History of the Mediterranean region Alexandria. Mesopotamia became a fringe border region between the Roman Empire and the Persians. When Augustus founded the Roman Empire, the Mediterranean sea began to be called "Mare Nostrum" (Latin: "Our Sea") by the Romans. Their empire was centered on this sea and all the area was full of commerce and naval development. For the first time in history, an entire sea (the Mediterranean) was free of piracy. For several centuries, the Mediterranean was a "Roman Lake", surrounded on all sides by the empire. The empire began to crumble, however, in the fifth century and Rome collapsed after 476 CE.
Exultavit cor nostrum campaigns such as against the Assassins, and suggested joint efforts between the Mongols and the Christians against their common enemy, the Egyptian Mamluks. The letter also expressed Hulagu's desire to return Jerusalem to the Christians. King Louis sent John and the letter along to Pope Urban, and John probably returned to Maragha in late 1262. Exultavit cor nostrum Exultavit cor nostrum is a letter, also known as a Papal bull, from Pope Urban IV to the Mongol Ilkhanate leader Hulagu in 1263/1264. The letter was evidently in response to a message brought to Urban by John the Hungarian, who claimed