. Mediæval and modern history . f judgment, writes an old chronicler, it would not reach onetenth of what it was before Jenghiz Khans coming. 1 Wherever we find an upspringing of art and architecture under the Mongols weshall not be wrong in attributing it to the influence upon them of the civilizations withwhich they came in contact in China, Persia, India, and western Asia. Their architectsand artisans were generally furnished by the conquered races or by the cities ofwestern Europe. § 159] RESULTS OF MONGOL CONQUESTS 147 But it is the relation of the Mongol eruption to the history ofthe Wes
. Mediæval and modern history . f judgment, writes an old chronicler, it would not reach onetenth of what it was before Jenghiz Khans coming. 1 Wherever we find an upspringing of art and architecture under the Mongols weshall not be wrong in attributing it to the influence upon them of the civilizations withwhich they came in contact in China, Persia, India, and western Asia. Their architectsand artisans were generally furnished by the conquered races or by the cities ofwestern Europe. § 159] RESULTS OF MONGOL CONQUESTS 147 But it is the relation of the Mongol eruption to the history ofthe West that chiefly concerns us at present. This revolution hadsignificance for European history, as we have already intimated,almost solely on account of the Mongols having laid the yokeof their power for a long time—for about three centuries—upon the Eastern Slavs. This was some such calamity for Russiaas the later conquests of the Ottoman Turks, of which we shallspeak directly, were for the lands of southeastern Europe, This. Fig. 26. The Taj Mahal at Agra. (From a photograph) This magnificent monument was erected by the Mogul emperor Shah Jehan (1628-1658),for a favorite wife who died in 1631 Tatar domination, as we shall learn, left deep and permanent tracesupon the Russian character and upon Russian history (sect. 239).But there was some good issuing out of so much evil. As aconsequence of the establishment of the extended empire of theMongols there was better communication on the land side betweenEurope and eastern Asia than had ever existed before or wasdestined to exist again until the construction in our own day ofthe Trans-Siberian Railroad. The way was long and wearisomebut comparatively safe, and consequently it was traversed backand forth by embassies between the European courts and theMongol potentates and by missionary-monks, artisans, merchants, 148 MONGOLIANS IN EUROPE [§ 160 and explorers. Marco Polo is the type and symbol of it this means there
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