Page:Destruction of the Greek Empire.djvu/89

THE TUEKS 55 His great successor, Houlagou, was the husband of the granddaughter of the famous Prester (or Presbyter) John, the king of a Christian state in Central Asia, visited by Marco Polo. 1 The army led by Houlagou contained Mahometans, but it contained also Christians, Buddhists, and professors of other creeds. Central Asiatics had up to the time which concerns us not developed any violent religious animosity. Christians, Moslems, and Buddhists dwelt to- gether in harmony. It is probably correct to say that the races of the great Ncrt plains of Asia have never been religiously disposed. Mr. Schuyler, who was a keen observer, remarked, less than a generation ago, that the people which had been recently conquered by Eussia in Central Asia were classified as to their religion with extreme difficulty. A few declared them- selves Christians. The remainder were indiscriminately inscribed as Moslems, but very few among them really knew anything about the religion of Islam and did not even con- sider themselves as Moslems. 2 The fierce fanaticism which the early followers of Mahomet displayed and which led them within a century after his death to make the most wonderful and enduring series of conquests which have ever been accomplished by a people whose sole bond of union was religion was not shown by the followers of Genghis. They preferred to fight the Saracens and to aid the Chris- tians rather than to do the reverse. We shall see that when, a century and a half later, another great invasion from Cen- tral Asia took place, its leader Timour the Lame's greatest activity was directed against the Mahometans, and that he 1 Maundeville in Syria met Christians from Prester John's country, p. 189. See Col. Yule's Marco Polo, i. 275, a book which is a model of good editing. 2 When, therefore, Mr. Billinski speaks of the Turks of to-day having ' millions of confederates in the heart of Eussia ' ready to obey the commands of the Mussulman pontiff, he is, I believe, entirely mistaken. The Mahometans under Kussian rule are a comparatively insignificant part of her population, and there is no reason to believe that any but a very small portion of them would think it a religious duty to fight against the Czar at the bidding of the Sultan. It should also not be forgotten that the majority of them are Shiahs, who have never shown any disposition to aid the Sunnis, who acknowledge the caliphate of Constantinople. Nineteenth Century, Nov. 1891, p. 731.