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How did the Mongols view foreigners?
The Mongols welcomed foreigners who included Russians, Arabs, Jews, Genoese and Venetians. Marco Polo was only one of many traders to receive a warm welcome and to work for the Khan. Mongols themselves were not involved in the caravan trade; they encouraged others.
What was the purpose of Karakorum?
Karakorum (or the Karakorum and occasionally spelled Kharakhorum or Qara Qorum) was the capital city for the great Mongol leader Genghis Khan and, according to at least one scholar, the single most important stopping point on the Silk Road in the 12th and 13th centuries CE.
How did the Mongols help travelers and traders?
Instead of extortionist tax rates, the Mongols gave traders tax exemption. Genghis offered a form of passport to merchants that gave allowed them to safely travel along the Silk Road. The Mongols even loaned money at low interest to merchants.
Why is William of Rubruck’s travel account and its insights about the Mongols significant?
William had the distinction of being the first European to visit the Mongol capital of Karakorum on the Orhon River and return to write about it. He provides a unique description of the Khan’s palace there and abundant detail about the individuals of various ethnicities and religions whom he encountered.
How did the Mongols travel?
The Silk Road: At its height these trade routes stretched between Europe, Persia, and China. Famous explorers, such as Marco Polo, also enjoyed the freedom and stability the Pax Mongolica provided, and were able to bring back valuable information about the East and the Mongol Empire to Europe.
Who destroyed Karakorum?
In the Battle of Puir Nor in 1388, Chinese forces under the leadership of the emperor Hung-wu invaded Mongolia and won a decisive victory, capturing 70,000 Mongols and destroying Karakorum.
Why were the Mongols so successful?
The Mongols conquered vast swathes of Asia in the 13th and 14th century CE thanks to their fast light cavalry and excellent bowmen, but another significant contribution to their success was the adoption of their enemies’ tactics and technology that allowed them to defeat established military powers in China, Persia.
How did Mongols impact trade?
The resulting stability brought by Mongol rule opened these ancient trade routes to a largely undisturbed exchange of goods between peoples from Europe to East Asia. Along the Silk Road, people traded goods such as horses, porcelain, jewels, silk, paper, and gun powder.
Why did William of Rubruck travel?
Rubruck’s mission was to investigate claims that Nestorian Christians were established in the Mongolian cities, to preaching Christian precepts and hopefully converting more people to Christianity and to ascertain the likelihood of finding allies amongst the Mongols.
Why did William venture into Mongolia?
As a representative of Urban II, he hoped to meet with the Byzantine emperor. As a merchant, he sought contacts with Mongolian merchants. As a professional soldier, he was looking for employment as a mercenary. He was a Franciscan friar seeking converts among the Mongols.