*Includes pictures *Includes contemporary accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading By the mid-15th century the Byzantine Empire had collapsed and the various Crusades that had taken place in the region had largely disrupted the overland routes of the Silk Road and trade.
It was roughly around this time.
Compounding the difficulties of trade was the rise of the Ottoman Empire in place of the Byzantines and the outbreak of the Black Death in Europe. *Includes pictures *Includes contemporary accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading By the mid-15th century the Byzantine Empire had collapsed and the various Crusades that had taken place in the region had largely disrupted the overland routes of the Silk Road and trade