How Did The Silk Roads Affect Asia In The 1200s

Asia in the 1200s: a diverse continent filled with a multitude of different cultures, religions, diseases, and much more. It can be argued that the cause of this diversity was the Silk Road trade route. The Silk Roads ran from China to the Mediterranean in a series of twists and turns, delivering luxury items along with several other elements. One man, a Christian known as Friar William of Rubruck, documented his account from his journey on the Silk Roads. His outsider prospective, along with several other historical documents, demonstrate what life was like in Asia in the 1200s as well as the effect the Silk Roads had on Asia. Perhaps the most obvious component of Asian life during this time was the increasingly growing trade of luxury items, also being the most direct effect that the Silk Road had on Asia. Such luxury items, as researched by the scholar of natural history, Pliny,

While Friar William was a Christian, the Mongol empire sponsored several religions as it was known for being very tolerant. The Mongol empire contained those who believed in Tengerism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Nestorian Christianity. For instance, during Friar William’s travels, the Mongols he met along the way appeared to be very accepting when it came to his Christian faith. This is evident, again, by the way in which they tolerated the Christians’ decision not to drink comos. Another instance that demonstrates the spread and acceptance of religion, in this case Buddhism, is when it is stated that “monks acted as witnesses and scribes for contracts and the arbitration of disputes” in The Silk Roads: A Brief History with Documents (Liu 100). Religion most likely spread in this way due to the traders who traveled long distances on the Silk Roads, leading to life in Asia during that time being rich with different faiths and belief