy.-HomeFront-USA: Online rhetoric and threats of violence peak in anticipation of the Global Day of Jihad tomorrow. Demonstrations in support of Palestine are planned for most major US cities.-Analyst Comments-Despite many claims of atrocities being walked back as no evidence surfaces, truth is no longer able to stop this war from escalating.Based on the public rhetoric of IDF officials, and Israel's military actions so far, there is zero chance of proportional response. The lines are beginning to blur between what Israel considers to be HAMAS, and the Palestinian population. Based on IDF officials' statements so far, it is highly likely that Israel intends to totally eradicate every Palestinian from Gaza. Talks are allegedly already underway with Egypt (and other nations) to take in the survivors/refugees that remain.Palestinian threats of a Global Day of Jihad are genuine, and intertwine civil-disruption operations with more deliberate terror attempts. As such any and all demonstrations remain high-risk events. Heightened situational awareness is strongly recommended over the next few days as the risk of lone-wolf attacks (or even sleeper cell activations) is increased. Due to American support to Israel, attacks on American citizens abroad are highly likely, as are random attacks within the United States. There is no specific evidence of more coordinated attacks on the horizon, though as this operation was clearly being planned for at least a year, more sophisticated terror attacks on the homefront are a possibility. -----END TEARLINE-----Analyst: S2AEND REPORTNNNN

RR The Wire 1630Z October 11, 2023PRECEDENCE: ROUTINE RRDTG: 163011Z OCT 23ICOD: 153011Z OCT 23CONTROLS: Public ReleaseQQQQBLUF: ISRAEL STRIKES TARGETS IN SYRIA AND LEBANON. FINLAND DETECTS UNDERSEA PIPELINE ATTACK.-----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East Front: IDF makes final preparations for Gaza invasion. Israel strikes targets in Lebanon as Hezbollah militants conduct limited skirmishes along the border. Israel strikes targets in Syria in response to alleged mortar fire originating IVO Quneitra. IDF begins Naval bombardment and airstrikes of Egypt/Gaza Rafah border crossing after ordering noncombatants in Gaza to flee to Egypt via same crossing. Evidence begins to mount indicating the use of White Phosphorous rounds by IDF on Gaza. Various Palestinian-aligned splinter groups make preparations for operations around the world, increasing threatening rhetoric, particularly in the US and Europe.US CSG-12 arrives O/S, Eastern Med. 101st ABN reportedly preparing to deploy to Jordan. Various US SOF units already deployed to Israel. HMS Prince of Wales CSG departs Norfolk, Virginia, possibly also to deploy to the Med at a later date.European Front: Clashes erupt at protests as conflict escalates in the Middle East. The US sends additional $200 million to Ukraine.Baltic Front: Finland alleges deliberate pipeline sabotage after detecting pressure drop in the Baltic-Connector pipeline on Sunday. This pipeline transports LNG between Finland and Estonia.Balkan Front: Bosnian nationalists rally in Sarajevo to support Palestine on the eve of high tensions in the region. Before the Israeli war, tensions between Bosnia/Kosovo flared, resulting in border clashes that injured demonstrators.-The Home Front-USA: California creates and implements Ebony Alert, a dedicated Amber Alert for missing Black children. This is the first emergency service to prioritize response based on race. US House report indicates 99% of illegal immigrants encountered since 2021 have not been deported, and contact has been lost with the overwhelming majority.-Analyst Comments-Information warfare abounds following various atrocities of war, many of which cannot independently be verified. Caution must be exercised in the information space as all sides in the current conflict have long histories of narrative shaping. Outside the immediate warzone, tensions will continue to grow as both sides demonize any attempt at neutrality. Many US politicians and pundits have shared uncorroborated stories, old videos, and completely false information on social media, with no concern for verifying most of the information they are repeating. Due to the Illusory Truth Effect, it will become increasingly difficult to discern the truth as time goes on.Extremely serious and concerning rhetoric runs rampant on social media; everything from chemical to nuclear weapons has been openly discussed by high ranking political officials on all sides of the conflict. The question remains as to how much of this rhetoric will be backed up with action. The use of White Phosphorus munitions by IDF is highly likely, as video evidence all but confirms this munition's use. However, genuine video evidence has been mixed with old videos from the Syrian War, further weaponizing the use of information in this conlict. -----END TEARLINE-----Analyst: S2AEND REPORTNNNN

Kathleen from Plenty of Sunshine Travel met with Stephanie from Celestyal Cruises for this week's cruise chat. . Stephanie did a quick history recap about Celestyal and spoke about their Medium Sized Ships, highlighting Greece's Destination. They are Award-Winning because of how well-specialized they are. Celestyal also offers Flexible Durations. If you want to help this channel, you can buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/PlentyofSunshineTravel. The unbeatable mix of blockbuster stops and hidden gems in the Eastern Med throughout Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Cyprus, and Montenegro Port intensive itineraries with the maximum time to explore immersive excursions that bring you face-to-face with the culture, the people, the history and the flavours. Celestyal also offers late-night stops and overnights in ports. . Celestyal offers more choices for you. . INCLUSIVE offers Onboard dining with select drinks with meals, an $80 Shore Excursion credit, and entertainment onboard. With ENHANCE, you get all the features of INCLUSIVE with enhanced upgrades: You get a 25% Discount on Speciality DiningPremium Drinks Package Upgrade to the Premium Plus Drinks Package from $51 Per Day and an EXTRA $80 Shore Excursion credit. . Celestyal is getting a new ship, which will launch shortly! . Their itineraries are: IDYLLIC AEGEAN 7-night Inclusive adventure Athens, Thessaloniki, Kusadashi, Ichete,, Heraklion, Cantorini, Mykonos. VOYAGE HIGHLIGHTS Santorini Sunset (weather permitting) also a full day in Mykonos and a full day in Mykonos and a full day to explore Milos. . Eclectic Aegean goes to: Athens Greece, Istanbul Turkey, Thessaloniki Greece, Kavala Greece, Volvos Greece, Santorini Greece, and ending in Athens. Three continents. Seven-night inclusive adventure, visiting Athens, Port Said, Ashdod, Limassol, Rhodes, and Kasadsi. ICONIC AEGEAN (MAR - OCT) 3-night Inclusive adventure Athens, Mykonos, Kadashi, Crete, Santorini, Patmos ICONIC AEGEAN (March - November)4-night Inclusive adventure Athens (Lavrion) Greece, Mykonos Greece, Kusadasi Turkey, Patmos, Rhodes, Santorini. There is an extraordinary 19-night inclusive Adventure over Christmas & New Year's Day. Another option is the Heavenly Adrriatic itinerary. Reach out today to book! . If you want to learn more about Celestyal or any other cruise lines I have met with. Please get in touch with me at info@PlentyofSunshineTravel.com. You can also fill out this simple form https://bit.ly/3mxFUNd, and I will get back to you. . Subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell to ensure you catch all upcoming cruise videos. If you want to see the images in this video - check out our YouTube channel HERE. . Search #PlentyofSunshineTravel on Facebook or Instagram to see our posts. . . . #celestyalcruises #travelagent #CruiseSpecialist #Cruise #CruiseGuru #TravelAgent #canadiantravelagent --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cruisingthewavespodcast/message

In this episode, I'm talking about semolina syrup cakes, common in many countries in the Balkans, Eastern Med, Middle East and North Africa. They're great, and I make two here to talk to you about... Hilbeh, a fenugreek cake from Palestine, and a coconut semolina cake that's similar to Jordanian hareeseh. I also talk about foods of the Ottoman Empire! Head to homebaking.substack.com for the recipes and show notes. Love ya :)

Rauf Denktash was the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus from 1983 until 2005. Given its crucial geopolitical position in the Eastern Med, Cyprus has been contested by different powers for centuries. In the modern day, this contestation occurs between Greece and Turkey, something compounded by the fact that Greeks and Turks both lived on the island and make up the Island's two largest ethnic groups. In 1974, following a Greek-backed coup on the island, Turkey annexed the Northern half of Cyprus, and established the Republic over which Denktash presided for more than two decades.Like Kosovo for Serbia, Cyprus poses a cautionary tale for nationalists, teaching them that they shouldn't fixate on a piece of land that they will never be able to fully control. The Cyprus that Denktash believed in only ever existed in his mind, as he found out in 2003, when he opened the gates between Turkish and Greek Cyprus. To his astonishment, the people he had expected to throw themselves at one another in another episode of sectarian violence merely looked at one another, and carried on.My guest today met Denktash many times, and is a true authority on Cyprus, having lived there for many years. He is James Ker-Lindsay, a visiting professor at LSEE, a London School of Economics research centre on South Eastern Europe. James also has a popular eponymous YouTube channel with over 100k subscribers, where he discusses various international conflicts and disputes. He is also due to move back to Cyprus very soon. 

The Eastern Mediterranean's role as a global gas hub is technically advantaged by more than 10 years of exploration success, and strategically advantaged by its relative proximity to European markets. However, those advantages are balanced by competing interests that include growing gas demand from local markets and a lack of political consensus in the region. Petroleum-sector risk expert Cat Hunter joins EnergyCents this week to review the monetization efforts of recent Eastern Med gas discoveries, and share thoughts on the pace and direction of the area's potential as a global gas hub. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights' petroleum-sector risk coverage at: https://ihsmarkit.com/products/oil-gas-petroleum-news-peps.html Join the conversation at energycents@spglobal.com

Photo:  Greek and Israeli naval forces in a joint drill conducted in the area of the Eastern Med energy basin. #Energy: What of the Eastern Mediterranean energy basin? Brenda Shaffer, FDD. Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/israel-ramping-up-gas-output-looks-help-supply-europe-2022-05-16/?rpc=401& Brenda Shaffer  @FDD, Georgetown University; Fellow with the Atlantic Council, & professor at University of Haifa; former research director of the Caspian Studies Program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government; past president of the Foreign Policy Section of the American Political Science Association.  ..  ..  ..  Permissions This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. | You are free: to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work; to remix – to adapt the workUnder the following conditions: attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original. | This work is free and may be used by anyone for any purpose. 

This week as it's Lent, we're off to fast in Cyprus with Georgina Hayden, and to find a host of vegan gems in the traditional fasting food from religions and cultures of the Eastern Med and Eastern Europe.Her book, Nistisima borrows the vegan dishes from the Greek Orthodox Church which frames her family life, as well as the rituals around Ukraine, Russia and Serbia where fasting is a rich vein of inspiration for meat and dairy free recipes. But it's about much more than food; it's how family, festival and ritual creates a food culture which connects us with where food comes from and why, as Socrates says, we eat to live. We began by discussing just how hard it is to find a gap in the book shelves these days, and what it takes to get a book deal.You can read the transcript here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Russians are headed to confront the Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group in the Eastern Med. You can support my work at the links below. We are totally listener supported and we appreciate each and every one of you! Thank you and God bless! Express VPN Link: https://www.xvinlink.com/?a_fid=jstorm1 *Get 3 months Free* Select the 12 month package and get 3 months free! Bitcoin Wallet: 3M2rBQMPjS2UihwQLuzCeMTveoUSSmH87h PayPal: https://paypal.me/johnnystorm NEW! Cash app now available for donations! Our cash tag is $jstorm212 For checks and money orders please email us at dntspk5@gmail.com and we will send you the address. Support us through the BRAVE web browser here: https://brave.com/don308 Free book on Spiritual Warfare below! https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/780462 https://twitter.com/DontSpe54156130 Show Email dntspk5@gmail.com Back up Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ9KhNAvQ49eHU7HDP6j6Q/videos Website: https://dontspeaknews.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dontspeak/support

CyprusScene reporting the news of the online 3rd Eastern Mediterranean International Medical Students' Congress (EMIMSC) which was held at EMU and organised by the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Scientific Research Community. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://cyprusscene.com/2021/06/21/eastern-med-international-medical-students-congress-held-at-emu/ CyprusScene Podcasts can be found on the following apps Anchor, Google Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, PocketCasts, Breaker, Castbox, Apple Itunes

It's been a busy couple of weeks here on AWEN as we unwinter the sailboat in preparation for leaving the dock later this week to start our sailing season in the Mediterranean. Lots of things to do to get the boat put back together and everything ship shape while we pray to Helios and Poseidon for warm weather and calm seas to arrive in the Eastern Med.  Welcome to Covert Castaway, our fully uncut experience making the transition to be sailing liveaboard cruisers. Join us as we share what we are learning as we make the lifestyle change to sell our stuff, quit our jobs, buy a boat and explore the world. Join the conversation on our Sailing AWEN facebook page or drop us a note at sailingawen@gmail.com.   

It's all about keeping people confused. Everything is fake with those who are complicit. Playing the race card to cover human trafficking. Pipeline politics, the Eastern Med, and Turkish control. Asian lives matter, except to BLM. The fall of the Roman empire holds many lessons. Africa and the Songhai empire show the perils of infiltration. Repeated patterns are known to the deep state planners. Gold, salt and religion. The take downs and the politicians from without. History can work for you, but only when you understand it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Domestic terrorism is real. From how until the swearing in. Remember, remember the 5th of November. POTUS speaks and lays it all out beautifully. Eastern Med popping and hot. SloJo and SCOTUS. Waiting for Biden. Again, he misspoke. SloHo cackles when nervous. The RNC riot list is from the 2016 hack. A common spoons tale. Jussie, Kamala and the big cringe. Don't be surprised with the coming info drops. Stay MAGA proud and never be shy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Germany says that Novichok has been used on a rival of President Putin - how will the international community react this time? What's behind the recent tensions between Greece and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean? Plus, Sitrep looks at how the Gurkhas are changing their recruitment process. We join the Royal Marines on training exercises and how some of Britain's rarest reptiles are thriving in a military fuel site. Follow us @bfbssitrep

The sword of the Ottomans comes up first. Major geo power plays are centered around NATO's Turkey. Those controlling the Dims have no names. ShadowGate has given us all the blueprint. POTUS says they are in the shadows. The plandemic players are now fully exposed. Hand me down Fouci. The global nature of the Covid operation shows their power. Avoiding WWIII with China. Real news is a tough business even in the good times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A remarkable great awakening is happening. People are opening their eyes. All the coup players are being exposed. The Dims and their leaders are losing it. Many nations are involved against our POTUS. Why? The most important votes are coming up. The wish list that won't come true. Hot war in the Eastern Med. Knowledge is our secret weapon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Eastern Med has news related to us. Spain's king has left town. The youth gas has become valuable. Getting to the truth will not be easy. Everyone is implicated in the DS crimes. The stupid questions from the press clowns just keep coming. Covid is loosing steam. Back to school this fall. Dims pick VP based on race and gender. Domestic raids are dropping hints. Pay attention to the details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hack that helps the DS. Will there be blue check excuses? A vessel that will hold time. MAGA masks and hidden voters. Africa and the Eastern Med should be real news. Our history of a century ago. Bolshy scares and flu masks circa 1919. Will leftist bombs make a comeback? Some Korean history that still haunts. Stay calm, pray, and be ready. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They own the lies. Modeling is not reality. Abdications are in the news. The Eastern Med is still hot. Nancy sounds broken down. People are coming together during the struggle. Workers paychecks are Dim bargaining chips. This is the only way POTUS could have done it. We are shaping tomorrow's America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it a legal case or not? House idiots need stopping. Unhinged MSM show their true colors. Do NOT poke the Pompeo. Impeach? What laws were broken? Why the snakes want witnesses. Flash points in the Eastern Med. Ukraine elections are now unfixed. Was Biden ordered to run? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is episode 10 in the on-going epic saga of the Chinese Marco Polo – Rabban Sauma.Realizing he couldn't get anything done in Rome since there was no Pope, and that the dozen cardinals charged with the task of selecting him were competing for the post, Sauma decided to take his request for a military alliance between Christian Europe and Mongol Persia against the Muslims Mamluks in the Middle East, directly to the Kings of France and England.Leaving Rome, he stopped in Genoa on his way to North. Since Genoa had for some years maintained a thriving trade with the Ilkhanate, that is the Mongols in Persia, Sauma had every reason to expect a warm welcome. He wasn't disappointed. It didn't hurt that one of the interpreters who'd accompanied him from Persia was a native-born Genoese merchant.Genoa was at the height of its prosperity when Sauma visited, boasting a population of 70,000, one of the largest in Europe. Its merchants were savvy negotiators who'd been able to arrange deals not only around the Mediterranean but reaching into the Far East. While other Italian City-States like Naples and Venice set up lucrative trade routes with select partners, Genoa was able to walk a tight-rope of diplomacy across dozens of partners who were otherwise in conflict with each other. Because of their wide-ranging connections, many realms of thought and practice combined to influence the intellectual life of Genoa. It was a truly cosmopolitan city whose routine wasn't knocked off kilter by the arrival of an Embassy form the Far East.While the commerce of Genoa was well established, its government was another matter. Genoa seemed unable to find a political system that satisfied the city's need for longer than a decade. At the time of Sauma's visit, the city's ruler was called a Captain of the People, or Citizens. He rallied the population of Genoa to officially welcome Sauma's party. Sauma was confused; not able to understand how such a large city wasn't ruled by a king. Knowing how far-reaching Genoa's trade was, Sauma wondered if it might even have been better ruled by an Emperor.Once settled into the accommodations made available to him, Sauma plotted his next moves. If it occurred to him to ask the Genoese to join an alliance against the Mamluks, he quickly put it aside. The Genoese would not be drawn into a war with a force that dominated the entire Eastern Med. In fact, forging treaties was what they were known for. When they went to war, it was with their rival Italian City-States, all for the golden prize of increasing trade with everyone else. And Genoa was at that time gearing up for a campaign against their major rival Venice, which it would soon best.So, after visiting the religious sites in an near Genoa, Sauma once again packed up and headed north toward France.Sauma's hope of help from the French was keen. After all King Louis IX, known to history as St. Louis, had played a major role in 2 Crusades to liberate the Middle East from the Muslim presence. But his son, Philip III, known as Philip the Bold, had been more concerned with securing his control of France and her neighbors. His son, Philip IV, known as Philip the Fair and later as The Iron King, had only been on the throne for 2 yrs when Sauma arrived in Paris. Barely 20 yrs of age, everyone wondered if he'd reprise the career of his famous grandfather or his more mundane father. It seemed a most propitious time for the Rabban's embassy, as setting out on a new Crusade to liberate the Holy Land from the Mamluks would appeal to the energy and ambitions of a young ruler seeking to make his mark.Arriving at the French border in August of 1287, Sauma's party was greeted by a large force sent by the King to escort him to Paris. They entered the City at the end of September to much pomp & circumstance. Sauma was then ushered to palatial digs provided by King Philip. And  it was time for a break for the Chinese Monk-ambassador.The trip from Genoa to Paris took a month. While the journey was nowhere near as arduous as that which he'd undertaken a decade before from China to Persia, he was now in his 60's and the entire adventure was taken a toll on his aging body. He's been traveling for the past 6 months from Persia, to the Black Sea, Constantinople, Naples, Rome, Genoa, and now Paris. Keep in mind there were no Holiday, Ramada or Quality Inns along the way. The caravanserais they'd enjoyed earlier were far away in Asia. They overnighted either along the roadside or in small public houses where the bedding was rarely changed. The quality of the food was most often abysmal because it was the only thing to be had by travelers.So by the time Sauma arrived in Paris, he was exhausted and needed to rest. Philip recognized that and set aside three days for him to recoup. Then he sent a formal invitation for the Nestorian monk to attend an official audience with his majesty. When Sauma arrived at court, Philip rose to greet him; an unusual gesture for a European monarch at that time. Guests at court were usually required to process a long path to the dais holding the throne, stopping at the foot of the stairs, they then bowed and remained thus in a posture of supplication until told to stand. The entire time the king remained seated. Rising to greet Sauma was a surprising move on Philip's part because it signaled the court the French King viewed Sauma as an equal.Then, it was down to business. Why, Philip asked, as Sauma there? What did he want? Why had he come and who'd sent him?If Sauma was surprised by the bluntness of the king's query, he recovered quickly and responded in kind. He told Philip that while originally set on a religious pilgrimage endorsed and sponsored by the Great Khubilai Khan in China, he'd been made the Mongol Ilkhanate in Persia's official envoy back to Khubilai's court. But before returning to China to fulfill that task, he'd been given a special assignment: Travel West to the Christian rulers of Western Europe, asking them for an alliance with the Ilkhanate against the Mamluks and recovery Jerusalem from Muslim control. Sauma then handed Philip the letter and gifts from Ilkhan Arghun. These gifts were most likely the kinds of things that would convey the seriousness of the embassy, but could be easily transported by individuals traveling light; jewels, small packages of luxurious silk cloth, so highly prized by the elite of Western Europe.Sauma reports the French King was favorable toward the proposed alliance. Philip was moved by the Mongols desire to free Jerusalem from Muslim hegemony, even though those Mongols weren't officially Christian. Philip remarked that Christian Europe ought to rise to the challenge presented by the Ilkhans. Rabban Sauma was equally impressed by the King's devotion to the Faith and his interest in embarking on a new Crusade. For the first time, Sauma's mission to the West seemed to be bearing fruit.BUT: Sauma wasn't hip to European politics which had shaped Philip's exuberant response. Philip was less interested in a Crusade to recapture the Holy Land as he was in securing his control over the contested domains of his north. Ever since ascending the throne, he'd been in contention with England's King Edward I who owed him fealty in Gascony. In the Spring of 1286, Edward went to Paris to pay Philip honor as his suzerain. But Philip never bought this show of fealty. He had reason to distrust Edward since England backed France's enemies in the contentious affairs in Aragon. Tensions between the two rulers grew until war broke out in 1294.Another trouble Philip dealt with was a degenerating relationship with the Roman Church. Needing funds in his campaigns to secure the North, the French monarch confiscated the tithes destined for Rome. His nobles already struggled with the burdensome taxes the crown had levied. The only place to secure the much-needed funds was the Church. So in an appeal to nationalism, Philip said French gold and silver ought to stay in France, not shipped off to Rome and the interests of the Pope, whose schemes were cast as contrary to French well-being. All of this would later lead to the major rift that occurred between the French crown and Papacy that we covered in Season One of CS.While Philip's enthusiastic response to Sauma's appeal was no doubt sincere, on further reflection, Philip realized mounting a new Crusade wasn't practical. At least not in the short term. Maybe after movement on his domestic fronts, a Crusade could be staged.On Sauma's part, having achieved seeming success on the official phase of his embassy, he turned to his personal adventure; visiting the religious sites of Paris and its environs. Philip assigned him an escort and off they went visiting churches and shrines; Sauma once again focusing on relics rather than the marvelous architecture and art.The Rabban was stunned by the large number of students in Paris, which was one of the sites of the new centers of learning called universities. He reports there were 30,000 students in the City.And that brings up a point of historical tension it might be wise for us to skim the surface of.As many subscribers know, the value of numbers in reporting of history has been a contentious issue for a long time. The tension comes over the almost universal tendency of ancient historians to give big numbers while many modern historians are committed to reducing those numbers to a tenth of the original. We see that here. Sauma says Paris had 30,000 students. Modern historians say the City of that time had maybe 3,000. This assumed inflation of numbers by the ancients and chroniclers of yore is just about universal among modern historians. Some wonder if that skepticism is valid. The fact that nearly ALL pre-modern accounts give much larger figures than modern historians allow is provocative. Recent archaeology has caused historians to revise their estimates of population upwards in some cases, significantly.It'll be interesting for those of us who are historically interested, to watch what happens in the realm of statistics over the next few years as researchers review past assumptions in light of new evidence. Since I tend to give the ancients more credit for veracity, I suspect we'll see a revising of the numbers upward, dramatically.The University of Paris's primary course of study was theology. But the school quickly branched out into other areas, including law, medicine, philosophy, rhetoric, and math. The pursuit of these subjects was boosted by a renewal of interest in the recently-published works of Aristotle.As a self-taught scholar who'd studied everything he could get his hands on back in China, Sauma quite impressed with Paris' schools.Sauma's chronicle relates his impression of the gorgeous Church of Saint-Denis where French monarchs were interred. He mentions the Chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, but he gives no mention of the nearby Notre Dame; the pride and joy of Paris whose spire could be seen from anywhere in the city. Indeed, Notre Dame and Paris become synonymous. So why does the Rabban omit it from his account? Several opinions are given, probably the best of which is the most obvious. Sauma was a Nestorian monk. He belonged to the Church of the East, a branch of the Faith severed from the West over the identity of Mary. Was she Theotokos, the Mother of God as the West said, or Christotokos, Mother of Christ, as the East said? The Cathedral of Notre Dame was all about the Virgin Mary. Sauma most likely left off mentioning his visit to Notre Dame because of his desire to not end up saying a bunch of critical things about his stay.We'll finish up his time in Paris and get into his trip north to meet the King of England in our next episode as we move to conclude the amazing tale of Rabban Sauma.

This is the 7th episode in the on-going saga of Rabban Sauma.Last episode ended with the Mongol Ilkhan Arghun in Persia surrounded by enemies. He had a powerful ally in the Great Khan Khubilai, but Persia and China were too far apart and Khubilai was already locked into his own troubles in his contest with his cousin Khaidu.Arghun had risen to the Ilkhanate in Persia by supplanting his nemesis Ahmad, a pro-Muslim ruler who'd been removed & executed after a short reign. Arghun worried Ahmad's allies, the Muslim Mamluks to the West would embark on a campaign to conquer Persia. But as he looked for allies, the offerings were slim. Khubilai was not help. Only one option remained; Christian Europe. The same realms the Mongol Machine had just a few decades before almost overwhelmed. Would Christian Europe set aside that recent horror to ally with the Ilkhanate in a new Crusade to purge the Middle East of the Muslim threat? Well,  that's the plan Arghun settled on. For Europeans, the Mongols were deemed as great a threat as the Mamluks. Maybe more so. So, in a nod to the old saw, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Arghun hoped maybe an alliance could be forged between Persia and the crusading states of Europe.But, who to send with the proposal? This is where we open chapter 2 on Rabban Sauma's amazing epic.We open that chapter with some background on the political situation in Persia & Europe.Arghun wasn't the first Ilkhan to propose a treaty with Christian Europe against the Mamluks. In 1265, Abakha sent an embassy to the Pope requesting an alliance. Since the Mamluks were pressing hard to wipe out the last of the Outremer; the Crusaders states in the Middle East, Abakha assumed they'd gladly want assistance in the fight. But Europe was weary of crusading. Much ado had been made over the previous 200 yrs with little lasting result. Indeed, the success of the First Crusade was followed on by tragedy after tragedy. In addition to that weariness, the European kingdoms weren't exactly getting along. Just in Italy, the Pope was faced with hostility between the many city-states, with the conflict between Venice and Genoa dominating the Mediterranean.A further intrigue inserted at this time was the relationship between Charles of Anjou and the Pope. Brother of the French King St. Louis IX, Charles was quite ambitious. He secured the Pope's blessing to become the King of Naples and Sicily. His goal was to dominate the Byzantine Empire so as to control trade in the Eastern Med. He saw the Mongols in Persia as a threat to that ambition because the Ilkhan Abakha had married a Byzantine princess. Charles let the Pope know he wasn't to entertain any overtures from the Mongols for an alliance. Both Kings Edward of England & Louis of France wanted to stage a Crusade. But the turmoil in Europe stalled their plans.They managed to pull a Crusade together in 1270, but Charles once again deftly managed to take charge of the venture. He changed the goal of the Crusade from the Holy Land to Tunis in North Africa, a land he wanted to conquer in his bid for naval hegemony. When the Tunisians sued for peace and promised to pay tribute, Charles declared the campaign a success. Edward was stunned and sailed his forces to Acre on the coast of Palestine. He then sent an embassy to the Ilkhan Abakha, asking for an alliance against the Mamluks in Syria. But wouldn't you know it? It just so happened that the Chagatai Mongols on Persia's Eastern border had invaded and Abakha was now engaged there. He had no troops to send to Edward's aide. Even though Edward was without allies and had a relatively small force, he carried on his campaign for a year that wore both sides out. The Mamluks agreed to a truce that safeguarded the Outremer for 10 yrs.Edward went home, and things settled down for a while, only to spin up again a few yrs later when a new Pope, Gregory X, came to Peter's chair. He'd lived for a time in Acre and was eager to see the Crusader States in the Middle East secure against the Muslim threat. He hoped to unite European monarchs in another Crusade and used an Ecumenical Council in an attempt to forge an alliance. It was not to be because he died before it could be organized.It turns out Europe was a lot like the Mongol domains; fractured & divided among many interests. These attempts on the part of both Europeans and Persian Mongols to secure an alliance against the Mamluks just never gelled.Then, in the first half of the decade of the 1280's things began to change. Charles of Anjou, who'd been such a trouble-maker, lost power and died. His removal saw new alignments. One of the most significant was Venice's giving up- it's long-held aspiration to invade Constantinople and take over the Byzantine Empire. They'd been Charles' ally in that scheme. But when he passed from the scene, they instead, made a treaty with the Byzantines. Trade began flowing from Venice to Constantinople once more. An uneasy peace was made among the Italian city-states.Back in England, Edward was making plans. He was still amped to participate in  REAL Crusade. He viewed his earlier foray in Syria as little more than a protracted raid. He wanted to see a major campaign of European nobility sweeping Islam from the Middle East. To that end, he began plans to make an alliance with the Mongol Ilkhans in Persia through marriage. He believed the Ilkhan was a Christian and that a suitable match could be made between their courts that would cement an alliance in preparation for a new crusade. The Grand Master of the Knights Hospitallers sent a message to Edward that the Battle of Homs between the Mongols & Mamluks had severely weakened the Muslims and the time was ripe for a new campaign. But in yet another example of timing, Edward had to divert the funds he'd set aside for the crusade to deal with an uprising in Wales.Then, in 1285, Honorius IV became Pope, replacing the pro-Charles Martin IV. Honorius owned different political priorities than Martin. He was all for a Crusade and opened talks with Edward to stage one. When Edward asked for special treatment by the Pope, negotiations stalled and plans for the campaign were put on hold.Back in Persia, the Mongols were encouraged in their hope for an alliance with the West when a group of Franciscans sent by Pope Nicholas III stopped there on their way East. They were the answer to Khubilai Khan's request for Christian teachers who could instruct his court and people in the Faith. The Ilkhans assumed they were an embassy sent to them. They did stay for a while but then moved on. Then, in 1285 the Ilkhan Arghun sent a letter to Pope Honorius informing him of the careful treatment and favor Christians received in his domains. He then requested a joint campaign against the Mamluks in Syria. Since Honorius was having problems uniting the Europeans in a crusade, he was unable to commit or make any promise of an imminent alliance. But he did make clear Europe's willingness to enter into one when the time was right.In 1286, Arghun decided it was time to ramp things up by sending an official embassy to Europe. The Mamluks had forged ties with Turks and Kurds in harassing Nestorian communities in the Ilkhan's realm. Because they were his subjects, he wanted to protect them. But he also viewed their harassment as a possible inducement for the Christian West to come to their aide. He promised that if a joint action against the Muslims was successful, the Europeans could take control of Jerusalem and their settlements in the Outremer would be safeguarded. The key to acceptance of the offer, Arghun believed, would be proportional to the importance of the embassy he sent. He needed an experienced traveler; someone who could take the long and difficult journey and arrive in Europe ready to go. He needed someone fluent in several languages. A scholar well-versed in the learning of the age. Someone with notable accomplishments that would commend him as worthy of listening to. Oh, and he needed to be a Christian since he'd be meeting with Christian leaders. Because Europeans were so hung up on status and class, the envoy needed to be of high rank; someone whose office required attention.Rabban Sauma was the perfect fit for these requirements. Since he was unable to pursue his mission as ambassador to the court of the Great Khan in China due to the war with Khaidu, why not send him the opposite direction – West, to the capitals of Europe?But how would he communicate with Europeans? Sauma knew many languages now. But Italian, German, French, and English were not among them. He had picked up Persian though. And the flourishing trade between Europe and Persia meant there were many merchants who could translate for him.As for office, Sauma was officially an ambassador. And he was a close personal friend of the Nestorian Patriarch, Mar Yaballaha. Indeed, he'd been instrumental in his selection. While Sauma waited for the paths East to open so he could fulfill his role as ambassador to Khubilai Khan's court, Yaballaha had made Sauma his chief of staff.Arghun couldn't ask Sauma directly if he'd take on the embassy West. He had to go through proper channels and asked Yaballaha for his counsel on who to send. The Patriarch suggested his friend Sauma, then immediately regretted it. This would be the first time for many years they'd been separated. Yaballaha leaned on Sauma's wisdom in leading the Nestorian Church. He'd be greatly missed. Though Sauma's record doesn't say so, he must have needed some persuading as well. But the travel and adventure bug his young protégé Markos, the now Patriarch Mar Yaballaha, had infected him with years before in their isolated cave in the Fang Mountains of China took over. Their main ambition to visit Jerusalem and the birthplace of Christianity was thwarted by the Mamluk presence there. The next best thing would be to visit the headquarters of both the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople and the Roman Catholic Church in Rome. If he could pull it off, Sauma would have the singular privilege of having visited the HQ's of the 3 main branches of the Church. And not just as a pilgrim, but as an official envoy. Someone granted access to see the most sacred places of the Faith after the Holy Land itself.So, Sauma agreed. Yes—He'd be Arghun's embassy to Europe.Sauma thus becomes the Mongol's first ambassador to meet a European monarch, He's the first Chinese to write an account of his travels to the West.Arghun gave him written communications and gifts to pass along to the Byzantine Emperor, the Pope, and the kings of France and England. He gave him gold for the journey, a caravan of attendants, and the all-important letters-patent, the forerunners of the modern passport, that ensured Sauma's safe passage.Sadly, we don't have Sauma's own account of his travels. What we have is an early translation of it into Syriac. The monk who did it appears to have edited Sauma's account so that while it gives detailed descriptions of the holy sites Sauma visited it skims over the diplomatic aspects of his mission. So there's no account of the contents of the letters Arghun sent West. Sauma's impressions of Europe are all highly abbreviated. The translator was only interested in the religious aspects of Sauma's account and only includes an outline for context in those religious moments.We'll pick it up here in the next episode, as Sauma embarks on his journey West.