Transcript The Mongols Creating an Empire

The Mongols
Creating an Empire
The Mongols
• Mongols were nomads who
lived in north China steppe
(area of dry grassland) along
with Huns, Turks, & other
tribes; Mongols used horses
& raised cattle & sheep;
were excellent warriors
Chinese Steppe
The Mongols
• Around 1200, a Mongol clan
leader named Genghis Khan
(“universal ruler”) unified the
Mongols under his leadership.
• For the next
21 year, he
conquered
much of Asia.
Genghis Khan
• For the next 20 years, Genghis
Khan led a campaign of terror
throughout Central Asia,
destroying
cities and
slaughtering
people.
Genghis Khan
3 factors that contributed to his
success:
1. Well-organized army with
experienced fighters.
2. Genghis Khan was able to
outthink & outwit his enemies.
3. Used cruelty as a weapon. It
convinces others to surrender
without a fight.
Genghis Khan
• He died in 1227, but his
successors continued to expand
the empire.
• Under Genghis’s son and
grandsons the Mongols
conquered:
- China
- parts of Korea
- Russia
- threatened
Eastern Europe
WOW!! The Mongol Empire is huge!!
The Mongol Rulers
• In 1260, the empire was
divided into 4 areas called
khanates:
- Mongolia and China
- Central Asia
- Persia
- Russia
The Mongol Rulers
• The rulers of these areas
gradually adopted the culture
of the people they ruled.
(examples: West became
Muslim, China took on
Chinese culture)
• This contributed to the
splitting of the empire.
Mongol Rulers
• Tolerant rulers in times of
peace. Rarely imposing their
beliefs on others.
• Imposed stability, law and order
across Eurasia.
• Provided safety and trade
between Europe and Asia which
led to the Pax Mongolica.
Pax Mongolica
• Means “Mongol Peace”
• The Mongols guaranteed safe
passage for trade caravans,
travelers, and missionaries
throughout their empire.
• Trade between Europe and Asia
was extremely active. Many
Chinese innovations reach
Europe for the 1st time.
Pax Mongolica
• Some historians also believe
that the bubonic plague that
devastated Europe in the 1300s
was first spread by the
Mongols.
• The disease might have
traveled along trade routes to
have been passed by infected
Mongol troops.
Kublai Khan
• Grandson of
Genghis Khan,
Kublai Khan,
took power in 1260.
• In 1279, Kublai Khan finally
defeated the Chinese army and
became the first foreigner to
gain complete control of China.
Kublai Khan
• He founded the Yuan dynasty
that ruled China for about 100
years.
• His dynasty united China for the
first time in several hundred
years and open China to trade
with the west. (Making him one
of China’s greatest emperors.)
Kublai Khan
• The Mongols did not disrupt
Chinese government or culture,
they adopted it.
• Kublai Khan adopted Chinese
culture and built a new capital
city in Beijing. He
enjoyed living
the luxurious life
of a Chinese
emperor.
“I have heard that one can
conquer the empire on
horseback, but one cannot
govern it on horseback.”
- Kublai Khan’s
Chinese Advisor
Kublai Khan’s Empire
• Mongol ways would not work in
a sophisticated civilization like
China.
• To rule his empire, Kublai Khan
continued Chinese practices.
v.
Kublai Khan’s Empire
• Mongols had little in common
with their Chinese subjects.
• The Mongols kept separate
identities, lived apart from the
Chinese and obey different
laws.
Kublai Khan’s Empire
• They kept the Chinese out of high
government positions, but
retained Chinese officials to serve
locally.
• Most high positions went to
Mongols or foreigners. The
Mongols believed that foreigners
were more trustworthy since they
had no local loyalties.
Marco Polo
• The most famous European
foreigner to visit China during
this time was a young Venetian
trader ,
Marco Polo.
Marco Polo
• He arrived at Kublai Khan’s court
around 1275 and Polo ended up
serving the Khan for 17 years.
(Remember Kublai liked to give
government positions to
foreigners.)
• Kublai recognized his “merit and
worth” and sent him on special
missions around the empire.
Marco Polo
• Polo returned to Venice in 1292.
• During a war in Venice he was
later captured and imprisoned. In
prison, he told the full story of his
travel and adventures in China.
• Fellow prisoners recorded his
tales, workings of Kublai’s
government and aspects of
Chinese life in his book,
The Travels of Marco Polo.
Marco Polo
• Polo described China’s fabulous
cities, it fantastic wealth, and
strange things he saw there.
- He mentioned burning of
“black stones” (coal) in
Chinese homes.
• His book was an instant
success in Europe, but many
didn’t believe a word of it.
End of Mongol Rule
• In the last years of Kublai Khan’s
rule weakness began to appear.
- His armies and navies suffered
defeats in their expansion
efforts.
- Heavy spending on wars,
public works, and luxuries
created resentment among the
overtaxed Chinese.
End of Mongol Rule
• Kublai Khan died in 1294. After
his death the Yuan dynasty
began to fade.
- Succession issues caused
conflict, 4 Khans in 8 years.
- Rebellions broke out in many
parts of China.
- Economic problems
and official corruption.
End of Mongol Rule
• The Chinese rebels finally
overthrew the Mongols in 1368.
• The Chinese founded the new
Ming dynasty
Kublai Khan’s Legacy
Kublai Khans’ Legacy:
• Rebuilt the Grand Canal.
• Because of the Pax Mongolica, foreign
trade increased, which took Chinese
products like printing, gun powder,
paper money, the compass, and
playing cards to Europe.
• He invited foreign
merchants to visit China.