Carpini, Giovanni De Plano

Carpini, Giovanni de Plano a Franciscan monk, was born in Italy about 1220. Pope Innocent IV sent him, with six others, in 1246, on a religious embassy to the descendants of Genghis Khan, who were threatening Europe. After great hardships he reached his destination, and, although he but slightly succeeded in his mission, yet he wrote the earliest account that we have of those semi- barbarous nations. It was abridged by Vincent de Beauvais in his Speculum Historicum, and translations may be found in Hakluyt, Purchas, and others. He afterwards labored as a zealous missionary among the central and northern tribes of Europe, and died at an advanced age. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Géneralé, s.v.; Rose, Géneralé Biog. Dict. s.v.