Marco Polo’s Le Devisement du Monde (end of the thirteenth century) is one of the earliest, longest and more detailed travelogues of the Middle Ages. Widely read, the text not only describes the travels of its protagonist, but equally furnishes a comprehensive overview of Mongolian culture, society and territories. This article analyses the categories Marco Polo uses in order to describe the Khan’s realm and his exercise of power. The author rarely uses the notion of emperor in his narrative, although he clearly recognises the Khan’s claim to universal rule. The reasons behind this reluctance can be explained in several ways. First, Marco Polo became acquainted with the main languages in the regions under Mongolian rule; it might thus have seemed natural to him to use the ‘correct’ titles. Second, the French vernacular word ‘empire’ might have been reserved, in his mind, for the rulers of the ‘Roman Empire’ (in the Latin West and/or the Greek East). Finally, it seems that Marco Polo sought to ascribe to the Khans a kind of power and authority that surpassed even the might of the emperors in Europe, and this specificity could best be expressed by using a Mongolian title that, finally, was not entirely synonymous with the notion of empereur. All in all, these observations imply that the Devisement du Monde can be read not only as a travel narrative, but also as a treatise on the understanding of imperial power.

中文翻译：

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可汗在马可波罗的世界设计中作为“元皇帝”

马可波罗的 Le Devisement du Monde（十三世纪末）是中世纪最早、最长和更详细的游记之一。阅读广泛，该文本不仅描述了其主角的旅行，而且还提供了对蒙古文化、社会和领土的全面概述。本文分析了马可波罗用来描述可汗王国及其行使权力的类别。作者很少在他的叙述中使用皇帝的概念，尽管他清楚地承认可汗对普遍统治的主张。这种不情愿背后的原因可以用多种方式来解释。首先，马可波罗熟悉了蒙古统治地区的主要语言；因此，使用“正确”的标题对他来说似乎很自然。第二，在他看来，法语白话“帝国”可能是为“罗马帝国”（拉丁西部和/或希腊东部）的统治者保留的。最后，马可波罗似乎试图赋予可汗一种甚至超越欧洲皇帝权力的权力和权威，而这种特殊性最好通过使用蒙古头衔来表达，最后，蒙古头衔并不完全是同义词与皇帝的概念。总而言之，这些观察意味着《世界设计》不仅可以作为旅行叙事来阅读，还可以作为了解皇权的论文来阅读。马可波罗似乎试图赋予可汗一种甚至超越欧洲皇帝权力的权力和权威，而这种特殊性最好通过使用蒙古头衔来表达，最终，蒙古头衔并不完全等同于皇帝的概念。总而言之，这些观察意味着《世界设计》不仅可以作为旅行叙事来阅读，还可以作为了解皇权的论文来阅读。马可波罗似乎试图赋予可汗一种甚至超越欧洲皇帝权力的权力和权威，而这种特殊性最好通过使用蒙古头衔来表达，最终，蒙古头衔并不完全等同于皇帝的概念。总而言之，这些观察意味着《世界设计》不仅可以作为旅行叙事来阅读，还可以作为了解皇权的论文来阅读。