Hindu-African Trading Pact (Merveilles des Morte)

The Hindu-African Trading Pact, also known as the Pact of Ibn Battuta or the Pact of Luoyang, is a hypothetical historical trading union that existed between a number of empires in the 14th century, that worked to secure trans-Asiatic exports and diplomacy in areas such as silk, spices, and slavery. This trade route operated as an alternative to the lucrative silk road trade routes that existed through the Middle East or Western Steppes, that had recently gone into decline since the collapse of the Mongol Empire. Although it is often referred to as a "pact" or "union", in actuality there was no formal agreement or even direct communication between these various empires. Rather, it refers to an informal agreement or general policy used by these empires using direct diplomacy to their immediate neighbors, forming a chain to Europe. Some scholars hypothesize that an actual formal agreement may have existed at some point, established by the traveler Ibn Battuta (fl.1325-1354) who visited all of them. 

History

Background

Probably founded sometime between 1330 and 1354, depending what event is considered the official "founding" of the pact.

Current members

Empires

The general consensus falls into a rough group of empires as the canonical "membership" of the pact, also known as the "Big Five":

• Tian Dynasty of Imperial China, AKA "Empire of China"
• Empire of Hindustan
• Empire of Ethiopia
• Empire of Mali
• Empire of Hispania

Branches

From each of these empires, there also exists a subset of nations that also traded or paid tribute to the same trading pact:

• Between China and Hindustan:
  • Kingdom of Dai Viet
  • Kingdom of Ayutthaya
  • Tibetan Empire
• Between Hindustan and Ethiopia:
  • Sultanate of Mabar
  • Sultanate of Yemen
  • Kingdom of Zimbabwe
• Between Ethiopia and Mali:
  • Sultanate of Egypt
  • Kingdom of Oyo
• Between Mali and Hispania:
  • Sultanate of Morocco
  • Kingdom of Padania
  • Kingdom of Portugal
  • Republic of Venice

Religion

Of the members of the "Big Five", there are two that are Muslim (Sunni and Yuni), two that are Christian (Coptic and Catholic), and one that is pagan (China). Of the eleven branch nations, four are Muslim, three Christian, two Buddhist, and two pagan.