Silk Road

Key Takeaways Security First: Mongol military power suppressed banditry and made routes safe for the first time. Unified Taxation: One authority meant one tax system instead of dozens of tolls. Infrastructure Investment: The Yam network supported commercial as well as official travel. Legal Framework: Consistent law enabled contracts across cultures. Scale Effects: Security attracted more trade, which funded more security, creating a virtuous cycle. The Silk Road is ancient. Trade between China and the Mediterranean stretches back 2,000 years. ...

Key Takeaways Unified Market: For the first time, a single political authority controlled trade from Korea to Poland. Standardized Systems: Common laws, protected routes, and consistent administration enabled commerce. Technology Transfer: Printing, gunpowder, and navigation tools moved from East to West. Cultural Exchange: Ideas, religions, and people crossed continents as never before. Unintended Consequence: The same routes that carried silk also carried the Black Death. In 1245, Pope Innocent IV sent an envoy named Giovanni de Plano Carpini to the Mongol court. His journey took two years and covered over 10,000 km through territories no European had crossed in centuries. ...