::::::::::That's true. Also, since the Mongols didn't particularly care what the Franks thought, Jerusalem wasn't significant to them, and there were no Franks there in 1300, why does it matter in this article? I do understand why you want it here, I think - it's an interesting footnote. But since it may not have even happened, it does fit better in the article about the raids. (And no, you still don't need five references for something like this.) [[User:Adam Bishop|Adam Bishop]] ([[User talk:Adam Bishop|talk]]) 08:15, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
::::::::::That's true. Also, since the Mongols didn't particularly care what the Franks thought, Jerusalem wasn't significant to them, and there were no Franks there in 1300, why does it matter in this article? I do understand why you want it here, I think - it's an interesting footnote. But since it may not have even happened, it does fit better in the article about the raids. (And no, you still don't need five references for something like this.) [[User:Adam Bishop|Adam Bishop]] ([[User talk:Adam Bishop|talk]]) 08:15, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
:::::::::::: I went ahead and re-worked the Ghazan section, and added, "''The Mongols' success in Syria led to some wild rumors in Europe that the Mongols had successfully re-captured the Holy Land, and had even conquered the Mamluks in Egypt and were on a mission to conquer [[Tunisia]] in northern Africa. But in reality, all that was managed were some [[Mongol raids into Palestine]] in early 1300, which may or may not have even passed through Jerusalem itself. When the Egyptians again advanced from Cairo in May, the Mongols retreated without resistance.''" That should be sufficient, though if more detail is desired, it is better for the [[Mongol raids into Palestine]] article. --[[User:Elonka|El]][[User talk:Elonka|on]][[Special:Contributions/Elonka|ka]] 08:34, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
:::::::::::: I went ahead and re-worked the Ghazan section, and added, "''The Mongols' success in Syria led to some wild rumors in Europe that the Mongols had successfully re-captured the Holy Land, and had even conquered the Mamluks in Egypt and were on a mission to conquer [[Tunisia]] in northern Africa. But in reality, all that was managed were some [[Mongol raids into Palestine]] in early 1300, which may or may not have even passed through Jerusalem itself. When the Egyptians again advanced from Cairo in May, the Mongols retreated without resistance.''" That should be sufficient, though if more detail is desired, it is better for the [[Mongol raids into Palestine]] article. --[[User:Elonka|El]][[User talk:Elonka|on]][[Special:Contributions/Elonka|ka]] 08:34, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
::::::::::::* Elonka, this is '''wonderful!''' I am delighted and relieved to see that constructive dialogue is possible, and that we can improve these articles through exchange and understanding! My very best regards [[User:Per Honor et Gloria|''<b><Font color="#FF0000">Per </Font><Font color="#FF8000">Honor </Font><Font color="Orange">et </Font><Font color="#FFC000">Gloria</Font></b>'']] [[User talk:Per Honor et Gloria|<big>✍</big>]] 17:57, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
Revision as of 17:58, 9 February 2010
Franco-Mongol alliance is currently a World history good article nominee. Nominated by Elonka at 16:20, 7 January 2010 (UTC)
An editor has indicated a willingness to review the article in accordance with the good article criteria. Further reviews are welcome from any editor who has not contributed significantly to this article (or nominated it), and can be added to the review page, but the decision whether or not to list the article as a good article should be left to the first reviewer.
Franco-Mongol alliance is a former featured article candidate. Please view the links under Article milestones below to see why the nomination failed. For older candidates, please check the archive.
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Religion, a project to improve Wikipedia's articles on Religion-related subjects. Please participate by editing the article, and help us assess and improve articles to good and 1.0 standards, or visit the wikiproject page for more details.ReligionWikipedia:WikiProject ReligionTemplate:WikiProject ReligionReligion articles
This article is within the scope of the Military history WikiProject. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the project and see a list of open tasks. To use this banner, please see the full instructions.Military historyWikipedia:WikiProject Military historyTemplate:WikiProject Military historymilitary history articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Middle Ages, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of the Middle Ages on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Middle AgesWikipedia:WikiProject Middle AgesTemplate:WikiProject Middle AgesMiddle Ages articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject International relations, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of International relations on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.International relationsWikipedia:WikiProject International relationsTemplate:WikiProject International relationsInternational relations articles
Hydrae Capita: POV forks stemming from this article
As Ealdgyth has indicated above, the specious and idiosycratic POV represented in this article has extended further than those articles now being considered for deletion. Let us make a list so that these otherwise sound articles may be reviewed when conflicts are resolved. Aramgar (talk) 20:58, 18 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I agree that it's worthwhile to make a list of the articles that seem to have been the targets of biased editing. It appears that there has been an attempt to manipulate multiple articles, where biased information has been inserted in multiple locations, as a way for them all to reinforce each other. Some of these articles have now been nominated for deletion (see above threads), but others are going to require more careful review. I agree with Aramgar that we should make a list of all articles about which there may be concerns, so that we can either review them now, and/or, once we figure out how we'd like to proceed and what the consensus is, we can then work through the list to ensure that everything gets cleaned up as needed. --Elonka 23:51, 18 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Unfortunately it appears that the problem has expanded to a large number of articles. I was going to review them myself, but I think the problem is too large for one person. So here's what I'm doing: I've provided a list of articles below, which I identified as having either definitely been targeted, or may have been edited in a questionable way. What I'd like, is help checking each article. If you have reviewed an article and see no problems with it, meaning nothing that you think is controversial as regards a biased POV or undue weight issues, then simply cross out the article with <s> and </s> tags. If you review an article and see that it definitely needs work and/or attention, please bold the article name in this list. You may also wish to include a diff of an edit or two that you think are of concern. If you're not sure, or want a second opinion, either don't modify the article name, or maybe italicize it? And of course if you find other articles, feel free to add them to the list. If an article's status changes, or you disagree with another editor's review, we can pull those articles out of the list for special attention in a separate section, since they may need separate consensus discussions. Per common courtesy guidelines, if someone has flagged your own edits as something needing review, it's probably best if you don't challenge that, but instead allow another editor to then review the article and determine if its status needs to be changed.
Does that sound doable? --Elonka 22:43, 19 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]
(followup) Per the recent ArbCom request, this list will also be used for other PHG-edited articles which may have been the subject of biased editing or original research, even if they are in other topic areas. So any editor who identifies such an article, is encouraged to add it to the list. All editors are also encouraged to review items on the list, and if the articles have been fixed or are no longer considered to be problematic, please cross them off the list! Thanks, Elonka 16:41, 4 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]
List of articles for review
Articles that are in bold mean that they definitely have text which needs to be reviewed
Articles that are crossed out have been reviewed and/or fixed, and been determined to have nothing controversial as regards POV or WP:UNDUE questions
Articles in italics are ambiguous and need a second editor's opinion
The case is closely entwined with this article. And as for a central location, I fail to see how moving this list to a page that isn't on people's watchlists would be of any use. Better would be to focus efforts on getting the last remaining articles cleaned up. Once they're crossed off the list, we can move this whole section to archive, and move on to other tasks such as getting this article up to GA/FA standard. --Elonka 04:29, 25 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I just made some changes to Philip IV of France, cutting down the text of the mongol subtopic, and moving it to the bottom of the page. Could someone look it over for me, as I'm not very up on wiki markings for sources, etc. Want to make sure I didn't bork things. Thanks! 131.107.0.73 (talk) 16:00, 5 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Looks good to me, thanks for the help! :) I would like to get a double-check on the story of the elephant, since the current source for that one is a bit weak, but other than that all seems fine. --Elonka 16:03, 8 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I checked that reference out, it looks rather sketchy to me. There's no specific references given for any of the information in there, just a general bibliography (including only one biography on Philip) and most notably, has a gross factual error saying he succeeded his grandfather Louis IX of France to the throne.mistake on my part, misread. I'll check further, but it doesn't look like that reliable of a refrence to me (and is merely a synopsis of other works which should be used as sources, rather than a webpage). Gnarlyhotep (talk) 17:24, 10 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the help! I'd support removing the elephant story until/unless we can find a better source. I'd personally never heard that story, and I've done quite a bit of reading on Rabban bar Sauma. Then again, it may just be a detail that was missed in the sources I've read so far. Bar Sauma did bring many gifts ("enough for 30 riding animals") for the European monarchs, and I guess it's possible he may have brought a baby elephant with him. However, it's also possible that he brought a small statue of an elephant, and the story grew from "a statue" to a real elephant. --Elonka 19:09, 10 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Arbitration
This article, or rather, the conduct of the editors involved with it, is now being considered as the subject of a case by the Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee. It has not yet been decided whether or not the case will be accepted, but anyone who wishes to post a statement, is welcome to do so, at Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration#Franco-Mongol alliance. The decision will probably be made within the next couple days. If accepted, the case will probably take a couple months, and will go through evidence, workshop, and decision phases, but for now, preliminary statements are recommended. --Elonka 11:19, 27 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]
(update) The Arbitration case has been accepted, and opened.
If anyone has any questions, let me know, --Elonka 22:33, 5 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
(update) The Arbitration has moved to a "Voting" phase. This means that a Proposed Decision has been written, and can be viewed here. This is not final, as there will still be discussion among the arbitrators over the next few days. They will vote, amend, add, and/or debate the various principles and findings, and then eventually "move to close". If a majority of arbitrators agree that it's time to close, then those principles/findings with sufficient support, will be moved to the "final decision" section. Anyone with questions or comments, is welcome to post here or at the Decision talkpage. FYI, Elonka 00:17, 10 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]
ArbCom decision
(followup) The arbitration case has closed, and the final decision can be seen at that link. As a summary:
PHG (talk·contribs) is prohibited from editing articles relating to medieval or ancient history for a period of one year.
He is permitted to make suggestions on talk pages, provided that he interacts with other editors in a civil fashion.
He is reminded that in contributing to Wikipedia (including his talkpage contributions, contributions in other subject-matter areas, and contributions after the one-year editing restriction has expired), it is important that all sourced edits must fairly and accurately reflect the content of the cited work taken as a whole.
PHG is also reminded that Wikipedia is a collaborative project and it is essential that all editors work towards compromise and a neutral point of view in a good-faith fashion. When one editor finds themselves at odds with most other editors on a topic, it can be disruptive to continue repeating the same argument. After suggestions have been properly considered and debated, and possible options considered, if a consensus is clear, the collegial and cooperative thing to do is to acknowledge the consensus, and move on to other debates.
PHG is encouraged to continue contributing to Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects in other ways, including by suggesting topics for articles, making well-sourced suggestions on talkpages, and continuing to contribute free-content images to Wikimedia Commons.
Some of the threads on this page (from Franco-Mongol alliance issues to the "Mongol textiles" info) are being discussed with an arbitrator at the arbitration evidence talkpage. Any interested editors are invited to observe and/or comment. --Elonka 21:02, 23 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Depiction of Mongol officers in Italian art
Matyrdom of the Franciscans on their way to China.
A nice painting by Ambrogio Lorenzetti (1285-1348) showing the matyrdom of Franciscan friars on their way to China in 1321 Source. The painting contains depictions of Tartars wearing conical hats and viewing the martyrdom Source. These Fransciscans, on their way to China through India ([15]), were executed in 1321 in Thana on the island of Salsette near Bombay for allegedly insulting Islam ([16]). According to Rosamond E.Mack in Bazaar to Piazza, Islamic Trade and Italian Art 1300-1600 ISBN 0520221311 p.151 "The Mongol physiognomies of the ruler and two warriors wearing tall pointed hats, however, were probably observed among emissaries whom the Il-Khanids sent to Italy during the first decades of the fourteeth century. This hat with a neck-covered flap and feather on top accurately depicts the headgear of commanders of one thousand men in the Mongol army. Such headgear might even have been seen in Siena:perhaps Tommaso Ugi, a Sienese who had taken the name Tumen, had visited Siena when he accompanied the Il-Khanid emissaries in 1301"... This could be a nice addition to the article! Cheers PHG (talk) 20:25, 15 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for adding this image to the article! PHG (talk) 21:39, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Mongol script in Renaissance painting
There are interesting examples of the adoption of Mongol script in Renaissance paintings during the time of the Franco-Mongol alliance. Please feel free to include this paragraph into the article. Portions of the book by Mack (which I own) are visible here. Cheers PHG (talk) 16:06, 13 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Mongol script in Renaissance painting
Saint Jerome reading a pseudo-Mongol script, consisting of an imitation of blocks of 'Pags Pa, written horizontally rather than vertically. 1296-1300, Church of San Francesco Assisi.[s 1]
During the period of interaction between the Mongols and the West, from the late 13th century to early 14th century, some Italian painters incorporated Mongol script (particularly the 'Pags Pa) into their religious painting.[s 2] Examples can be seen especially in the frescos of the Upper Chruch of San Francesco at Assisi, or in the paintings of Giotto and related painters.[s 3]
The hem band on Giotto's Madonna and Child (1320-1330) is a mix of Arabic and Mongol script characteristic of Giotto.[s 4]
These inscriptions often imitated the Mongol 'Pags Pa, probably discovered by the artists through Mongol paper money or Paizu travel passes such as those Marco Polo was issued during his travels.[s 5] Frescos of Saint Jerome, Augustine and Pope Gregory I in the Church of San Francesco in Assisi (1296-1300) are known where they study books written in pseudo-Mongol.[s 6] The famous Renaissance painter Giotto and his pupils often combined Arabic and 'Pag Pa script in their paintings.[s 7] In Giotto's The Crucifixion (1304-1312/1313), soldiers wears dresses inscribed with pseudo-Mongol bands.[s 8] In Giotto's Madonna and Child (1320-1330), the Virgin Mary's robe is decorated with a hem in a mix of Arabic and Mongol script.[s 9]
Besides the influence of exchanges between the Western and Mongol realms during the period, the exact reason for the incorporation of Mongol script in early Renaissance painting is unclear. It seems that Westerners associated 13-14th century Middle-Eastern scripts (such as Mongol and Arabic) as being identical with the scripts current during Jesus's time, and thus found natural to represent early Chrsitians in association with them.[s 10] Another reason might be that artist wished to express a cultural universality for the Christian faith, by blending together various written languages, at a time when the church had strong international ambitions.[s 11]
Notes
^"Texts of Jerome (Fig.43; destroyed in the 1997 earthquake), Augustine, and Pope gregory I are written in squared units of vertical, horizontal, and curved strokes that can be called pseudo-Mongol. Though the artist has aligned the units horizontally on the page in Western style, the script itself imitates 'Pags Pa, which is written vertically", Mack, p.52
^"During the Pax Mongolica a few Italian painters imitated a Mongol script called 'Pag Pa", Mack p.51
^"The Assisi painters, and Giotto as is shown below, were imitating a Mongol script before 1307, when reports of Friar John of Montecorvino's success in Beijing arrived in the West, precipitating major missionary efforts in central Asia and China" Mack, p.51
^"The texts of Jerome (Fig.43, destroyed in teh 1997 earthquake), Augustine and Pope Gregory I are written in squared units of vertical, horizontal, and curved strokes that can be called pseudo-Mongol. Though the artist has aligned the units horizontally on the page in Western style, the script itself imitates 'Pags Pa, which is written vertically" in Mack, p.52
^"Because the Arabic and 'Pag Pa were associated with the Holy Land and the Early Christian Era, the frames could emphasize the origin and age of the images they surround. Perhaps they marked the imagery of a universal faith, an artistic intention consistent with the Church's contemporary international program." Mack, p.69
References
Mack, Rosamond E. Bazaar to Piazza: Islamic Trade and Italian Art, 1300-1600, University of California Press, 2001 ISBN 0520221311
The use of eastern scripts in Byzantine art, usually referred to as pseudo-Kufic, is quite common. Examples dating from at least the ninth century appear in specifically Christian contexts. This sort of borrowing is hardly limited to 13th and 14th century Italy. These Mongol-inspired examples are certainly interesting but making much of them in the context of a supposed Franco-Mongol alliance is a clear case of WP:UNDUE and skirts the edge of WP:SYN. And I have to ask how does this section fit into the scope of the article. Are we striving to document every Mongol-Eropean connection no matter how obscure. Aramgar (talk) 21:10, 13 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Where, Aramgar, would you put it, if not here? I would just like to know, I'm not disputing your assessment. Srnec (talk) 02:48, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I was surprised that Wikipedia has no article no article on Pseudo-Kufic. 'Pag Pa is not a Semetic script, but its use in the Italian paintings described by Rosamond Mack is squarely in that tradition. The Mongol-inspired pseudo-script is certainly an interesting and notable variation. User:Kafka Liz has expressed an interest in creating this article. She would be happy to use PHG's material. Aramgar (talk) 03:56, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I certainly hope so! And I'm sure PHG will agree that this is a good solution. Srnec (talk) 05:07, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I am glad that you like the material, and I would be delighted if we could use it somewhere else! The tradition described here is not really related to Byzantine art, but rather to Renaissance art however. And as Aramgar pointed out, Mongol scripts such as 'Pags Pa are not Kufic at all, so I am not sure it would be wise to incorporate them in a Pseudo-Kufic article (which would be amazingly interesting in its own right!). How about an article on "Oriental scripts in Renaissance painting", which could be a nice succession to the Pseudo-Kufic article? I will gladly write such an article when I have the time and opportunity! Cheers PHG (talk) 06:46, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Early Renaissance painters, or rather Italian painters working in the 13th and 14th centuries, were using an iconography developed in Byzantium. The fact that 'Pags Pa and Kufic are unrelated was of no concern to the painters who employed them. "Oriental scripts in Renaissance painting" would not be an appropriate title as the tradition begins in 9th century Byzantium and arguably extends well into the Northern Renaissance. Early examples of eastern scripts used in Christian contexts include the well known churches of Hosios Loukas and the 11th century church in Athens dedicated to the Metamorphosis. The Italian painters discussed by Mack were only continuing the Byzantine tradition but with more recent exotic scripts. Aramgar (talk) 07:26, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It's just that mixing all regions and periods and putting all this under Pseudo-Kufic sounds a bit inexact... Whatever the numerous connections, Byzantine is not Renaissance, Kufic is not Mongol, Middle-Ages is not Renaissance, and vice-versa :) How about an article on Pseudo-Kufic in Byzantine art on the one hand, and an article on Oriental scripts in Renaissance art on the other? Cheers PHG (talk) 07:56, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The connection between Byzantine iconography and the religious art of the early Italian Renaissance is quite real and basic to understanding this particular issue. If you refuse to acknowledge this, we have nothing more to discuss. Regards, Aramgar (talk) 08:07, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I certainly do not deny the importance of the connections between Byzantine and Renaissance (have I ever said such a thing? quite the contrary, just see my previous post). The issue is that a "Pseudo-Kufic" title certainly does not cover the variety of scripts that have been used (not only Kufic, but also Mongol), hence the proposal to have two articles that refer to different times, spaces, and content. But frankly, do as you wish, I don't really mind. Cheers PHG (talk) 08:22, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Mongol textiles in Renaissance art
The diplomatic contacts between the West and the Mongols during the period of the Franco-Mongol alliance (or "attempts towards an alliance") directly led to the arrival of Mongol Empire textiles in the West, which were to prove vastly influential in Italian art in the 14th century. Feel free to include this material in the article, or anywhere else :) The references from Mack Bazaar to Piazza: Islamic Trade and Italian Art, 1300-1600 are available on Google Books: p.16p.17p.18p.35p.37p.39. Cheers PHG (talk) 11:58, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Around 1300, an influx of Mongol Empire textiles found their way to Italy, and were to prove quite influential in Italian art,[t 2]. These textiles even revolutionized Italian textile designs.[t 3] Between 1265 to 1308, communications between Western and Il-Khanid rulers led to numerous exchanges of people and presents, as when about 100 Mongols in Mongol dress visited Rome for the Papal Jubilee in 1300.[t 4] Large quantities of panni tartarici (Tatar cloth) were repertoried in the Papal inventory of 1295, and must have been diplomatic gifts from the Il-Khanate.[t 5] Later on Western merchants were also able to purchase such textiles from Tabriz, and the Mongol capital of Sultaniya, established by Öljaitü between 1305 and 1313, and until the capture of the Cilician Armenia harbour of Ayas by the Mamluks in 1347.[t 6] The Tatar cloths were a produce of transcultural exchange under Mongol rule.[t 7]
Pope Boniface VIII at the 1300 jubilee with a "Tartar cloth" in front of him, with a "rythmic Sino-Mongolian pattern".[t 8]Fig. 28: Chinese types of floral design are visible in the mantles of Christ and Mary in Coronation of the Virgin by Paolo Veneziano (circa 1350).[t 9]Fig. 160: Ambrogio Lorenzetti's (1285–1348) depiction of the martyrdom of some Franciscans on their way to China accurately portrays the garb of a Mongol commander of a thousand (conical hat with the feather).[t 10] Mack notes the "Mongol figures and costumes" in the painting.[t 11]
The Mongol Empire textiles started to have a strong impact on Italian textile design from around 1330.[t 12] A type of Tartar cloth that was adopted in the West consisted in small-pattern designs in dense composition. This sort of textile is represented in the clothing of the angel Gabriel in The Annunciation by Simone Martini (1333).[t 13]
Other designs involved naturally flowing compositions of flowers and vines with fantastic animals.[t 14] Such a textile is depicted as the background curtain in Giotto's Coronation of the Virgin (circa 1330), the earliest such depiction of a Tartar cloth.[t 15] Chinese types of floral designs were also adopted, as visible in the mantles of Christ and Mary in Coronation of the Virgin by Paolo Veneziano (circa 1350).[t 16]
References
Mack, Rosamond E. Bazaar to Piazza: Islamic Trade and Italian Art, 1300-1600, University of California Press, 2001 ISBN 0520221311
Notes
^Mack, p.35-36. "A well-documented example of a delayed but creative Italian response to the new Tatar cloths is that of the tiny-pattern design, in which small leaves or plants and animals rythmically organized in dense, allower composition. (...) During the early fouteenth century, the Angevins of Naples donated numerous Tatar cloths, including velvets, to San Franceso at Assisi. Since Simone excecuted the painting in Naples, the Tatar cloths, as well as Oriental carpets -also the earliest in Italian painting- and a particular crozier in Figure 65 probably represent prized artifacts at king Robert's court. Later Simone brillantly captured the vibrant shimmering effect of the tiny pattern on a white ground in the archangel Gabriel's robe in the Annunciation painted for the cathedral of Sienna in 1333 (Fig. 23)" – Mack, p.35
^"The Pax Mongolica brought an influx of influential "Tatar" textiles into Italy about 1300 (see for example Fig. 22, 25, 32) and left its mark on fourteenth-century Italian art in Mongol figures, costumes (see Fig. 160), and script (see Fig. 43, 49) in paintings and in references to monuments along the caravan routes on the facades of the Doge's Palace in Venice (see Fig. 10)" in Mack, p.18
^"The fabrics that revolutionized Italian textile design beginning about the 1330s were the Tatar cloths arriving from Central Asia and Syria during the Pax Mongolica. Though they were foremost among imports in the Papal collections, probably thanks to diplomatic gifts from the Il-Khanids of Persia, the new imports attracted no attention from Italian painters for two more decades and from local designers for three.", in Mack, p.35
^Mack p.35: "Tatars cloths were themselves products of transcultural exchange. As the nomadic Mongol warriors became imperial rulers, they adopted many aspects of the sophisticated textile cultures in conquered Islamic lands and developed a preference for silk lavishly ornamented with gold threads. Customarily, the Mongols spared skilled weavers -both Muslim and Chinese- from the sword, distributed them as booty, and transported them to new workshops scattered accross the empire. Captive artisans served royal courts, the military and government officials, who were often recruited from the conquered. For example, it is known that Herati and Chinese craftsmen worked together, and some Herati were sent back to their homes in eastern Persia (now Afghanistan). The cultural mix among the imperial elite and the craftmen working for them resulted in a rich and distinctive blend of Islamic and Chinese techniques and patterns."
^"In this fragment of the fresco, attributed to Giotto, Pope Boniface VIII proclaims the jubilee year of 1300. Over the balcony is a "Tartar cloth", one of the many silks presented by the Persian Mongol ruler, and distinguished by its rythmic Sino-Mongolian pattern" "Silk" p.41 [1].
^Rosamond E. Mack, Bazaar to Piazza: Islamic Trade and Italian Art 1300–1600 (ISBN 0520221311), p. 151: "The Mongol physiognomies of the ruler and two warriors wearing tall pointed hats, however, were probably observed among emissaries whom the Il-Khanids sent to Italy during the first decades of the fourteeth century. This hat with a neck-covered flap and feather on top accurately depicts the headgear of commanders of one thousand men in the Mongol army. Such headgear might even have been seen in Siena: perhaps Tommaso Ugi, a Sienese who had taken the name Tumen, had visited Siena when he accompanied the Il-Khanid emissaries in 1301."
^"Mongol figures, costumes (see Fig. 160)", Mack, p.18
Will you never learn what undue weight means? This is at best material for an extra sentence or two in International Gothic#Peak of the movement (not Renaissance), which already mentions exotic influences in artistic works of the period (neither limited to Italy, nor to Mongol/Chinese influences). And you seem to keep misrepresenting sources. Just one example of several: How on earth do you arrive from "an influx" (in the citation) to "large quantities" (in your text)? --Latebird (talk) 14:10, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well, according to the dictionary influx means "A mass arrival or incoming / an arrival of something in great quantities or numbers" [17], so I am afraid that "Large quantities" is quite exact. Sorry if that seems to upset you. Regards PHG (talk) 14:58, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
That's only one of several possible interpretations of the term, and you are cherry picking this one to make it sound more dramatic. A clear case of Original interpretationnot directly supported by the source. --Latebird (talk) 15:24, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Dear Latebird. I'm afraid "influx" clearly has the nuance of a massive flow of something [18]. See also [19]: "1. arrival in large numbers: a sudden arrival of a large number of people or things 2. inflow: a flowing in, especially of a stream or river"... so we are clearly not talking about anything like a trickle :) Also, Mack clearly writes that "The fabrics that revolutionized Italian textile design beginning about the 1330s were the Tatar cloths arriving from Central Asia and Syria during the Pax Mongolica", p.35. She therefore clearly means that this was a momentous phenomenon. This is what the source says. If it can please you, I'd be fine with writing "quantities" rather than "large quantities": no problem with that :) Bye for now. PHG (talk) 15:47, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You could just quote "influx" directly and avoid this whole problem. Adam Bishop (talk) 15:52, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Wonderful! I'll do just that. Best regards PHG (talk) 15:55, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Sure, that could be a great article really. Cheers PHG (talk) 20:21, 14 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion elsewhere has led to a detailed analysis of the text proposed above and how it relates (or doesn't) to the cited source. --Latebird (talk) 12:24, 24 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Mongol allies
The article currently says "Traditionally, the Mongols tended to see outside parties as either subjects, or enemies, with little room in the middle for something such as an ally." without citation. My reading in Mongol history suggests that they did have a place for allies, and that not all allies ended up as subjects. I don't have specific citations at hand, but at this time, c.1260, wasn't the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia allied with the Mongols? ---Bejnar (talk) 00:22, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
The citation for that particular comment is from Peter Jackson's Mongols and the West. I don't have the book in front of me, but can dig up an exact page number if you'd like one, probably from the chapter "An Ally Against Islam". It is true that the exact designator of Armeno-Mongol relations gets described in different ways. Some historians refer to it as an alliance, but (as I read it) this is usually as a shorthand term when they're giving it a passing mention, and then if you dig in deeper and see how they describe it when they're being more detailed, they're careful to describe it as a vassal or "submitted" relationship, rather than a true alliance. For specific quotes on how the relationship has been described by various historians, see User:Elonka/Mongol historians#Cilician Armenia. --Elonka 16:09, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I am afraid that the above "Some historians refer to it as an alliance, but (as I read it) this is usually as a shorthand term when they're giving it a passing mention, and then if you dig in deeper and see how they describe it when they're being more detailed, they're careful to describe it as a vassal or "submitted" relationship, rather than a true alliance." is a personal interpretation. To impose such a view would require establishing that this is a view is widely held by specialists, and until then, should probably not justify painting the Armenia-Mongol relationship as a "submitted" relationship" only. PHG (talk) 21:09, 23 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Automated peer review
The following suggestions were generated by a semi-automatic javascript program, and might not be applicable for the article in question.
You may wish to consider adding an appropriate infobox for this article, if one exists relating to the topic of the article. [?] (Note that there might not be an applicable infobox; remember that these suggestions are not generated manually)
Per Wikipedia:Manual of Style (headings), headings generally should not repeat the title of the article. For example, if the article was Ferdinand Magellan, instead of using the heading ==Magellan's journey==, use ==Journey==.[?]
Please make the spelling of English words consistent with either American or British spelling, depending upon the subject of the article. Examples include: honour (B) (American: honor), neighbor (A) (British: neighbour), favorite (A) (British: favourite), organize (A) (British: organise), realize (A) (British: realise), categorize (A) (British: categorise), ization (A) (British: isation), isation (B) (American: ization), gray (A) (British: grey), program (A) (British: programme), programme (B) (American: program ).
Watch for redundancies that make the article too wordy instead of being crisp and concise. (You may wish to try Tony1's redundancy exercises.)
Vague terms of size often are unnecessary and redundant - “some”, “a variety/number/majority of”, “several”, “a few”, “many”, “any”, and “all”. For example, “All pigs are pink, so we thought of a number of ways to turn them green.”
Avoid misplaced formality: “in order to/for” (-> to/for), “thereupon”, “notwithstanding”, etc.
Sorry I've been avoiding this article - I probably could have helped out a lot earlier. But it definitely has improved since the last time I looked at it a couple of years ago. The length, details, layout, prose, all that looks fine now. I have a few comments but no major issues. I'll list them by section or subsection:
Early contacts - The phrase "natural human desire" for a Christian hero sounds odd the way it is written. I'm sure there is a natural desire for a hero, but not necessarily a Christian one, except by other Christians, right?
Antioch - The Principality of Antioch had existed for well over 100 years at this point, more like 170. Also, we could link Allah Akbar, and Tripoli needs to be disambiguated (either to Tripoli, Lebanon, or, better, County of Tripoli.
Fall of Baghdad - I think this is a remnant of PHG's system of referencing. Why not just quote "never again to dominate civilization" directly? It is not immediately obvious in the text that this is Runciman's opinion, and it is quite a bold statement.
Incidents - Bekaa should be linked to Beqaa Valley
Abaqa - I don't know if this incident is normally referred to as an "Aragonese Crusade", but the one we have an article for is something else entirely, a political crusade in Spain later in the thirteenth century.
Ghazan - More remnants of PHG using French names - Beyrouth is Beirut, Damas is Damascus.
I am still somewhat concerned with the use of Grousset, Runciman, and Maalouf as sources. Grousset and Runciman are very old and out of date. They are often reprinted because they wrote well and are easy for non-specialists to read, but as much as they wrote great literature, they did not write good history that stands up to modern scrutiny. But in cases where their personal opinions are quoted, they are alright, as long as they are indentified as such (like the "never to dominate civilization" quote above). Maalouf is kind of useful, in the sense that some of things he translates may not be available anywhere else. but in general he is certainly no historian and I think we would be wise to use another source. Lastly, Riley-Smith's Atlas of the Crusades is originally an English publication, and since this is the English Wikipedia it would make more sense to use that.
Otherwise, it looks good, and I am sorry I was reluctant to re-read this article for so long and to participate in the FA discussion. If this were for FA, I would suggest more background about where the Mongols, Mamluks, Ayyubids, and Crusaders came from, but that is not so important at the moment.
Thanks very much for the review! It's a pleasure to deal with a reviewer who really knows about the subject matter. I've gone ahead and fixed all of the bullet points that you mentioned above. As for the sourcing, I got rid of the French Riley-Smith, and have started to replace the Grousset/Runciman refs, but it's going to take some time to find replacements for each one. Are there any in particular which you feel are most egregious, as GA-blockers? --Elonka 08:44, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I'll take a closer look at them. Sometimes I'm sure they're fine...Runciman has an active imagination sometimes, but he's not automatically a problem. The problem is not really that Runciman or Grousset are inherently unreliable on this subject, it's just that pointing a reader to those sources might also introduce them to errors elsewhere in those works. Anything in Runciman or Grousset should also be found in a more up-to-date work like Tyerman or Jean Richard, and then a reader will have the added benefit of reading a modern work with up-to-date research. But in some contexts they are fine - what is currently note 122, for example, is okay because that section lists various opinions on the alliance, Runciman's included. One that does stick out is note 16, "The Real History Behind the Templars", because it is a general statement that doesn't really have anything to do with the Templars, anything that claims to be a "real history" (especially of the Templars) makes me suspicious, and there are more reputable academic sources (like Malcolm Barber who is referenced later on). Also the four refs in note 13, from Wilkinson - who is that guy? It's just a report, just like this article, a tertiary source at best. What are that guy's sources? Adam Bishop (talk) 22:13, 3 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Done. Good points. I've gone through the remaining citations in detail, pulling out anything that looked questionable, and upgrading all the other citations I could, to modern reputable sources. There's always the possibility I missed something (it's a complex article!), so if you see anything else you'd like changed, let me know? --Elonka 20:37, 14 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The lead
I found this article on GAN, and have no expertise in the subject matter, but it seems to this lay reader that it does not conform to WP:LEAD. Instead of beginning with a definition of the article title, the opening paragraph launches into a lengthy discussion of how such an alliance might have been a possibility, before finally telling us that it never got off the ground. I don't think the lead adequately summarizes the article, an account of complex and varied relations between the Christian kingdoms and the Ilkhanate. The article seems to be mis-titled, skewing the lead. (Yes, I know the article has a troubled history.) Kanguole 00:40, 11 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for helping! That's a good point about the lead, and I went ahead and reworked it. Please take another look if you have an opportunity? --Elonka 04:53, 11 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Good comment User:Kanguole. The Franco-Mongol alliance[20], or Frank-Mongol alliance [21], is a subject of academic inquiry, with a huge quantity of works commenting on it. The Mongols and the Franks made numerous agreements between each other over a period of 40 years to fight the Mamluks (what defines an alliance: "an agreement between two or more parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests" [22]]) with actual combined operations taking place despite the difficulties and distances, as when Samagar under Abaqa Khan moved to the support of Edward I at his own request, [23] or when the Cypriots and Templars went to the Island of Ruad to join with the forces of Ghazan in 1299-1300 [24], all quite amazing rapprochements in themselves. Granted, the alliance was not perfect, it was fledgling, sporadic, difficult, sometimes half-hearted etc... and ultimately the Mamluks won, so it is clear that the difficult alliance ended in military defeat. Now, this article has been the subject of lots of polemics, and therefore sometimes sounds editorial and argumentative rather than factual, trying to deny the alliance rather than explain its modalities. I do think we could be more matter-of-factly in just reporting the instances of interactions and agreements, as well as the tactical and strategic movements that actually occurred to cooperate militarily. Cheers Per Honor et Gloria✍ 05:25, 11 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you both for the gracious welcome. I think the opening paragraph still approaches its subject obliquely. WP:LEAD suggests that an article like this begin with a sentence like "The Franco-Mongol alliance was ...", which would briefly say who, when and to what purpose. Is there a scholarly consensus for such a definition? PHG gives a possible definition above: "numerous agreements between [the Mongols and Franks] over a period of 40 years to fight the Mamluks", but that implies that "alliance" in the singular is inappropriate, especially as these agreements involved different Christian kingdoms at different times. Kanguole 14:25, 11 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Well, the consensus of modern historians is that there really wasn't an alliance... It was best described as a series of attempts, that never came to fruition. To see exactly who said what, you may wish to check here: User:Elonka/Mongol historians. If you have any ideas on how best to word the opening sentence, we're listening! :) --Elonka 15:02, 11 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I don't know the area, but I think it would be easier to complete the sentence "X was ..." if X were something that modern historians agree existed. Kanguole 18:18, 11 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I fully agree that it is better to start by describing what the Franco-Mongol alliance is, rather than what it is not. I also fully agree that starting with "The Franco-Mongol alliance is...." is the proper way to comply with WP:LEAD. Let me try a few attempts: :-)
A Franco-Mongol alliance, or at least attempts towards such an alliance, took place between the mid-13th and early 14th centuries, starting around the time of the Seventh Crusade.
A Franco-Mongol alliance was attempted, and only achieved to a limited extent, between the mid-13th and early 14th centuries, starting around the time of the Seventh Crusade.
The Franco-Mongol alliance consisted in a diplomatic and military rapprochement between the Crusader Franks and the Mongols, against the Muslim Mamluks, between the mid-13th and early 14th centuries, starting around the time of the Seventh Crusade.
I kind of like solution 3) as hopefully nobody is going to dispute the existence of the diplomatic and military rapprochement between the Franks and the Mongols at the very least. We can then describe the authors who say the alliance was full-fledged, and those who say it was minimal to non-existent. Cheers Per Honor et Gloria✍ 17:51, 11 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Well only the third of those is a definition, but is this definition supported by the scholarly consensus? Kanguole 18:18, 11 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
It's easy to play on the ambiguity of the word "alliance", and to mix-up the existence of an alliance with the nature of its outcome, but fundamentally I think all historians agree that there was "an agreement between two or more parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests" (Definition of "alliance"), that is, that the Crusaders and the Mongols passed agreements and moved troops to coordinate their actions for the fight against the Mamluks: this belongs to undisputable historical facts, proved by letters, embassies and historical military records. But I also think that all historians agree that this amazing adventure ended in failure, defeat, was fruitless etc... Saying that an alliance was "fruitless" or "failed" certainly does not mean that there was no alliance, just that the alliance ended in failure, just as the German-Japanese Pact existed, but ended in failure. To me, this is most sensibly explained by historian Andrew Jotischky who describes "an uneasy series of temporary alliances with the Mongols [which] followed in the second half of the thirteenth century, but it was always an unequal relationship, and nothing substancial came of any of them."Crusading and the crusader states p.239. Now, a few historians use the word rapprochement, so it might be fair to explicit the term "alliance" by saying it was rapprochement between the Mongols and the Crusaders (hence proposal 3), but that, clearly, it ended in failure. Cheers Per Honor et Gloria✍ 18:53, 11 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Done. I've reworked the lead (which is definitely supported by scholarly consensus, see User:Elonka/Mongol historians and the various discussions at the talkpage). If you'd like any other changes, let me know? --Elonka 20:37, 14 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the invitation to comment. That's much better! I DID think that your threat to pursue me if I contributed was unreasonnable (if not unethical). By the way, your " Done" reminds me of our first encounter three years ago when you slapped me with a "Please don't reply to me with "Done""[25] Double standards ? :-)
I think User:Kanguole's question about the intro phrase is not addressed: the intro should be "The Franco-Mongol alliance was..." per WP:LEAD. I made a few proposals above, which I think are reasonnable.
I think the intro (and the article) focuses too much on what the alliance was not, rather than what it was: so many specifics of the alliance, actual instances of collaboration have been wiped out, such as the Demurger quote about the Templars and Hospitallers collaborating to Ghazan's offensive, which you erased today. Rather than just keep saying that the alliance bore little fruit, we should highlight what these little fruits actually were, rather than delete them.
There are some quite meaningless rethoretical phrases ("weasel phrases"?) in the intro such as The most successful points of both collaboration and non-collaboration between the Mongols and the Christians: I don't know what a successful point of non-collaboration is...
PHG, I was not replying to you. It was my understanding that you and your mentor Angusmclellan had discussed this, and you were going to avoid participation here, due to past problems with POV pushing and misuse of sources.[26][27] Instead, I was replying to the other GA reviewers here. Please stop trying to use this GA nom as a way to get your "There was an alliance" POV back into the article. The clear consensus of modern historians is that the best description of the situation is that it was a series of unsuccessful attempts. Please respect the academic consensus, and the consensus of Wikipedia editors who have been working on the article. --Elonka 16:32, 15 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
You indented from my paragraph, and you asked me "If you'd like any other changes, let me know?"... that's the way we make replies on Wikipedia. Per Honor et Gloria✍ 20:15, 15 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I'm afraid that I think the opening paragraph still does not conform to WP:MOSBEGIN, because it does not clearly define the topic or indicate its context. Being more explicit early on about who, where and what would help, but that leaves the fundamental difficulty of trying to define something that the article says did not exist. Kanguole 17:41, 26 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Well, we've re-worked the lead several times... If you don't think it's sufficient, that's fine, but could you please offer a suggestion of what you think might be better? --Elonka 18:33, 26 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
As proposed above "The Franco-Mongol alliance consisted in a diplomatic and military rapprochement between the Crusader Franks and the Mongols, against the Muslim Mamluks, between the mid-13th and early 14th centuries, starting around the time of the Seventh Crusade." sounds to me like a very good option, being quite precise regarding the actual nature and extent of the alliance. Cheers Per Honor et Gloria✍ 21:22, 26 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
There has been a lot of discussion here but nothing has been marked on the GAN page. What is the status? --Mcorazao (talk) 03:28, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
It looks like just comments but no formal review. Jezhotwells (talk) 10:13, 11 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Opening
I have read the introduction to the Article. The opening statements seems to make conclusions without giving specifics. Such at the Mongols and Christians established a relationship. What kind, specifically, and where? Then the assumption that Mongols and Christians would naturally want an alliance, in my opinion, is an interpretation rather then a historical examination. {Cmguy777 (talk) 01:52, 29 March 2010 (UTC)}[reply]
I'm not entirely clear on what you think needs to be changed? The relationship between the Mongols and Christians was definitely ambiguous. They spent decades trying to form an alliance, but the attempts were unsuccessful. Then the Franco-Mongol alliance article itself goes into the detail about the various attempts, and the reasons for failure. As for naturally wanting an alliance, this is the way that historians tend to word the relationship, such as the Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire which says, "Despite numerous envoys and the obvious logic of an alliance against mutual enemies, the papacy and the Crusaders never achieved the often-proposed alliance against Islam". --Elonka 05:27, 29 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Review by mcorazao
I'll go ahead and take this one. At a glance the article looks to be GA quality but I have not gone through it in detail yet. --Mcorazao (talk) 19:08, 11 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Taking a quick glance it looks like there may be some problems with images. For example, File:Hulagu Baghdad 1258.jpg has a link to the source but the details of the source are not provided. A couple of the self-created images are a bit terse on the ownership and creation (e.g. mentioning that the image was modified from another image but not specifying that other image or its licensing). --Mcorazao (talk) 19:18, 11 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
There are some areas where the prose could be improved (see below for examples). Also the citations should be at the end of the sentences, not in the middle.
Done. Citations moved, and I fixed any awkward sentences that I could find (though it helps to have other eyes review it, too). -Elonka 00:31, 23 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The Mongols, once they understood the European motivations, capitalized on this, promising that if the Europeans cooperated with the Mongols, then if Jerusalem was reconquered, the Mongols would return it to the Christians. - Too many clauses stuck together in one sentence.
Traditionally, the Mongols tended to see outside parties as either subjects or enemies, with little room in the middle for something such as an ally. - "Something" is an odd choice of word here.
Done changed "something" to "a concept". --Elonka 04:20, 19 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The southwestern section, known as the Ilkhanate, was under the leadership of Genghis Khan's grandson Hulagu, who continued to support his brother the Great Khan, and was therefore at war with the Golden Horde, while simultaneously continuing an advance towards Persia and the Holy Land. - Too many clauses stuck together.
The loss of Jerusalem also revived hope in the Europeans that the Mongols, who had Nestorian Christians among them and had brought so much destruction to Islam, could be converted to Western Christianity and become allies of Christendom. - "in the Europeans" should perhaps be "among the Europeans". "brought so much destruction to Islam" is a melodramatic statement and is not particularly NPOV.
However, the mainstream view of historians is that though there were many attempts at forming an alliance, that the attempts proved unsuccessful. - The last "that" appears to be extraneous.
After Jerusalem had been lost to Saladin in 1187, and the Crusaders fought an ever more desperate battle against the advancing forces from Egypt, it became harder and harder to drum up enthusiasm for the Crusades back in Europe. - Writing is a little loose and informal. Maybe something more like "After the loss of Jerusalem to Saladin in 1187 and an increasingly bleak situation for the Crusaders in Egypt, enthusiasm for the Crusades waned in Europe."
Done. I completely reworked the beginning of the #Hulagu section in the article. --Elonka 04:50, 19 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
A certain amount of military collaboration between the Christians and the Mongols did not really take place until 1258-1260, when the forces of Bohemond VI of Antioch, Hethum I of Armenia and the Christian Georgians combined forces with the Mongols under the leader of the Mongol Ilkhanate, Hulagu, a grandson of Genghis Khan. - Strangely phrased. "A certain amount ... did not really take place"? Also the redundant use of "forces" is odd.
I agree that the formulation is odd. A more straightforward sentence would be, I guess, A certain amount of military collaboration between the Christians and the Mongols too place in 1258-1260, when the forces of Bohemond VI of Antioch, Hethum I of Armenia and the Christian Georgians combined with the Mongols under the leader of the Mongol Ilkhanate, Hulagu, a grandson of Genghis Khan...Per Honor et Gloria✍ 06:22, 13 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Done, as part of the above-mentioned re-work of the Hulagu section. --Elonka 04:50, 19 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The Reasons for failure section starts most of the paragraphs with sentences containing "also" or "another". I'd get rid of that wording and just introduce the ideas independently.
See Abate History in Dispute: The Crusades, 1095-1291 where the question that is debated is, "Would a Latin-Ilkhan Mongol alliance have strengthened and preserved the Crusader States?'" - page numbers?
Done. Fixed. --Elonka 04:20, 19 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Some cases of books details being presented in the Notes section instead of the References section, e.g. Inner Asia: Uralic and Altaic series, Culture and customs of Iran. If the two sections are going to be separate (which is best) then book details should be kept in the References.
Done. Sorry, had already done this, but forgot to tag it as completed. --Elonka 16:48, 27 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Additional notes (not necessary for GA):
Images should be staggered (left-right-left-right).
Also some of the images are layed out a little funny crossing section boundaries at odd places and forcing text to separate. The layout could be cleaned up a little.
The book references should include the location of publication (i.e. the city).
My personal opinion is that having level 4 headers (====header====) or deeper is generally a bad idea. It makes the organization harder to follow.
I think I have given enough to work on. I'm going to stop further reviewing at this point. The article looks good in general. Obviously lots of research has gone into it. The writing is mostly good but some proof-reading to address things like the above would be good.
I'll leave this open for a little while longer. --Mcorazao (talk) 21:05, 13 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you very much for the thorough review. I believe that all major issues have been addressed, plus I've done some work on moving images around, and work is ongoing about adding location of publication for all of the many many references. We'll make sure to get that done before submitting for FA. But for GA status, I think the article well meets the standard at this point. If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask, --Elonka 00:52, 25 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Folks, a GA review is not the place for these sorts of debates. A short discussion on the question was reasonable here but the detailed debate is not. I'd recommend moving this discussion to the talk page.
To the commentators here, is anybody actually opposing the GA nomination?
Nope, especially with the improvements already made as a result of comments here, I support the nomination. Shellbabelfish 22:39, 28 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
No objection here. I think the article easily meets GA standards at this point. --Elonka 22:42, 28 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Final review
I want to read over once more to be thorough but I think it is GA ready. --Mcorazao (talk) 23:28, 28 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I have undone the most recent expansion of the article,[28] because it seems to be an attempt to restore undue weight to the concept of an alliance between the Europeans and the Mongols. I am also concerned by the recent attempts to further expand the article, which seem to just be a way to restore the information which was removed two years ago. Looking at the history of the article, it's clear that PHG (now Per Honor et Gloria) is just coming in once a day and pumping another 1-2K of information back in every 24 hours or so, but this is probably not wise. As is shown by the comments of the GA reviewer above, the length of the article is fine. PHG, I understand that your ArbCom-imposed topic ban has expired, but it would probably be best if you avoided re-inserting previously deleted information to this article. Let's concentrate on getting what's there now up to a better standard, such as to improve the citations, and replace the Runciman/Grousset sources with more modern works. --Elonka 21:10, 8 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Elonka. Here is the sentence you just removed, which I took pains to document (according to your own formating recommendation) with online references. It describes in a concise manner the Mongol invasion of the Holy Land after the Battle of Wadi al-Khazandar, which is currently missing from the article, and is quite important, and mentionned in most books on the subject. I believe it deserves being mentionned in this article if it is to be informative on the subject in any way. I also believe it is fairly balanced in presenting the various positions on the subject, and incorporating many of your views. Cheers Per Honor et Gloria✍ 21:26, 8 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
"The Mongols then overran Palestine as far as Gaza and occupied the Holy Land for a few months,.[1][2][3] temporarily occupying Jerusalem,[4][5] or not,[6][7] before departing in May 1300.[1] These events led to greatly exaggerated accounts of a permanent reconquest of the Holy Land by the Mongols, and the myth that Jerusalem was ready to be, or had already been,[8] remitted to the Christians.[2][9][10]"
^"En Décembre 1299, il [Ghazan] vainc les Mamelouks lors de la deuxième bataille d'Homs et s'empare de Damas, et même de Jérusalem" in Les Templiers Alain Demurger 2007 Editions Gisserot ISBN 2877479552 p.84 (English: "In December 1299, he [Ghazan] vanquished the Mamluks in the second battle of Homs et captured Damascus, and even Jerusalem")
No. We already went through this, we had RfCs, a mediation, we went through an entire ArbCom case which resulted in your being completely banned from the entire topic area of medieval history for over a year. It is extremely concerning that now that your topic ban is up, you are returning to the same POV-pushing about a Mongol occupation of Jerusalem. Please, stop. You are welcome to help with article cleanup, especially improving citations. And images. You're great at finding images. But when it comes to rewriting the definition of the alliance, or the alleged occupation of Jerusalem, please let other editors handle those parts. --Elonka 21:37, 8 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
You are welcome to help with article cleanup, especially improving citations. And images. You're great at finding images. Many attempts were made towards forming an Elonka-PHG alliance... Haukur (talk) 23:35, 8 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Dear Elonka, it is hard to understand why you have such a prejudice about the notion of the Mongols raiding Jerusalem. Granted, it is an issue that is debated by historians, but nothing prohibits us from presenting both views. Have you seen the words of Reuven Amitai on the subject in The Mongols in the Islamic lands: studies in the history of the Ilkhanate, p.216 (Ashgate/Variorum, 2007, ISBN 0754659143):
""...They entered Jerusalem and enslaved and looted" There is little doubt, then, that the Mongols included Jerusalem in the itinerary of this raid into Palestine".
Reuven Amitai in The Mongols in the Islamic lands: studies in the history of the Ilkhanate, p.216
Or the description of the raids on Jerusalem made by Eric H. Cline in Jerusalem besieged: from ancient Canaan to modern Israel, p.216 (University of Michigan Press, 2004, ISBN 0472113135):
"Although the Mongols were never again a threat to Palestine or Egypt, they did stage one more raid that reached Jerusalem. This occurred nearly fourty years later in 1300CE, just after the last of the Crusaders had finally been evicted from the Holy Land in 1291CE. Kutubi, a writer nearly contemporaneous with the events he describes, says that a Mongol officer named Bulay (or Mulay) came raiding with 10,000 horsemen.
"They looted property, and [took] booty and prisonners, in such amounts that only God could count it. With his army he fell upon the region of Gaza, the Jordan River Valley and Jerusalem (bayt al-maqdis)… Bulay came [to Damascus] and with his army, from the Jordan River Valley, Gaza, Ramla and Jerusalem (al-quds). With him was an extremely large number of prisonners."
Baybars al-Mansuri, a Mamluk emir who had been dispatched with 200 horsemen to guard against just such a Mongol raid, corroborated Kutubi’s account. He says that there were not 10,000 but 20,000 Mongols involved, and that "they fell upon the Jordan River Valley and Baisan" His report continues: "They wreaked havoc and raided that country. They looted what they found of livestock, supplies and equipment, and they killed whoever fell into they hands. Their raids reached Jerusalem and Hebron, and they went as far as Gaza."
Another chronicler - Ibn Abi’l Fada’il, an Egyptian Christian author- later noted that when the Mongols reached Jerusalem in 1300CE they "killed both Moslems and Christians, drank wine on [the] Haram el-Sharif, and took young women and children [as captives]. They did despicable deeds, destroyed, killed, looted, and captured children and women."
[…] Following the Mongol raid on Jerusalem in 1300, the Mamlukes ruled Jerusalem until the coming of the Ottomans under Sultan Selim I in 1516CE."
— Eric H. Cline in Jerusalem besieged: from ancient Canaan to modern Israel, p.216
We just have to accept that there are several views on the subject, and describe them, in a summary manner if necessary but shutting that out is not a solution. Cheers Per Honor et Gloria✍ 21:55, 8 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
No. In fact, this debate is already covered in detail at the article Mongol raids into Palestine. There is absolutely no reason that this debate needs to be re-hashed in the Franco-Mongol alliance article. --Elonka 22:06, 8 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
It seems you use ten references to "document" 4 lines of text, which essentially just say "there were rumours, and because of that there were more rumours". And none of those rumours have any relevance to a purported alliance. So what exactly is "missing" here? --Latebird (talk) 02:08, 9 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
This is the same problem we had two years ago or whenever it was. PHG, who cares if you have 10 sources? Without even looking at them I can tell that some are inappropriate, and some will have used the others as their own references. I don't really have a problem with sticking these four lines into the end of the article, but you only need one or maybe two references. I notice also that the sentence says nothing about Jerusalem, so what is the big fuss about? Isn't this what you were banned for in the first place? Adam Bishop (talk) 05:22, 9 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you Adam! The proposed sentence above does mention Jerusalem, as many historians do. I am completely OK with much fewer references for this sentence. Now, if some people need more references, I'll be happy to comply. Here is a streamlined proposal:
"The Mongols then overran Palestine as far as Gaza and occupied the Holy Land for a few months, temporarily occupying Jerusalem,[1] or not,[2] before departing in May 1300.[3][4] These events led to greatly exaggerated accounts of a permanent reconquest of the Holy Land by the Mongols, and the myth that Jerusalem was ready to be, or had already been, remitted to the Christians.[5][6]"
No, because it's already covered in Mongol raids into Palestine, and has little or nothing to do with a Franco-Mongol alliance. We already have a sentence mentioning Ghazan's troops in Palestine for a few months in 1300, and we have a "see also" to the Mongol raids article. That is sufficient. --Elonka 06:07, 9 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
This was a question to Adam :-) The whole Franco-Mongol alliance was about recovering Jerusalem (at least from the perspective of the Franks), so I think it is only legitimate to mention that Jerusalem was probably indeed reached by the Mongols (and they even went beyond to Gaza), but without results ultimately. It is absolutely inexact to say that it has "nothing to do with the Franco-Mongol alliance". This is precisely why all Christianity made such a fuss about this event (however exaggerated) in 1300.... Cheers Per Honor et Gloria✍ 06:18, 9 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
You don't need Adam's personal approval. You need consensus. --Latebird (talk) 07:06, 9 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
That's true. Also, since the Mongols didn't particularly care what the Franks thought, Jerusalem wasn't significant to them, and there were no Franks there in 1300, why does it matter in this article? I do understand why you want it here, I think - it's an interesting footnote. But since it may not have even happened, it does fit better in the article about the raids. (And no, you still don't need five references for something like this.) Adam Bishop (talk) 08:15, 9 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I went ahead and re-worked the Ghazan section, and added, "The Mongols' success in Syria led to some wild rumors in Europe that the Mongols had successfully re-captured the Holy Land, and had even conquered the Mamluks in Egypt and were on a mission to conquer Tunisia in northern Africa. But in reality, all that was managed were some Mongol raids into Palestine in early 1300, which may or may not have even passed through Jerusalem itself. When the Egyptians again advanced from Cairo in May, the Mongols retreated without resistance." That should be sufficient, though if more detail is desired, it is better for the Mongol raids into Palestine article. --Elonka 08:34, 9 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Elonka, this is wonderful! I am delighted and relieved to see that constructive dialogue is possible, and that we can improve these articles through exchange and understanding! My very best regards Per Honor et Gloria✍ 17:57, 9 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Done. Good points. I've gone through the remaining citations in detail, pulling out anything that looked questionable, and upgrading all the other citations I could, to modern reputable sources. There's always the possibility I missed something (it's a complex article!), so if you see anything else you'd like changed, let me know? --Elonka 20:37, 14 February 2010 (UTC)
b (MoS): 
b (citations to reliable sources): 
