The Linking of the Worlds between the 13th and 17th Centuries
Between the 13th and 17th century the world changed dramatically. From a disjointed collection of communities, living in their own geographic niche, evolved an intercommunicated society. Despite the setback of the Black Death in the 14th century, societies began to unite. An age of exploration and discovery was brought forth, and colonization began to globalize the world.
Around the world, the globe was broken into thousands of unique communities. Even within a single country, often there were vast disparities in dialects, traditions, and social organization. Geographical and cultural differences kept people apart. Traders, especially the Mongols establishment of trade routes from Europe to Asia, explorers, and those living along the borders of disparate societies began to facilitate intercommunication, and people became interested in getting to know those who lived outside of their small world.