The Horde's Slave Trade: Steppe Slavery and the Black Sea

This episode of The Golden Horde: Mongol Rule Over Russia Explained dives into the massive slave trade that fueled the Horde's economy for centuries. Lucas and Luna explore how Mongol raids captured thousands of people from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, funneling them through markets in Crimea — especially Caffa and Tana — to Mamluk Egypt, Italy, and the Black Sea ports. They discuss the role of Genoese merchants, the impact on Russia's population, the story of a specific slave named Baybars who became a sultan, and how the trade shaped diplomacy between the Horde and its neighbors. The episode also touches on the human cost, the difference between steppe slavery and plantation slavery, and how the trade declined after the Black Death and the rise of the Ottoman Empire. A specific, unsettling chapter in Mongol history that reveals the Horde's connection to the wider medieval world. #GoldenHorde #MongolSlaveTrade #SteppeSlavery #Caffa #Genoese #Baybars #MamlukSultanate #BlackSea #Crimea #Tana #SlaveMarket #MedievalSlavery #Jochid #HordeEconomy #KhanBatu #KhanBerke #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo