Mongol religious pluralism
Topic: Nomadic Empires: The Mongols · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"
Meaning
Mongol religious pluralism was the way the Mongol khans ruled people of many faiths without pushing one faith on them. The khans had their own beliefs. Some were Shaman (worship led by a spirit-healer, or shaman), some Buddhist, some Christian, and later some became Muslim. But they did not let their own faith decide how they governed. In the 13th and 14th centuries, they hired officials and soldiers from every ethnic group and religion. Their empire was multi-ethnic, multilingual and multi-religious, which was very unusual for that time. Historians now study it as a model for later empires, such as the Mughals of India. Babur, the first Mughal ruler, was descended from both Timur and Genghis Khan.
Example
In 1254, William of Rubruck, a Franciscan friar sent by Louis IX of France, reached Great Khan Mongke's capital, Karakorum. At court festivals, he watched different religious leaders take turns blessing the Great Khan's cup: Nestorian Christian priests went first, then Muslim clergy, and then Buddhist and Taoist monks.
Don't confuse with
- Pax Mongolica: this was the peace and safe travel across Mongol lands that linked Europe and China and helped the Silk Route trade reach its peak. It is about trade and travel. Religious pluralism is about how the khans treated different faiths.
- Sulh-i kul (Akbar): this was the Mughal emperor Akbar's stated policy of "peace with all" in 16th-century India. The Mongol pluralism came earlier and grew out of everyday practice. It was never a named policy.