The mongols in china

The mongol empire The Mongols acquired the world’s largest land empire. They were a pastoral (nomadic) people from the region of Mongolia which consisted of family clans, unified by Temujin in the 1160’s.

Nomadic Herders

Genghis khan In 1206 Genghis Khan (Strong Ruler) formerly known as Temujin was elected in the Gobi desert to rule Mongolia and he devoted himself to conquest. He set up a capital city at Karakorum. His armies traveled both east and westward to create the world’s largest empire ever.

Genghis the conqueror He was a brilliant organizer, he grouped his warriors in groups of 10,000 as the Chinese had done. He then set them up in to 1,000 man brigades, 100 man companies, and 10 man platoons. His very effective strategy in battle was to pretend that the battle was over then gallop away. When the enemy was sure that the battle was over a second wave of soldiers would suddenly appear and defeat the unprepared enemy.

Chinese attacks While attacking China the Genghis encountered the use of gunpowder. The Khans used gunpowder to invent the handgun and cannon. By the 1400’s Europeans were employing Mongolian rulers in China to teach them how to make guns and cannons.

Cruelty as a weapon Genghis used new technologies that he learned from his enemies to torture them. He had the Chinese build guns, catapults and cannons that he would later use to kill them with. With the new technology he took city after city and if any city denied him access in he would later kill the cities entire population. Eventually, people so feared him that they would simply surrender and avoid a fight all together.

After death of Genghis khan In 1227 Khan dies and his empire began to change. The Khans heirs divided his empire and it was split into khanates(separate territories). Each Khanate was ruled by one of his sons.

The mongol peace From 1200-1300 the Mongol Rulers imposed a period of stability and law and order in most of Eurasia. They allowed safe passage of trade caravans, travelers, and missionaries from one end of the empire to another. Many historians believe that it was this peaceful time when the Bubonic Plague spread throughout Europe and Asia.

The empire of the great khan

The mongol dynasty 1279 Kublai Khan (grandson to Genghis) established a new Chinese Dynasty called Yuan after he conquered the Song Dynasty. He ruled in China until his death in 1294 and called himself the Great Khan in 1260. His capitol was called Khanbaliq, later known as Beijing.

Kublai khan He spent most of his life in China, unlike the other Khans, he did not hate other civilizations. He loved living in the seat of the Chinese Emperors on the border between Mongolia and China. His enormous palace impressed the European explorer Marco Polo who called it “the largest that was ever seen.”

The decline of the mongol empire

rebellions Many rebellions broke out in China in 1300’s. Kublai Khans added to the already deep resentment the Chinese had for Mongolians who ruled in China and caused them great humiliation. Rebellions were also fueled by years of famine, flood and disease, as well as economic decline. Eventually, the Mongolian presence declined and only a few remained .

Genghis Contributions Spurred World trade United the World Spread out intellectuals throughout his empire Merit Based Army Promoted cultural tolerance in his Empire

End of the yuan dynasty By the end of the Yuan Dynasty the entire Mongol empire had disintegrated. The rise and fall of Mongol rule affected civilizations from Eastern Europe to China, and never reached Japan. Kublai Khan had a deep desire to reach Japan, but did not .