The Mongol Empire
Chapter 12 Section 2
Main Ideas
1. Explore how the Mongol
invaders were able to conquer
and rule so much of Asia
2. Examine the effect Mongol rule
had on China
Geography
• Mongols lived north
of China in the steppe
region
• a large area of flat
unforested
grassland
• Now called Mongolia
• Will spread to one of
the largest land
empires in history
The People
• Isolated group of people because
of geography
• This protected them from outsiders
• Allowed them to grow strong,
develop their techniques over time
• Nomads; lived off the land
• Lived in tents called yurts
• Moved from place to place,
following their herds
The People
• Lived in clans
• Independent family groups
• Several clans = tribe
• Tribes joined together in order to offer greater
protection & stability
• Became very skilled warriors
• Excellent horseman & archers
• Gave them advantage over foot soldiers
• Could cover 100 miles a day
• Also used catapults & giant crossbows mounted on
Genghis Khan
• Fiercest Mongol
leader of all time
• Lived from 11621227
• Originally named
Temujin
• Took title Genghis
Khan in 1206; meant
“Universal Ruler”
Genghis Khan
• He worked to unite the many different tribes in
Mongolia under a single government
• After successfully bringing the Mongolians together,
he established written laws known as the Yassa
• Also established a powerful military
• Insured that they had the best weaponry & training
of any army on Earth at the time
• As a result of his successes, his people began to refer
to Temujin as the Khan, or king
• He became known as the Genghis Khan
Mongol Conquests
• In early 1200s the Mongols captured the city that is now
Beijing, named it Khanbalik
• Then conquered central Asia & Persia
• Genghis Khan’s grandson Kublai Khan conquered the rest
of China, Tibet, part of Southwest Asia
• Batu (another grandson) invaded Europe around 1240
• They raided parts of Poland, Russia, Hungary & Vienna
• Plundering, killing, & enslaving as they went city to city
• Europeans began to call them the Golden Horde after the
way their tents looked in the sun
• Soon left Poland & Hungary, but controlled Russia for
almost 200 years
Batu
Kublai Khan
Mongol Rule
• After Genghis Khan’s death, the empire is divided
into four parts; khanates
• The four parts remained united till the 1300s, then
slowly drift apart
Mongol Rule
• In 1260 Kublai Khan is given title Great Khan
• Head of the whole Mongol empire
• Adopted many Chinese ways & introduced
Chinese ceremonies to his court
• Relied on Chinese officials in the lower & middle
ranks to his court
• He had a palace in Beijing & another in Mongolia
China Under the Mongols
• 1271 Kublai Khan started his own dynasty called the
Yuan Dynasty
• It was located in northern China, with the capital at
Beijing
• By 1279 the Yuan defeated the Sung dynasty in
southern China
• First ruler in 300 years to rule over all of China
• The Yuan ruled China until 1368
• Kublai Khan extended the length of the Great Canal
by 100s of miles to supply the capital with food from
southern farms
China Under the Mongols
• Set up 10,000 courier stations
using horseback riders to deliver
news & imperial messages
• Yam
• A fresh horse would take the
rider to the next station
• This greatly improved
communication throughout the
empire
• Helped maintain order & unity
Contact with Europeans
• During Mongol rule contact
with Europeans increased
• Ambassadors were sent to
China
• Christian missionaries were sent
to China by the Pope in Rome
• Italian explorer Marco Polo
traveled to China & began
working for Kublai Khan as a
special representative traveling
around China for 17 years
Chinese-Mongol Relations
• Although the Yuan dynasty did much good for
China; there were problems as well
• The Mongols & the Chinese did not get along
• Spoke different languages
• Mongols did not treat the Chinese as equals
• Chinese could not hold important positions in
government
• Laws punished Chinese criminals more harshly
• High Taxes for Chinese
Chinese-Mongol Relations
• 1294 – Kublai Khan died
• A series of weak successors followed
• Huang River flooded
• Which destroyed crops
• Which caused famine
• Rebellions sprang up & in 1368 the Yuan dynasty
was overthrown
Lasting Mongol Influence
• Increase Trade
• Silk Road makes a come back
• Make money off taxing it
• But kept safe since its all under the Mongol Empire
• Communication
• Yam System
• Religious Tolerance
• Mongol religion based on local customs, don’t force
whole empire to convert
• Christian missionaries come to empire
• Some will convert to Islam
Questions
• How were the Mongol invaders
able to conquer and rule so much
of Asia?
• What effect did Mongol rule have
on China?