The Christian
Historian Gregory Abulfaraj Relates A Curious History Of The Conversion,
In The Beginning Of The 11th Century, Of The King Of Kerith With His
People, Dwelling In The Remote North-East Of The Land Of The Turks.
And
that the Keraits continued to profess Christianity down to the time of
Chinghiz is attested by Rashiduddin's direct statement, as well as by the
numerous Christian princesses from that tribe of whom we hear in Mongol
history.
It is the chief of this tribe of whom Rubruquis and Polo speak
under the name of Unc Khan, and whom the latter identifies with Prester
John. His proper name is called Tuli by the Chinese, and Togrul by the
Persian historians, but the Kin sovereign of Northern China had conferred
on him the title of Wang or King, from which his people gave him the
slightly corrupted cognomen of [Arabic], which some scholars read Awang,
and Avenk Khan, but which the spelling of Rubruquis and Polo shows
probably to have been pronounced as Aung or Ung Khan.[12] The
circumstance stated by Rubruquis of his having abandoned the profession of
Christianity, is not alluded to by Eastern writers; but in any case his
career is not a credit to the Faith. I cannot find any satisfactory
corroboration of the claims of supremacy over the Mongols which Polo
ascribes to Aung Khan. But that his power and dignity were considerable,
appears from the term Padshah which Rashiduddin applies to him. He had
at first obtained the sovereignty of the Keraits by the murder of two of
his brothers and several nephews.
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