The Pax Mongolica: Trade, Exchange, and the Empire's Legacy

"Pax Mongolica" refers to the period, roughly from the mid-thirteenth to the mid-fourteenth century, during which the relatively stable coexistence of the Mongol khanates favored the safety and flow of commercial and diplomatic traffic across Eurasia. The expanded "yam" postal system and safe-conduct passes called "paiza" guaranteed protection to merchants, diplomats, and officials in transit, while the Muslim merchant network known as "ortoq" acted as commercial partners and fiscal agents of the Mongol courts. European travelers made extensive use of this security: the Franciscan John of Plano Carpini reached Karakorum in time to witness Guyuk's enthronement in 1246, William of Rubruck described the multi-religious city of Karakorum in detail during his journey of 1253-1255, and the Venetian merchant Marco Polo served at Kublai Khan's court between 1271 and 1295, later dictating his account, known as "Il Milione," to a fellow prisoner in Genoa.