 The first official communications between Western Europe and the Mongol Empire occurred between Pope Innocent IV ( fl . 1243 – 1254 ) and the Great Khans , via letters and envoys that were sent overland and could take years to arrive at their destination . The communications initiated what was to become a regular pattern in European – Mongol communications : the Europeans would ask the Mongols to convert to Christianity , and the Mongols would respond with demands for submission . 
