Middle Ages
The world in 1066 AD
7 powers on the map
The largest contiguous empire in history. Genghis Khan (1206) connects the Pacific and Mediterranean. Pax Mongolica: Venetian merchants, Franciscan missionaries, and the Black Death travel along the same caravan routes. In Africa, Mansa Musa makes the wealth of Mali visible; in the Americas, the Aztecs and Incas build parallel empires.
What happened
Battles this year
Empires and states
Active trade routes
- Silk Road — Silk, spices and ideas between China and Europe
- Trans-Saharan Gold Route — Malian gold, salt and slaves toward the Maghreb
- Route from the Varangians to the Greeks — Russian rivers linking the Baltic to Byzantium
- Indian Ocean Spice Route — Pepper, cloves and nutmeg westbound