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==Impact of Invasions==
The Mongol invasions did cause a prolonged peaceful period called the <i>Pax Mongolica</i>. While in the period prior to the Mongols, many of the great states contended with rivalries and their own regional conquests, this also limited some contacts between them. The Mongol dominion now opened up new connections that were easier to traverse as regions between Eastern Europe to China were largely pacified. The Mongols also acquired new technical knowledge, such as Chinese engineers, and taxes as they expanded their empire. This enabled them to create a more stable empire that then began to govern and see the benefit of developing cities for the benefit of the Mongol rulers. Ultimately, the conquests led to a relative political calm in much of Eurasia that came after the initial conquests.<ref>For more on the <i>Pax Mongolica</i>, see: Parker, C. H., & Bentley, J. H. (Eds.). (2007). Between the Middle Ages and modernity: individual and community in the early modern world. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, pg. 94.</ref>
In Europe, and preceding the Age of Discovery that led to the founding of the New World, explorers such as Marco Polo were now able to more easily go on the Silk Road and travel across Eurasia with minimal hindrance and banditry (Figure 2). Knowledge now also began to more freely move across China and Europe, leading to methods in mathematics, medicine, printing, and astronomy to be brought to Europe. New forms of banking and insurance practices, first done in Eurasia, now also spread to Europe and help lead to the founding of important banking and insurance families in Italy and beyond. In effect, the knowledge and information transfer that became easier did help lead to what would become the Renaissance in Europe, where it was first started by Italians who were the mostly closely associated with trade activities in the Silk Road and contacts with Eurasia.
