1. Ch Mongol Conquests

2. Nomads of the Asian Steppes

4. Nomads of the Asian Steppes
This is a YURT

7. Mongols were pastoral people who lived in modern day Mongolia
Lived on horseback
Lived in loosely organized groups called clans
In 1200, a clan leader named Temujin unites all Mongols into one clan, takes the name Genghis Khan, which means “universal ruler” p.258 in textbook

8. Genghis Khan the Conqueror
He was a brilliant military organizer
Grouped soldiers in 10,000.
Then into 1,000 man brigade
100 man company
10 man platoons
He was a gifted strategist
Small unit would lead attackers into an ambush
Made armies appear larger by dressing captives to look like Mongol soldiers
Used spies to find out enemies weakness
Adopted new weapons and technology used by enemies
Used cruelty as a weapon

9. Mongol Empire at Genghis’s death

10. When Genghis Kahn died in 1227, his successor, Ogadai Khan, continued to expand his empire
In 50 years, conquered area from China to Poland.
*Created the largest unified land empire in history*

11. In 1260, after Ogadai died, the Mongol Empire was divided up into 4 large KHANATES, each ruled by a descendant of Genghis Khan
Khanate of the
Golden Horde
Khanate of the Great Khan
Khanate of
Chagatai
Ilkhanate

12. Mongols as rulers
Many of these areas invaded by the Mongols never recovered from Mongol conquest
Some populations totally whiped out
Destroyed irrigation systems
Over time, Mongol rulers adopted aspects of the culture of the people they ruled
Ilkhans and Golden Horde became Muslims
Great Khans made use of Chinese institutions

13. Mongols in China
Kublai Khan, Genghis’s Grandson, assumed title Great Khan in 1260.
His khanate included Mongolia, Korea, Tibet, and northern China
Began to fulfill grandfathers goal of conquering all of China
Founded dynasty called the Yuan Dynasty (united China, known as one of China’s greatest emperors)
Used connections with Mongols around asia to open up trade

14. Marco Polo
Marco Polo, a merchant from Venice, journeyed the Silk Road and visited China in the 1270s. He was astounded by the magnificence of Kublai Khan’s court and the technological superiority of the Chinese over the Europeans of his day. He was especially impressed by their use of gunpowder and their burning of coal as a source of heat.

15. End of the Mongols
The Mongol dynasty eventually fell victim to the same problems that plagued other dynasties: too much spending on foreign conquests, corruption at court, and growing internal instability.
In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang, the son of a peasant, put together an army, ended Mongol dynasty, and set up a new one, the Ming Dynasty.