Chapter 9, Their Golden Light Summary and Analysis

From 1287 to 1288, Mongol envoy Rabban Bar Sawma traveled Europe to try to secure agreements with many European leaders, though he almost entirely failed. Instead, the commercial influence of the Mongols was more important than their diplomatic influenced, particularly as explained by Marco Polo's travels to meet Khubilai. Despite internal conflicts, the continent's wide commercial markets of the Mongols continue to function, almost turning the Mongol Empire into a corporation. Trade often proceeded by sea as well. Chinese manufacturing also spread. Through these trade routes, many ideas crossed into other parts of the world, which maintained their distinctiveness as the Mongols rarely tried to impose their culture, language and religion upon their conquered lands.

The Mongols strove to improve agriculture across the empire, especially in Persia, where thousands of years of cultivation had significantly reduced the...