The Pax Mongolica
EXPLORATION.
EXCHANGE.
ENCOUNTER.
The Mongols promoted inter-state relations through the so-called "Pax Mongolica" — the Mongolian Peace.
Having conquered an enormous territory in Asia, the Mongols were able to guarantee the security and safety of travelers. There were some conflicts among the various Mongol Khanates, but recognition that trade and travel were important for all the Mongol domains meant that traders were generally not in danger during the 100 years or so of Mongol domination and rule over Eurasia.
The Main Misconception
Most Westerners accept the stereotype of the 13th-century Mongols as barbaric plunderers intent merely to maim, slaughter, and destroy. This perception, based on Persian, Chinese, Russian, and other accounts of the speed and ruthlessness with which the Mongols carved out the largest contiguous land empire in world history, has shaped both Asian and Western images of the Mongols and of their earliest leader, Genghis Khan. Such a view has diverted attention from the considerable contributions the Mongols made to 13th- and 14th-century civilization. Though the brutality of the Mongols’ military campaigns ought not to be downplayed or ignored, neither should their influence on Eurasian culture be overlooked.
The Mongols determined early on that aggressive imposition of their native religion on their subjects would be counter-productive. Instead, they sought to ingratiate themselves with the leading foreign clerics in order to facilitate governance of the newly subjugated territories. They even offered tax benefits to the clerics of Buddhism, Islam, Daoism, and Nestorian Christianity in order to win the support of those religions.
Coming from the Eurasian Steppe, Genghis Khan swept through Asia with a quest to unify the world under one sword. He conquered lands until his death in 1227. He left behind an emipre that would become the largest contiguous empire in the world
This image (right) shows the expansion of The Mongol Empire from the beginning of Genghis Khan's rule in 1206 to the death of Kublai Khan and the end of the Pax Mongolica in 1294.
The Empire stayed unified under one "Great Khan" until 1279. From then on, it was split into four seperate Khanates. The Golden Horde ruled Russia and the surrounding regions, The Ilkhanate ruled Persia, The Chagatai Khanate ruled Central Asia, and the Khanate of The Great Khan ruled Mongolia and China.
This is a picture of Genghis Khan, the first of the Great Khans that ruled a unified Mongolia during a time known as the Pax Mongolica from 1206 to 1294
The other Great Khans were:
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Tolui Khan
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Ogedei Khan
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Toregene Khatun (Was a Regent)
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Guyuk Khan
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Oghul Quaimish (Was a Regent)
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Mongke Khan
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Ariq Boke
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Kublai Khan
(This ends in 1294 when the mongol empire split into khantetes)
Religon
“There are prophets who are worshipped and to whom everybody does reverence. The Christians say their god was Jesus Christ; the Saracens, Mohammed; the Jews, Moses; and the idolaters Sakamuni Borhan [that is, Sakiamuni Buddha, who was the first god to the idolaters]; and I do honor and reverence to all four, that is to him who is the greatest in heaven and more true, and him I pray to help me.”
-Kublai Khan