The Mongol and Ming Empires

Building the Mongol Empire Mongols were nomadic people. Their leader in the early 1200s was Genghis Khan/”World Emperor”. Khan was very fierce and the Mongol armies easily captured lands. But he was never able to complete his conquest of China. However, his heirs devastated China and completed the conquest.

Pax Mongolica In the 1200s and 1300s, Khan’s heirs established the Pax Mongolica, or Mongol Peace. The Mongols were not known to be oppressive rulers-but actually tolerant and just. This was b/c of the legacy Khan had left. They were politically stable which led to economic growth and the control of the Silk Road.

China under Mongol Rule Kublai Khan, Ghenghis’ grandson, eventually toppled the Song Dynasty in 1279. He ruled all of China, Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam. He was a demanding ruler, but built up much of the empire. His dynasty was called the Yuan (Chinese rather than Mongolian). Tried to balance out society between Chinese and Mongolian practices and involvement.

Marco Polo page 494 Marco Polo was an Italian merchant who traveled from Venice and spent 17 years in Kublai’s service. When he returned to Venice, he wrote books and stories that presented a vivid account about the riches and cultures of China.

Marco Polo’s Travels

The Ming Dynasty page 498 After Kublai died, his dynasty quickly declined. Finally, in 1368, a peasant leader named Zhu Yuanzhang pushed the Mongols out and named his new dynasty Ming, meaning brilliant.

Ming Dynasty There was an economic revival during this time, where farms were very productive and they began factories inside the cities. Arts and literature became popular again. During this time, porcelain and pottery became prevalent.

China and the World Ming rulers began sending their citizens to other countries. Zheng He commanded 7 expeditions. His goal was to promote trade and collect taxes from lesser powers. When he died in 1433, the Ming Emperor suddenly stopped ships from sailing. Because of this, China did not have a major world impact.

Assignment You will write a “mini-biography” for each person we discussed today. You will need to write 4-5 sentences about each person. The bios should be on: Genghiz Khan, Kublai Khan, Marco Polo, Zhu Yuanzhang, and Zheng He.