Batu Khan on the throne. Miniature from Rashid al-Din’s Jami' al-Tawarikh (Compendium of Chronicles). Early 14th century / Wikimedia Commons

William of Rubruck before a Mongol ruler. Miniature from a medieval manuscript. 14th century / Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge / Wikimedia Commons

The Sack of Suzdal by Batu Khan’s army in 1238. Miniature from the Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible. 16th century / National Library of Russia / Wikimedia Commons

Yersinia pestis bacteria, the causative agent of plague. Scanning electron microscope image / National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) / Wikimedia Commons

Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The Triumph of Death. Circa 1562 / Museo del Prado, Madrid / Wikimedia Commons

Battle between Timur and Tokhtamysh Khan. Miniature / Topkapı Palace, Istanbul / Wikimedia Commons