In Europe in the Middle Ages and later, "highwaymen" (bands of criminals) would waylay travelers on roads and rob or kill them. Asian countries throughout the ages had gangs of "bandits" that preyed on travelers and sometimes shook down villages and towns. Some Chinese provinces were dominated by "warlords" who were organized armies of thieves, into the 20th Century. Beginning in mid-19th Century, some large American cities had gangs of ethnics who shook down their neighborhoods, as did the "Black Hand" later.