1. 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.

2. Death of the Silk Road AD

3. 1600: major trade routes. What are two things you notice?

4. We will look at 4 things: The Black Death
End of the Yuan Dynasty in China
The Ottoman Empire
The Age of Exploration

5. Black Death: 1350 AD Originated in China around 1330 AD
By 1350, had spread to India, The Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe.

6. Black Death: 1350 AD Extremely deadly.
Estimated to have reduced the world’s population from 450 million to 350 million.

7. Black Death: 1350 AD
In notebooks: Why would a deadly plague hurt trade? Provide 2 reasons.

8. 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?

9. The Ming Dynasty: AD
Generally rejected trade and disliked foreigners.
Attempted to create a self-sufficient society.
Closed their connections to the Silk roads.

10. The Ming Dynasty: AD
In notebook: why would the loss of China be especially significant to the health of the Silk Road?

11. 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.

12. The Ottoman Empire: 1300-1918 AD
Despised Christian Europe.
Conquered all the silk road route into Europe.
Halted all trade to Europe.

13. 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

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. Trade: 1650 AD
In Notebook: which two major regions are NOT included in this trade network? Why might that hurt them in the future?

17. 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.