Following the Mongol conquests of the 13th century, the resulting political unity across much of Eurasia, sometimes called the Pax Mongolica, made overland travel along the Silk Road markedly safer and more predictable for merchants, missionaries, and envoys. Mongol rulers maintained relay postal and courier systems, standardized some taxes on trade, and generally protected merchants traveling under their authority. European travelers, including the Venetian merchant Marco Polo, journeyed to the Mongol-ruled Yuan court in China during this period and later described its wealth and commerce. The network declined in the mid-14th century amid political fragmentation and the spread of plague along trade routes.
Relevance to Trade History
The Pax Mongolica revived long-distance overland trade across Eurasia and enabled an unusually direct exchange of goods, technology, and knowledge between China, Central Asia, and Europe.
Read the full story in our article The Mongol Peace and the Revival of the Silk Road.
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. See our Sources & Methodology page for how we select and verify references.