Factors Affecting Cultural Exchange Through Civilizations during 1000 and 1400 A.D.

Through analyzing the five given documents, factors affecting cultural exchange through civilizations during 1000 and 1400 A.D. are noticeably those which result in the bringing of new ideas to a different area, such as missionary work, commerce, war, and travels. As new religions sprouted throughout Europe on other expansive areas, missionaries were sent out to foreign lands. Document 1 comes from the viewpoint of a Roman Catholic missionary attempting to spread his faith by presenting a letter from the pope to the emperor of the Tatars. This shows that by converting a powerful leader to your faith, such as an emperor, it is easier for others to follow said faith. Documents 2 and 4 also emphasize how travel can be accountable for the exchange of ideas between cultures. Both Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo traveled extensive distances, stopping in various cities. Throughout their journeys, they carried their ideas with them, but were also introduced to the ideas of the people in the places they were visiting. Document 3 presents what is most likely the culprit for the increase in cultural diffusion during 1000 to 1400 A.D. War is often the reason for major cultural diffusion because, as new lands are conquered and the people of that land are put under the rule of a different people, the beliefs, traditions, and cultures of the conquerors mesh with those of the conquered. Document 5 also introduces a driving force in cultural diffusion – commerce. During this time period, many people were traders. Products made by a people are characteristics of their culture, whether it is the skill, intelligence, cleverness, or religious inclination of those people. As traders made their way to foreign lands to conduct business, whole empires were int...

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...ecause of conflict or the desire for the possession of more land or the resources which come with that land. Commerce is a way of life, and ideas are exchanged throughout it. A first-hand account from a Muslim bureaucrat of how ideas of Muslim people were incorporated into the Mongolian Empire would have helped support the fact that war does indeed bring new people to new places. Another document that would have helped support the subject of travel as a factor in cultural exchange would have been an account of a station owner in a city such as Cambaluc, where Marco Polo traveled. This would have helped because stations were the present-day equivalent of hotels, and a station owner would have met and spoken to several people from distinct cultures. Altogether, factors affecting the cultures of civilizations can be added by wars, travelers, and businessmen.