Preliminary remarks -- The Mongol expansion and the Eurasian commercial axes -- The disintegration of the Empire : intra- and extra-Mongol commercial rivalries -- The commercial implications : connecting the Black Sea to the Eurasian trade network -- The Golden Horde and the Black Sea -- Cooperation and confrontation with the Italian merchant republics -- The problem of the Straits and the Tartar solution -- Conclusion: The Black Sea, crossroads and bypass of Eurasian trade
Summary
The inclusion of the Black Sea basin into the long-distance trade network - with its two axes of the Silk Road through the Golden Horde (Urgench-Sarai-Tana/Caffa) and the Spice Road through the Ilkhanate (Ormuz-Tabriz-Trebizond) - was the two Mongol states' most important contribution to making the sea a "crossroads of international commerce."
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-300) and index
