![]() 1271 Marco Polo travels to China. He and other merchants develop a trade route between eastern China and Europe known as the Silk Road. Europeans develop a taste for spices and other products from Asia such as gunpowder, silk, figs, and coal.
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Trade goods are not the only things that make the trip back and forth. Ideas and customs are also finding their way from culture to culture, and people are becoming curious about others with whom they had not had any contact before.
Because the powerful ruler, Kublai Khan, is victorious in the Mongol Wars, Marco Polo benefits since he has developed a good relationship with the ruler. Unfortunately, in 1294 Khan dies, and the Silk Road becomes too dangerous for merchants, sparking a need to discover sea routes to Asia. |