This inquiry set features primary sources that demonstrate two main characteristics of the Mongol Empire: violent conquest and expansion of international trade and cultural exchange.

Majorca was ruled by the MuslimAlmohads until its conquest byJames I, King of the Crownof Aragon,in 1229. Its greatest importance was as a trading and shipping center for thewestern Mediterraneanand the Maghribi ports, which controlled the gold trade from Mali and West Africa. Once the Majorcan base was established, Catalan merchants and shippers not only gained access to those markets, but also helped develop the maps, ships, and navigational technology which gave Mediterranean shippers access to the Atlantic Ocean.

Calicut was a major trade city for the Indian Ocean trade and one of the many sites of encounter in South and Southeast Asia. Traders used the monsoon winds to exchange spices from the Southeast Asian islands with Chinese and Indian products and goods from the west. Chinese, Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim cultural and religious influences spread along with this trade. In the competitive and profitable spice trade, which was not dominated by a single political power, merchants from many different cultures coexisted, following shared norms that maximized profit and minimized conflict.