Missions to the East

For readers fascinated by the hidden history behind Western exploration and empire, this book reveals how intelligence-gathering shaped centuries of eastward expansion. Stewart McKie traces the systematic efforts of emperors, popes, and merchants who deployed spies, missionaries, and envoys across vast and dangerous territories to penetrate the mysteries of Asia. From ancient Persian intelligence networks through the Byzantine Church to Marco Polo and the Mongol courts, these missions gathered knowledge that would eventually transform European power and ambition.

This is essential reading for understanding how information became a strategic weapon in the ancient and medieval world. Rather than treating exploration as the work of isolated adventurers, McKie demonstrates how organized states and institutions coordinated intelligence operations across centuries, using religion, commerce, and diplomacy as cover for systematic espionage. The book illuminates how accumulated knowledge about distant civilizations—their military strength, administrative structures, trade networks, and vulnerabilities—directly motivated the Age of Exploration and the global conflicts that followed.

Rigorous yet accessible, this work challenges conventional narratives about discovery and reveals the surprising sophistication of medieval intelligence operations. Readers will gain insight into how medieval powers understood geopolitics, adapted to changing circumstances, and pursued knowledge as essential to survival and dominance.