The14th century lasted from 1 January1301 (represented by theRoman numerals MCCCI) to 31 December1400 (MCD). It is estimated that the century witnessed the death of more than 45 million lives from political and natural disasters in bothEurope and theMongol Empire.[1][2]West Africa experienced economic growth and prosperity.
InAfrica, the wealthyMali Empire, a huge producer of gold, reached its territorial and economic height under the reign ofMansaMusa I of Mali, the wealthiest individual of medieval times, and perhaps the wealthiest ever.[5][6]
TheLittle Ice Age was a period of widespread cooling which, while conventionally defined as extending from around the 16th to the 19th centuries, is dated by some experts to a timespan from about 1300 to about 1850, during which average global temperatures dropped by as much as 2 °C (3.6 °F), particularly in Europe and North America. This created conditions for a shortened growing season and reduced crop yields that led to the famines in those areas.
1346: English forces led by Edward III defeat a French army led byPhilip VI of France in TheBattle of Crécy, a major point in the Hundred Years' War which marks the rise of thelongbow as a dominant weapon in Western Europe.
1350:Hayam Wuruk, styled Sri Rajasanagara, succeedsTribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi as ruler of Majapahit; his reign is considered the empire's 'Golden Age'.[7] Under its military commanderGajah Mada, Majapahit stretches over much of modern-day Indonesia.
1356: The Diet of the Hansa is held inLübeck, formalising what up until then had only been a loose alliance of trading cities in northern Europe and officially founding theHanseatic League.
Work begins on the Great Enclosure atGreat Zimbabwe, built of non-cemented, dressed stone. Research suggests the city's population to be between less than 10,000 to 18,000 at its peak.[16][17]
^Nanda, J. N (2005).Bengal: the unique state. Concept Publishing Company. p. 10. 2005.ISBN978-81-8069-149-2.Bengal [...] was rich in the production and export of grain, salt, fruit, liquors and wines, precious metals and ornaments besides the output of its handlooms in silk and cotton. Europe referred to Bengal as the richest country to trade with.
^Kern, J.H.C., (1907),De wij-inscriptie op het Amoghapāça-beeld van Padang Candi(Batang Hari-districten); 1269 Çaka, Tijdschrift voor Indische Taal-, Land-, en Volkenkunde.
^Drs. R. Soekmono; et al. (1988) [1973].Pengantar Sejarah Kebudayaan Indonesia 2, 2nd ed (5th reprint ed.). Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kanisius. p. 72.
^Kuklick, Henrika (1991). "Contested monuments: the politics of archaeology in southern Africa". In George W. Stocking (ed.).Colonial situations: essays on the contextualization of ethnographic knowledge. Univ of Wisconsin Press. pp. 135–170.ISBN978-0-299-13124-1.
