The Horde's Black Death: How Plague Shattered Mongol Russia

The Black Death didn't just devastate Europe—it tore through the Mongol Empire with even greater force, triggering the Golden Horde's long decline. In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the plague's path from the Gobi Desert to the Volga, examining how Yersinia pestis exploded across the steppe in the 1340s. They explore the catastrophic siege of Caffa, where Genoese traders carried the bacterium back to Sicily, and unpack the Horde's botched quarantine at Sarai Berke. The conversation digs into the demographic collapse that crippled Jochid military power, fueled the Great Troubles, and shifted the balance toward Moscow. Key figures include Khan Janibeg, whose army was decimated outside Caffa, and the Franciscan chronicler Gabriel de Mussis, who recorded the earliest accounts of biological warfare. With careful attention to the interplay of environment, trade, and epidemic, this episode reveals how a microbe reshaped Eurasian history. #BlackDeath #GoldenHorde #KhanJanibeg #Caffa #SaraiBerke #YersiniaPestis #MongolEmpire #GreatTroubles #GabrielDeMussis #SiegeOfCaffa #Plague #JochidUlus #EpidemicHistory #Moscow #BiologicalWarfare #PaxMongolica #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo