# Keraites converted by the Church of the East (c. 1007)

URL: https://christianity-history.com/timeline/1007-keraites-converted-by-the-church-of-the-east
Location: Mongolian steppe
Themes: Mission

According to later Syriac chroniclers, the Keraites, a Turco-Mongol people of the steppe, convert after their khan receives a vision of Saint Sergius; the metropolitan of Merv reports some 200,000 converts. Christian Keraite princesses later married into Genghis Khan's family. At this point in the timeline (c. 1007), the Bishop of Rome was Pope John XVIII (25 December 1003 – 18 July 1009).

## Why it matters
It gave the Church of the East a lasting foothold among the Mongol peoples who would soon rule much of Asia.

Pope at the time: [Pope John XVIII](https://christianity-history.com/popes/pope-john-xviii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Keraites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keraites)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Keraites converted by the Church of the East](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Keraites+converted+by+the+Church+of+the+East)
- [Wikipedia — Medieval Church (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Catholic_Church#Middle_Ages)