Sarai's Fall: The Black Death and the Golden Horde

In the mid-14th century, the Black Death swept across Eurasia, killing millions and reshaping empires. For the Golden Horde, the plague was a catastrophe that accelerated its decline. This episode explores how the Yersinia pestis bacterium reached the Volga steppes via the Silk Road, struck Sarai in 1346, and decimated the Horde's population, economy, and military power. Lucas and Luna discuss the siege of Caffa, where Mongol catapults launched plague-infected corpses — an early instance of biological warfare — and how the pandemic weakened Jochid authority, leading to the Great Troubles. They examine the role of the Genoese trade network in spreading the disease, the impact on tax revenues and slave markets, and the long-term demographic shifts that allowed Moscow to rise. The episode also touches on competing theories about the Horde's death toll, the connection between plague and the Little Ice Age, and how Russian chronicles remembered the pestilence as divine punishment. A sobering look at how a microbe toppled a steppe superpower. #BlackDeath #GoldenHorde #Sarai #Caffa #MongolEmpire #YersiniaPestis #Plague #BiologicalWarfare #SilkRoad #Genoese #GreatTroubles #Moscow #14thCentury #LittleIceAge #SteppeHistory #MedievalEurasia #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo