1340sReputable sourceWell documented
The Black Death Travels the Road
On the timeline · around 1340s ·
What happened
The same routes that carried silk and ideas also carried disease. In the 14th century, bubonic plague spread out of Central Asia along the trade routes, reaching the Black Sea and then Europe, where it became the Black Death — the deadliest pandemic in recorded history.
Why it matters
The Black Death is a dark reminder that the connections of the Silk Road cut both ways: the same networks that spread prosperity and knowledge could also spread catastrophe across a whole continent.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Silk Road · Reputable source
Related timelines
- Pandemics Through History → — The plague that rode the trade routes into Europe