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The Golden Horde originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. It was led by Batu Khan, who led for about thirty years. The Golden Hordes were run by a semi-elective monarchy that later became a hereditary monarchy.

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Sarai Kale Khan, New Delhi, Delhi, India

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The Ilkhanate was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire, ruled by the Mongol House of Hulagu. He led from 1256 to 1335. They were also led by a hereditary monarchy.

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Yuan Dynasty, also known as the Great Khanate

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Yuan Dynasty, also known as the Great Khanate

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The Yuan Dynasty was established by Kublai Khan, leader of the Mongol Borjigin clan, lasting from 1271 to 1368. Kublai Khan ran the empire from 1260 to 1294. It was run by a hereditary monarchy.

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The Chagatai Khanate was ruled by Chagatai Khan, the second son of Genghis Khan. He ruled for fourteen years. They were ruled by a semi-elective monarchy that later became a hereditary monarchy.

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Otto I: Also known as Otto the Great, Otto I was a German King and a Holy Roman Emperor. He was the most powerful western European ruler after Charlemagne. He organized a strong German state and expanded his authority over Burgundy and Italy.
Lay Investiture Controversy: The Investiture Controversy, also called Investiture Contest, was a conflict between church and state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops and abbots of monasteries and the pope himself.was the most important conflict between secular and religious powers in medieval Europe. Holy Roman Emperors renounced the right to choose the pope.

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France was also led by a monarchy that was hereditary.
Estates General: The Estates-General in France of the pre-Revolution Monarchy, the representative assembly of the three “estates,” or orders of the realm: the clergy, or First Estate, and nobility, the Second Estate, which were privileged minorities, and the Third Estate, which represented the majority of the people. It was created originally to settle the conflict between Pope Boniface VIII and Philip IV.
Issues of Taxes: Following the plague, every government in Europe faced similar problems in seeking to regain financial stability. The population was reduced. William Bowsky found that the Sienese recouped municipal finances within five years’ time by laying heavy emphasis on indirect taxes and forced loans from the wealthy rather than attempting to collect on the basis of households remaining.

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100 Years' War: England was run by a hereditary monarchy. Eventually, that crown reached King Edward III, who also attempted to claim the French throne. He was stopped by his cousin, Philip of Valoix. This led to England getting mixed up in a war against France, which they ultimately lost because they recognized that the French troops were too strong to be directly confronted.
Parliament: The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the UK, the Crown dependencies and the British overseas territory. It alone possesses legislative supremacy and ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and the overseas territories. The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Treaty of Union by Acts of Union passed by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland.
Magna Carta: The Magna Carta was created as a peace treaty between King John and the rebels. It is a royal charter of rights. It declares the sovereign to be subject to the rule of law and documenting the liberties held by “free men".

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Political systems: The Mongols were led by a clan that was composed of several families and included all persons. The people would elect Genghis Khan to lead them as a war leader and a emperor.
Cultural traditions: During the era of the Great Khans, Mongolia practiced freedom of worship and is still a defining element of the Mongol character. The Mongolians absorbed scientific knowledge from Persia, India, China, and Arabia. Medicine became one of the many areas of life and culture that flourished under Mongol rule. Keeping an army healthy was vital, so they created hospitals and training centers to encourage the exchange and expansion of medical knowledge.
1 Innovation or Achievements:  The Mongols are most well known for taking over cities, killing 40 million people, and building the biggest empire ever. They did that through their takeovers and their planned campaigns against other empires.
Trade: International Mongol trade was born on a level never seen before. Valuable spices, tea, Asian artworks and silk headed west to waiting merchants in the Middle East and Europe. Gold, medical manuscripts, astronomical tomes and porcelain headed east to Asia.

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Political systems: The Hausa Kingdoms were made up of independent political entities known as the Hausa City-States. These states were ruled by an individual who was a nobility, or considered above the rest of the people within the states.
Cultural traditions: The Hausa Kingdoms constitute the largest ethnic group in the area, which also contains another large group, the Fulani, perhaps one-half of whom are settled among the Hausa as a ruling class, having adopted the Hausa language and culture.
1 Innovation or Achievements: The Hausa were known for fishing, hunting, agriculture, salt-mining, and blacksmithing.
Trade: The Hausa Kingdoms were by the 15th century vibrant trading centers competing with Kanem-Bornu and the Mali Empire. The primary exports were slaves, leather, gold, cloth, salt, kola nuts, animal hides, and henna.

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Political systems: The Ethiopian Empire was run by a monarchy that was passed down through familial connections.
Cultural traditions: Religion is a major influence in Ethiopian life. Nearly half the population belongs to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church but there is a also large Muslim population. Others adhere to an ancient form of Judaism.
1 Innovation or Achievements: The Ethiopian Highlands, with their reliable annual monsoon rainfall and fertile soil, had been successfully inhabited since the Stone Age. Agriculture and trade with Egypt, southern Arabia, and other African peoples ensured the rise of the powerful kingdom of Axum.
Trade: The Ethiopian Empire was involved in the trade network between India and the Mediterranean (Rome, later Byzantium), exporting ivory, tortoise shell, gold and emeralds, and importing silk and spices.

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Political systems: The Kingdom of Zimbabwe was run by a hereditary monarchy of elites, meaning the power stayed in the family.
Cultural traditions:  The rulers of Zimbabwe brought artistic and stonemasonry traditions from Mapungubwe. The construction of elaborate stone buildings and walls reached its apex in the kingdom. The institution of mambo was also used in Zimbabwe, along with an increasingly rigid three-tiered class structure.

1 Innovation or Achievements: With an economy based on cattle husbandry, crop cultivation, and the trade of gold on the coast of the Indian Ocean, Great Zimbabwe was the heart of a thriving trading empire
Trade: The Kingdom of Zimbabwe controlled the ivory and gold trade from the interior to the southeastern coast of Africa. Zimbabwe people mined minerals like gold, copper and iron.

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Political systems: The Swahili Coast was an aristocracy that was divided up into 40 states. Each city state was governed separately by a group of local nobility who were selected by birth of by qualifications.
Cultural traditions: The Swahili people followed the Summi denomination of Islam. They also created and followed their own native language.
1 Innovation or Achievements: The Swahili Coast has been the site of cultural and commercial exchanges between East Africa and the outside world, particularly the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.
Trade: Swahili city-states also manufactured goods for their own residents and for trade such as pottery, cloth, and highly decorated siwa, the typical brass trumpet of the region. Goods from Africa included precious metals such as gold, iron, and copper.

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Political System: The Mali Empire was run by a monarchy. Specifically an emperor called a Mansa. The empire was then divided up into provinces that were each led by a governor called a ferba. The empire had a social organization that favored priests, historians, and storytellers, and ignored slaves and peasants.
Cultural Tradition: Each of Mali's dozen different ethnic groups contain their own unique language and history. The ethnic groups include the Tuareg, Fulani, Bozo fishers, Bambara, and Dogon farmers.
1 Innovation or Achievement: The Mali Empire was most known for controlling important trade routes across the Sahara Desert to Europe and the Middle East. This made it an extremely prosperous and wealthy empire.
Trade: The Mali Empire considered the most important industry for trading to be the gold industry. Much of their gold was traded through the Sahara desert, to the countries on the North African coast.

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https://www.sutori.com/story/south-and-southeast-asia--KFFqC3HA4hHwf5nGne6vaeuP
Political system: The political systems of the Southeast Asia empires were monarchies. They controlled the waters around them and had strong naval armies.
Cultural tradition: The main traditions that the Southeast Asia dynasties were temples built due to the large influence Buddhism had on the area.
1 Innovation or Achievement: This areas main achievement was the extensive trade routes that it created that stretched throughout its many empires as well as other areas.
Trade: They often traded with other empires around the area, such as China. Art circulated through the area, as well as soybeans and silk.

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https://www.sutori.com/story/south-and-southeast-asia--KFFqC3HA4hHwf5nGne6vaeuP
Political system: Most empires of India were run by a hierarchical monarchy. They often followed strict caste systems that valued court workers and priests and that did not pay attention to peasants. Peasants were left to run the land and work for higher class people.
Cultural traditions: The empires of India built temples that thrived through art and architecture. The temples attributed to many famous art pieces and works of writing written during that time.
1 Innovation or Achievement: They were most well known for their temples and how they attributed to the spread of Islam due to their dynasties being taken over by Muslim teachings.
Trade: Trade flourished under Indian dynasties. Most often, peppers, spices, and textiles were the primary goods exported in exchange for wine, olive oil, and Roman coins that were traded with the West.

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Political system: The Abbasid Empire ran the Muslim world as an hereditary monarchy. They also had a social hierarchy that followed a caste system. The Caliph and his family were on top, with slaves at the bottom.
Cultural traditions: The Abbasid, as well as many other Islamic societies, stressed the Five Pillars of Islam, as well as the placement of theocratic governments, which helped form their society.
1 Innovation or Achievement: The Abbasids had an unbroken line of caliphs for over three centuries, consolidating Islamic rule and cultivating great intellectual and cultural developments in the Middle East.
Trade: The Abbasids had trade routes that the Persians had established. they traveled with areas in Asia and Europe. Some of the goods traded through Baghdad were ivory, soup, honey, and diamonds. They exported silk, glass, tiles, and papers.

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Political system: The Seljuk Dynasty was run by a monarchy, which was solely hierarchical. They had semi-autonomous powers and they developed a combined method of their nomadic procedures as well as a bureaucracy system.
Cultural traditions: The Seljuk Dynasty was famous for the architectural builders that built great madrassahs, mosques, and bridges. Their main cultural traditions were using bricks with great sophistication to create arches and domes.
1 Innovation or Achievement: The Seljuk Dynasty is most known for playing a major role in the Middle Ages and defending the Islamic world against Crusaders, and conquering large parts of the Byzantine Empire. They also provided Europe with a barrier between them and the Mongols.
Trade: The Seljuk Dynasty had become an export nation, although they imported more than they exported. They also traded their own goods among the cities of the Empire and Constantinople. Their exported goods included productions of alum and refined sugar.

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Political system: The Mamluk Dynasty was run by a monarchy. They had caste systems that, much like other dynasties in this time, did not shed light on peasants but favored lords and rulers.
Cultural traditions: The Mamluk period is known mainly for its achievements in historical writing and in architecture. Mamluk historians were prolific chroniclers, biographers, and encyclopaedists. The Mamluks built impressive temples and tomb-mosques.
1 Innovation or Achievement: The Mamluks were able to destroy the Mongol army at Ayn Jalut and again at the second battle of the Homs. By a series of attacks, their command and control mechanisms were impressive. They formed only the core of Syrian and Egyptian armies.
Trade: Venice was Mamluks main source of trade. They exported mainly spice and pepper. They often imported paper.

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Political system: The Song Dynasty was a monarchy. They followed an impartial bureaucracy and they had a civil class exam.
Cultural tradition: Traditions based off of Confucius' teachings, including the respect of women, but there was also the practice of foot-binding among women to shrink the size of their feet.
1 Innovation/Achievements: In the Song era, the Chinese printed booklets on how to farm that benefited people rice-growing regions.
Trade: The Song Dynasty traded with many areas, such as Korea, Japan, and lands to the south and southwest. They exported silk, rice, porcelain, and tea with other areas.

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The caravan has arrived at its final destination. I am one of the many few travelers to make it to the end. As I reflect, I feel my chest swell in pride. It was a long, difficult journey, with dangers all around. The journey did not go as I had expected. I expected it to go by faster, with less difficulties. But the world always has other plans. As I sit in Antioch, I realize that the journey was worth it. I had time to meet other people, with different backgrounds and beliefs, and have become more aware of the ideas floating all around me. I am wary of the return journey, but now I know what to expect, and I am looking forward to returning to the familiarity of my home.

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Marakanda, улица Советов, Abinsk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia

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Marakanda is a big, thriving area. It brings safety to the travelers who are passing through. The people are friendly but they seem wary of the groups. I plan to try to reserve my energy before my caravan begins on our journey again by resting. I am not sure what to expect for the rest of my journey. These past few months have gone by so slowly, and I am almost where I have been required to be. Hopefully this passes quickly. I have been lucky to be in good shape and health, and I hope to stay in that way for the remaining trip. Information has been easy to come by. There is so much going on at all times that people do not stop to be curious of other's intentions. But I am trying to keep my head and be aware of those around me. Trust still has not come easily..

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The Gobi Desert was more than I could have expected. It feels difficult to keep my eyes open. We have had several travelers fall prey to the exhausting heat. I do not know how I feel about this desert. There is nothing around the group. There hasn't been anything for miles. It is a waterless area, that brings a strange sense to the travelers. It feels unsafe, but I will continue to try to keep my eyes open to make it out of the desert.

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I arrived in Dunhuang with the caravan after traveling 1,000 miles. The road has not proved itself to be much of a challenge yet. Traveling with a group has made it much better. Dunhuang is a beautiful area. Tonight, other travelers and I sat around the fire and discussed the different religions being passed around through the Silk Road. The Silk Road has helped pass the idealogies of several religions, bringing them together and help combine them. I have come across so many religion's because there are people from all over the area, with different ideas, who are mixing their beliefs with others and allowing their religions to be observed by other travelers. I am anxious about the trip through the Gobi Desert. It is an area I am unfamiliar with.

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I arrived in Chang'an yesterday in incognito. The group I am traveling with is preparing to go west from Chang'an. I have referred to the map given to me before I left. My next stop will be Dunhuang. I am worried about what I will be facing on the Silk Road. Banidts, hunger, loss of money. My future is undetermined. The group I am traveling with worries me as well. Who knows what some of these people are capable of when danger arrives.

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My name is Pi Lin, I am 24 years old. I work as a Han official for China. I was sent to the Silk Road to monitor and keep tabs on the the western lands, as well as to gather information about the surrounding empires. I am married to a woman named Qi Na. We have no children.