The Horde's Slave Trade: Mongol Russia's Human Currency

The Golden Horde didn't just collect tribute in silver and furs — it traded in human beings on an industrial scale. This episode follows the slave routes from Russian villages to the slave markets of Sarai, Caffa, and beyond. Lucas and Luna explore the mechanics of the trade: how Mongol raids supplied captives, how Venetian and Genoese merchants purchased them in Crimean ports, and how the Horde's khans taxed every transaction. They examine the fate of slaves in the khanate — some became soldiers (mamluks), others domestic servants, others were shipped to Mamluk Egypt. The conversation touches on the story of a single Russian slave who rose to become a mamluk sultan, the role of slave soldiers in the Horde's own army, and how the trade shaped Russian-Mongol relations for centuries. They also discuss the moral economy of the slave trade — how the Mongol elite justified it, how Russian princes sometimes participated, and how the Black Death disrupted the markets. The episode ends with the slow decline of the slave trade as Muscovy grew stronger and the Horde fragmented. #SlaveTrade #GoldenHorde #Caffa #Sarai #Mamluk #Genoese #Venetian #BlackDeath #JochidUlu #KhanUzbek #Toqtamysh #Moscow #Russia #Mongols #Crimea #History #FexingoHistory #CentralAsia Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo