32 chapter one
although hardly two years had passed since the Genoese had moved
to forestall the khan’s attempts at building his own warships, this was no
empty claim. Despite having no fleet with which to control the Black Sea,
the khan was able to make good the lack by other means, so that his word
was indeed respected by all those who sailed there. In the first place, he
held the northern shore of the sea and all its ports, flourishing centres of
commerce which drew merchants from many lands. Foreign merchants
wishing to take part in the lively trade here depended on the Volga khan’s
goodwill. For instance, in the treaty in question, Janibek grants the Vene-
tians the right to trade, on condition that they do not attack ships carrying
Muslim passengers.105 this is one of many indications that even without a
naval force as such, the Golden horde had its own interests on the Black
Sea, and the wherewithal to enforce them.
although, unlike the Golden horde, it had no control over any Black
Sea coasts, the Ilkhanate in persia also influenced the medieval history
of the sea, albeit more discretely and more intermittently. For instance,
a warship under Ilkhanate colours was hunting pirates in the eastern
waters of the sea at the end of the thirteenth century.106
1.2.2 Expansion and Blockade
Various important enterprises and expeditions reached their peak in the
first half of the fourteenth century, and the Western merchants and mis-
sionaries travelling in asia deserve especial mention here. although the
famous names in transcontinental exchange visited Mongolia and china
in the previous century, these being the Franciscan friars John of plano
carpini and William of rubruck, and the Venetian merchant Marco polo,
the busiest period in such long-distance travel was certainly the four
decades 1300–1340, even if they do not yield such well-known names.
although europeans travelled in asia, there are no recorded asian trav-
ellers visiting europe during this period. Be that as it may, there can be no
doubt that europeans would never have been able to cover the vast dis-
tances to the east had it not been for the Pax Mongolica, indispensible to
the safety of foreign travellers. chinggis Khan’s successors kept this peace
across an enormous stretch of territory, from the pacific ocean to the
Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Borders in asia were open as a result of
chinggisid conquests in the previous century. on the eastern shores of the
105 Ibid.
106 See below, chapter 3.4.2.
