CHINA

Mongolia

Mongol Expansion  The Mongols were the dominant nomadic group in the Central Asia  The Mongols lived in Yurts (movable tents)  Highly developed skills for nomadic life style (horseback riding; fighting skills (shot arrows from long distances; then could fight with swords and spears

Genghis Kahn  Temujin (the-Moo-juhn) was selected as the leader (Genghis Kahn (strong ruler ) in a meeting of the Mongol leaders  He set out to unify the Mongols  He created a new legal code  Had an army of 100,000 trained warriors

Genghis Khan - Temujin The museum is 32 feet, 10 inches tall. The Statue is 131 ft. 3 inches tall.

 Officers were chosen for their abilities and not their social position  They first conquered other people of the steppes  This brought in money and new recruits  In AD 1211 the Mongols invaded China  Within 3 years they had control of Northern China

 They took control of parts of the Silk Road  Genghis Khan and his warriors were known for their use of terror (violent acts that are meant to cause fear)  They attacked, looted, and burned cities  Before too long many surrendered to the Mongols rather than try to fight them

Empire Builders  After the death of Genghis Khan in AD 1227, his vast territory was split into several areas  Each area was ruled by one of this sons  The army was divided as well  Conquests continued!

 Took parts of eastern and central Europe  Conquered Persia (SW Asia)  Captured Bagdad (1258 AD)  Then took Palestine to Egypt  Muslim leaders stopped them in Egypt  The Mongols created the largest land empire in the world (N – Siberia; S – Himalaya’s; E – Pacific Ocean; W – Eastern Europe

Mongol Conquest of China  Genghis Khan’s grandson became the new ruler of the Mongol Empire – (Kublai is his name, ruling was his game!)  He established his capital in what is now Beijing

Mongol & Chinese  In 1271 Kublai wanted to control all of China  in 1279 he brought southern China under his control  He began the Yuan Dynasty  It lasted only about 100 years w/ Kublai ruling 30 of those years

 Kublai appointed Mongol leaders to the top jobs, but did keep some Chinese officials in positions of power  The two cultures were different  The Mongols had their own language, laws and customs  This kept the two separated  The Mongols lived apart from the Chinese and they did not mix socially

Government & Religion  The Yuan Dynasty did give civil service examinations like other had  Jobs were available to non-Chinese people  They did allow Chinese scholar-officials to keep their jobs  The Mongols practices Buddhism, but were respectful of other religions

 Under Mongol rule, China reached the height of its wealth and power  Foreigners were drawn to the capital  Mongols gained favor of the Chinese, in time  The Chinese appreciated the order and prosperity brought in to the country

Marco Polo  He was Venice in Italy  He lived in the capital with Kublai Khan  Kublai was fascinated with his stories about his journeys  He lived in China for 16 years  He was placed in charge of Yangzhou for some time while in China  Upon his return to Italy he wrote a book about his time in China

Trade & Empire  China prospered from increased overland trade with many parts of the world  They also built ships to use in trade  China traded tea, silk, and porcelain  China received silver, carpets, cotton and spices  The Muslims and Europeans took Chinese discoveries back to their homes

 Mongol armies advanced on Viet Nam and Korea  The Koreans agreed to Mongol control and thus their leaders remained in power  The Mongols forces 1000’s of Koreans to make ships for their invasion of Japan  The 2 attempts were unsuccessful