The Mongols and the Black Sea Trade in the 13th and 14th Centuries

60 chapter two

sphere of influence, a state of affairs which greatly intensified their rivalry

with the Mamluk sultanate.

hülegü’s successors each made it a point to tighten control over these

two great commercial routes, and this dominance provoked strong and

persistent reactions both within and beyond the Mongol world. the sud-

den and irreversible fragmentation of the chinggisid empire took place

against the background of these upheavals.