The Mongol Empire
The growth of the Mongol Empire from Genghis Khan's unification in 1206 to its greatest extent, the largest contiguous land empire in history.
At its height the empire ran from the Danube to the Sea of Japan. The map is usually read as a record of conquest, but it is equally a map of connection: once one authority held the whole overland route, merchants, envoys, ideas and diseases moved across Eurasia at a speed that had not been possible before and would not be again for centuries. Read the full story in our article on How the Mongol Empire Reshaped Medieval Eurasia: Conquest, Trade, and Cultural Exchange.
CC BY-SA 3.0 — source (Wikimedia Commons). Free to reuse under the stated licence.
