THE MONGOLS

Nomads of the Asian Steppe Steppe = a vast belt of dry grassland across Eurasia Provided a land trade route Home to nomads who swept into cities to plunder,

loot & conquer

Nomadic Way of Life Pastoralists = herded and

domesticated animals Clans = groups of people

who have a common ancestor

Mongol tribes were a loosely organized clans until Genghis Khan united them

Practically lived on horseback

Rise of the Mongols Clans of Mongols terrorized Asian, Middle Eastern,

and European cities Settled people lived in fear of Mongol raids Mongols employed superior military skills, deployed

fighters quickly, and attacked efficiently against opponents.

While the Mongols were brutal in their conquest, they were religiously tolerant and facilitated cultural exchanges

Genghis Khan Unites the Mongols, 1206 Genghis Khan = “Universal

Ruler” Khan = king, commander,

ruler, chief, etc. He was one of the greatest

conquerors in the history of the world

Launched a campaign of terror across Asia

Temüjin

Named Temüjin (born 1162)

His father was the head of their clan

Traditional stories believe that he was born grasping a blood clot in his fist, which is a sign he was destined to become a great leader

The Onon River, Mongolia, where Temüjin grew up (autumn)

Temüjin

He was given away in an arranged marriage to Börte, a girl from a nearby tribe

Married her when he was 16

Lived the hard life of a poor nomad – Scavenging for food – Tribal warfare – Raids

Temüjin

Börte gave birth to 4 sons and 5 daughters – Temüjin had several consorts and many children

(unknown amount), but only Börte was his true wife and her children were Temüjin’s heirs (successors)

Temüjin began to ally himself politically and through marriage to many other clans throughout central Asia to create an empire – He attacked other clans who would not unite with him

In 1186, Temüjin was elected khan of the Mongols

Brilliant organizer Gifted strategist

Adopted new weapons and technologies, ex. Stirrups

Stirrups gave the Mongols better stability and versatility

Used cruelty as a weapon = “psychological warfare” Kill an entire city

First leader to unite all of the Mongol clans under a single leader

Temüjin

Temüjin Genghis Khan Temüjin used merit as a way for his followers to

rise in ranks (not by birthright or family ties, as was tradition)

He promised civilians and soldiers they could take wealth as spoils from future raids/wars

He didn’t destroy whole tribes – He “adopted them” into his family – This helped tribes become loyal to him

By 1206 he had united all of the tribes into a single unit called the Mongols

Became known as Genghis Khan

Genghis, the Tolerant

Genghis was religiously tolerant of every faith – except for Muslim and

Jewish dietary practices and circumcision

He consulted Buddhist monks, Christian missionaries, Muslims, and Taoist monks

He wanted to learn philosophies and moral lessons from many faiths to be a great ruler

Genghis, the Conqueror

Genghis’ next target was the Xia Dynasty – Conquered

Then the Jin Dynasty – Conquered Genghis entering into Zhongdu

(modern-day Beijing)

Genghis, the Conqueror After Genghis Khan conquered Northern

China, he swept into the Middle East Whole Muslim populations were slaughtered

until they finally sacked Baghdad in 1258 Result = the Golden Age of Islam began

to decline

Genghis, the Conqueror

After he conquered Baghdad, he and his massive armies swept through Russia and Eastern Europe

He brought the Silk Road under one cohesive ruling system

Genghis Khan Genghis knew his sons

would destroy each other for power

He divided his empire among his sons, and his third son Ögedei was proclaimed Genghis’ heir to the khanate (throne)

Genghis’ Death

Genghis died in 1227 Unsure cause of

death – Fall from a horse – Injured in battle – Illness – Murdered

Buried in Mongolia somewhere close to the Onon River

Genghis Khan’s mausoleum – not his actual burial site

Legacy

Genghis left behind a massive army Click Here to see an interactive map of his

empire's growth Genghis created the largest empire in

the entire history of mankind Encouraged religious tolerance,

meritocracy, and adopted the Uyghur script as the Mongolian writing system (lasted until the 1800s)

The Mongol Peace (Pax Mongolica), 1227 – mid-1300’s

Regional stability increased trade along the Silk Road – Set up a postal system (horse

riders carried messages to stations along the Silk Road)

Cultural diffusion between Asia & Europe:

Ideas, Inventions, Technology, Trade & Culture

– Negative effects Spread of Disease (Black

Plague) along trade routes

Silk Road

THE SILK ROAD

Mongols Conquer Russia 1240 = the Mongols attacked &

destroyed Kiev – The ‘Khanate of the Golden

Horde’ would control Russia for 200 years

Due to the total destruction of Kiev, Russian princes agreed to cooperate with the Mongol khans & retained local control

Russians could follow their own customs as long as they didn’t rebel against the Mongols

Influence of the ‘Golden Horde’ Results of the Mongol invasions: 1. Isolated Russia from western Europe during the

Renaissance 2. With Kiev destroyed: - Moscow (located on 3 rivers) became the new

center of trade, power, & wealth in Russia - Strong centralized government began to develop 3. A system of serfdom and peasantry developed 4. Russians were allowed to trade and travel from one

end of the empire to the other

Kublai Khan

Kublai was Genghis Khan’s grandson

He learned a lot from his grandfather before Genghis died

Ögedei Khan gave Kublai a huge estate to rule over

Kublai was attracted to the Chinese culture and learned about Buddhism and Daoism

Kublai Khan Kublai Khan completed the

conquering of China by1279 – He moved capital to Beijing (1271) – established Yuan dynasty

Became the first Emperor of the Yuan dynasty

– organized his court by hierarchy, social, & political status

The Yuan was the only foreign dynasty to rule all of China

Marco Polo

A young Venetian trader, Marco Polo traveled to Asia with his family, learning many languages Marco was a visitor in Kublai Khan’s court before

being hired by government for 17 years Kublai Khan believed that foreigners were more

trustworthy & loyal than the Chinese He believed that Mongols and foreigners had no local

loyalties

Marco Polo After nearly 25 years, the Polos returned to Venice, Italy. Their

family failed to recognize them Marco joined a local war & was

captured & imprisoned During his imprisonment, a fellow

prisoner recorded his 25 year Asian adventure in the Adventures of Marco Polo

Chinese Overthrew the Mongols After Kublai Khan’s

death in1294, Mongol rule began to weaken because of internal struggles amongst family members

Rebellions, fueled by famine, flood, & disease, finally overthrew the Yuan dynasty (1368)

The 4 Khanates

Impact of the Mongolian Empire 1) Created largest unified land empire in history in less

than 50 years 2) Conquered eastwards to Russia & Poland, west to

China, & south to India 3) Imposed stability and order across Eurasia

making caravan routes & travel safe 4) First foreign group to control China 5) Failed to conquer Japan after a typhoon or kamikaze

destroyed the large invasion force 6) Technological innovations spread from China to

Europe