AP World History: The Mongols Period 3 Chapter 14

Mongols used eagles to help them hunt.

I Geography and the Mongols The Mongols were nomadic warriors. They lived in the steppes (flat grassland) and Gobi desert north of China. B) Orkhon is the longest river in Mongolia C) Dairy is the staple of their diet; yak or horse milk is made into butter, yogurt, and cheese.

Geography and the Mongols Continued… Europeans called Mongols the Golden Horde due to gold color of Mongol yurts (tents) in the sun. They could be transported on wheels!

Don’t Forget to Milk Your Yak!

Geography and the Mongols Continued… C) The Mongols were skilled horseback riders. Their horses were small, but Mongolian armor was very light, allowing them to ride up to 100 miles per day! D) Weapons included the crossbows and catapult. The Mongols would catapult the dead bodies of plague victims towards their enemies.

Mongol Silk Armor Silk would absorb sweat & was much lighter to wear than European armor. If a Mongol fell off his horse, he could get back up!

II Genghis Khan (1162 - 1257) A) Nomads speaking Mongolian languages carved out regional kingdoms in north China in the 4-10th centuries CE. B) In 1206 CE Temujin, age 42, became known as Genghis Khan “Universal Ruler”. By brutal force, he had united the fragmented nomadic tribes of Mongolia. C) He used divide and conquer tactics: He was benevolent towards those who submitted, but used terror and bloodshed towards those who did not.Genghis Khan created a body of law. 1. Banned the kidnapping of women 2. Stealing animals became a capital offense 3. Regulated winter hunting to ensure food for all DNA studies have revealed that Genghis Khan has 16 million living descendants today! – National Geographic, 2010

Genghis Khan Continued… C) His grandson Kublai Khan (1215 - 1294) conquered Tibet and Southeast Asia.

Genghis Khan Continued… D) Genghis’s grandson Batu (1207 – 1255) crossed the Volga river. He invaded Russia, and parts of Eastern Europe. While his army left Eastern Europe quickly, the Mongols remained in Russia for 200 years. *Recall that the Mongols destroyed so much of Russia’s infrastructure, that Russia was cut off from Western Europe for centuries!

Genghis Khan Continued… E) Kublai Khan (1215 - 1294), another grandson of Ghengis, conquered the southern Song Dynasty of China. Because Kublai admired Chinese culture, rather than destroying it, he created his own Chinese dynasty; the Yuan!

III The Mongols in Russia The Mongols were known as the Golden Horde due to the color their tents shone in the sun. The Russians also often called them Tartars (people from hell). Under Batu the Mongols invaded Russia in 1236 with 12,000 mounted soldiers. His was the only successful winter invasion of Russia in history! In 1240 the Russian city of Kiev fell. Russian princes became vassals of the Mongols. Russian peasants had to give their crops and labor to the Russian princes AND the Mongol overlords! While most of Russia was devastated, Moscow benefited from its status as tribute collector. As Moscow grew in strength, the power of the Golden Horde declined. Also, due to the Mongolian tolerance of different religions, the Orthodox Church kept some of its power. In 1380 Moscow princes raised an army and defeated the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikova. The Legacy of the Mongols in Russia: On one hand, the Mongols protected a weak Russia from attacks by Poland and Hungary. Moscow benefited financially. However, the Mongols destroyed much of Russian infrastructure and isolated Russia from the West for centuries.

IV The Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368) A) The Mongols ruled from their capital Dadu (now Beijing) B) The Mongol rulers encouraged trade by keeping the Silk Road safe, expanding the Grand Canal, and welcoming foreign diplomats and merchants. This period of economic growth and stability was known as the Pax Mongolia. - The most famous visitor to the Khan’s Court under the Yuan Dynasty was Marco Polo. C) The Mongol rulers discriminated against the native Chinese; only Mongols or foreigners could serve in the government. Unlike Confucianism, the Mongols promoted the role of artists, merchants and traders. D) By the 1350s the Mongol hold on China was weakening. Secret religious sects like the White Lotus Society were dedicated to overthrowing the Yuan. After the chaos, a peasant, Ju Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty.

The Silk Road Prospered Under the Mongols!

The Yuan Dynasty Continued… Yuan Dynasty Porcelain Vase The White Pagoda, 13th Century

V Mongols and the Islamic Empire In 1258 the Mongols captured and destroyed Baghdad and murdered the caliph, ending the Abbasid Dynasty. This is why Muslims historians view this as one of the greatest catastrophes of Islam. In 1260 the Mongols were defeated by the Mamluk (slave) dynasty of Egypt. This was largely due to the cooperation of Coptic Christians.

VI Women and “Tolerance” in the Mongol Empire Mongolian women did not practice Chinese foot binding Women often fought in battle on horseback Chabi, the wife of Kublai Khan, was one of his political advisors, and promoted Buddhism among the Mongols. D) The Mongols had a very strict social hierarchy. However, within this hierarchy was tolerance for different ethnicities and religions. - Muslim doctors ran the imperial hospitals. Persians and Turks were some of Kublai Khan’s closest advisors. - Buddhists, Christians, and Taoists also were in Kublai Khan’s court. Don’t forget Marco Polo!

Primary Source: Excerpt from Marco Polo’s Journal “When the Great Khan is holding court, the seating at banquets is arranged as follows. He himself sits at a much higher table than the rest…His principal wife sits next to him on the left. On the right, at a somewhat lower level, sits his sons in order of age… They are placed so that their heads are on a level with the Great Khan’s feet. Next to them are seated the noblemen at other tables lower down again…All the wives of the Khan’s sons and grandsons and kinsmen are seated on his left at a lower level, and next to them the wives of his nobles and knights lower down still.”

IV Legacy of the Mongols The Bad: Approximately 40 million people died due to the Mongol invasions. The Good: Trade and safety improved along the Silk Road. Other religions and cultures were tolerated in the empire. The Yuan Dynasty was a Golden Age of China.

VII Timur’s Empire Timur “the Lame” was a leader of the Muslim Turks. In the 1360s his armies moved out from his base at Samarkand to conquer Persia, Mesopotamia, India, and southern Russia. His empire was not as large as the Mongols. However, he was known by some as even more barbaric! He built pyramids of skulls of those he slaughtered. Unlike the Mongols he did not increase trade or cultural diffusion. He died in 1405, and his empire was pulled apart.

Focus Questions How much did geography help or hurt the Mongols? Why did the Mongols create a Chinese rather than a Mongolian Dynasty? Why did they not do something similar in Russia? Were the Mongols “typical” of nomadic peoples? What should their legacy be?