Transcript File
Do Now
Get out your notebooks
Create a new title “Death of the Silk Road”
Warm up: predict why the Silk Roads collapse
after the Mongol Era.
Death of the Silk
Road
1350-1500 AD
1600: major trade routes.
What are two things you notice?
We will look at 4 things:
The Black Death
End of the Yuan Dynasty in China
The Ottoman Empire
The Age of Exploration
Black Death: 1350 AD
Originated in China
around 1330 AD
By 1350, had spread to
India, The Middle East,
Central Asia, and
Europe.
Black Death: 1350 AD
Extremely deadly.
Estimated to have
reduced the world’s
population from 450
million to 350 million.
Black Death: 1350 AD
In notebooks: Why
would a deadly plague
hurt trade? Provide 2
reasons.
The Yuan Dynasty: 1271-1368 AD
Mongols enforced open
trade policies.
Mongols distrusted
Chinese and used
foreigners to run their
Kingdom.
In notebook: Why might
these two things lead to a
reduction in trade?
The Ming Dynasty: 1368-1644 AD
Generally rejected trade
and disliked foreigners.
Attempted to create a
self-sufficient society.
Closed their connections
to the Silk roads.
The Ming Dynasty: 1368-1644 AD
In notebook: why would
the loss of China be
especially significant to
the health of the Silk
Road?
The Ottoman Empire: 1300-1918 AD
An Islamic empire that
formed after the
Abbasid Caliphate fell.
The Ottomans
conquered much of
North Africa, The Middle
East, and Eastern
Europe.
The Ottoman Empire: 1300-1918 AD
Despised Christian
Europe.
Conquered all the silk
road route into Europe.
Halted all trade to
Europe.
The Ottoman Empire: 1300-1918 AD
Europe was cut off from
goods like silk, spices,
glass, paper, and steel.
In notebooks: in what
ways could Europe still
get access to these?
Think of at least 2
Age of Exploration: 1419-1568 AD
As Ottomans shut down
European access to
trade, Europeans begin to
look for ways around the
Ottomans.
Discovery of the Americas
is the most significant but
a route around Africa was
the most profitable.
Age of Exploration: 1419-1568 AD
Increasingly huge
European fleets begin to
take on most of the
world’s international
trade.
Trade by boat is cheaper
and easier.
The Silk Road is no longer
profitable.
Trade: 1650 AD
In Notebook: which two major regions are NOT included in this trade
network? Why might that hurt them in the future?
Assignment: Silk Road Decline
What do you believe is the most significant
reason that the Silk Road fell?
Compare
your reason to the others to explain
why it is the most significant.