In the mid-13th century, the prominent Mongol Empire emerged in Mongolia and rapidly gained power from their constant expansion. Soon to become the largest land empire ever to exist, their focus was on conquering more territory while ensuring constant trade with outside empires for a steady supply of resources. Once they occupied the majority of Central Asia, the Mongols had complete authority over the highly-influential Silk Road trade routes. This was the first time in centuries that the Silk Roads were united, making them a safe and popular destination of trade for empires all over Afro-Eurasia. The trade that occurred along the Silk Roads was beneficial to all the participating empires; it gave them bountiful supplies and new ideas that …show more content…
Despite their brutal methods of conquest, the Mongols’ rule aided the people and culture in countless locations, allowed ease of trade throughout Eurasia, and encouraged new inventions to be produced. The Mongols’ rule united all of Eurasia, making the Silk Roads peaceful and allowing trade to flourish. Prior to the Mongols’ dominance, these cross-continent trade routes were immensely dangerous due to their lack of maintenance and control from any empire. When the Mongols unified them, empires could trade with ease and become increasingly prosperous. This prosperity was during a period called Pax Mongolica, which was a time of peace in Central Asia. Pax Mongolica was a highly influential period of time; information and resources spread rampantly along the Silk Roads. In Document 6, a Muslim warrior affirms this. A warrior remarking on how safe and peaceful the land was under the rule of Genghis Khan is very significant since more often than not, warriors would be at war and be faced with …show more content…
The Mongols slaughtered many people as a part of their expansion (Document 2), and it was devastating to many societies. It is difficult to justify these brutal and violent acts since plenty were incredibly detrimental, but their conquest also had many positive impacts. Around this time, China was not united under one power and was a prime target for the Mongols’ attacks. Genghis Khan, the infamous ruler of the Mongol Empire, tried to conquer China throughout his whole life but never succeeded. Eventually, his grandson, Khublai Khan (also known as the “Great Khan”), was finally able to defeat China’s forces and establish a Dynasty. In the Yuan Dynasty, foreigners were trusted with higher government positions, while the Chinese were put into lower rankings. Although this may sound unjust, the Mongols believed that the outsiders would hold less partialities than the native Chinese and therefore be better suited to be in a higher position of power. Additionally, the social statuses of merchants and peasants were boosted due to the Mongols’ strong belief in the importance of trade (“Khublai Khan in