The Tartar Relation (Latin: Hystoria Tartarorum, "History of the Tartars") is an ethnographic report on the Mongol Empire composed by a certain C. de Bridia in Latin in 1247. It is one of the most detailed accounts of the history and customs of the Mongols to appear in Europe around that time. Circumstances of composition The Relation is one of several reports produced by the Franciscan mission dispatched by Pope Innocent IV to the courts of Batu Khan and Güyük Khan in 1245. This mission was led by Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, who was accompanied by Benedict of Poland and the Bohemians Ceslaus and Stephen. During their return journey through Europe, Carpine wrote that they were obliged to hand over drafts of their official report to the curious. The official report by Carpine is known as the Ystoria Mongalorum. In October 1247, Benedict also dictated an account known as the De itinere Fratrum Minorum ad Tartaros. The circumstances of the genesis of the Tartar Relation are unclear, although the date of its completion is known precisely: 30 July 1247. The author, C. de Bridia, is not otherwise known and his first name is initialized in the manuscripts. He describes himself modestly as "least among the Franciscans". He is generally thought to have been Polish, and his surname may indicate that he came from Brzeg in Poland. Marian Plezia believes he was one of the members of the embassy who stayed at the court of Batu and did not go on to Güyük. In this case, the work is partially based on his own experiences and partially on the reports of his colleagues. George D. Painter, on the other hand, argued that de Bridia wrote the account based on a lecture given by Benedict of Poland, probably in Germany, since the manuscript tradition of the text is associated with the Upper Rhineland. Benedict's own De itinere was written in Cologne. Tadeusz Bieńkowski argues for its composition in Wrocław or Kraków, while others have suggested Prague. The friars did travel through Poland on their return journey, and Benedict had probably composed a draft of his own report by then. Gregory Guzman argues that Benedict must have given lectures in his native Polish, which de Bridia translated into Latin. Some parts of the Relation are certainly borrowed from the Ystoria. Manuscripts The Tartar Relation is known from two manuscripts, both also containing