Mongolian Empire
I. Mongols
A. Mongols lived in an area
North of China
B. Nomadic tribe that raised
cattle, goats, sheep, and
horses
C. Followed their herd of
animals through the
steppes (grassy plains)
of Mongolia.
D. Skilled on horseback and
learned as early as age 4
E. Skilled in combat/warfare
1. Fire arrows and
spears at their enemies
at a distance on
horseback
II. Genghis Khan
A. Temujin was born in the
1160s
B. He began to unite the
many Mongol tribes at a
very young age
C. Temujin was elected
“strong ruler” or
Genghis Khan over the
Mongol tribes in 1206.
D. Genghis Khan’s main
goal was to conquer
lands beyond Mongolia
III. Building an Empire
A. Genghis Khan gathers
an army of over
100,000.
B. Divided his army into
smaller divisions
C. Commanding officers
were chosen based on
ability and not by family
ties or birth
D. Genghis Khan started
conquering the tribes
within the steppes.
1. Increased the wealth
of the Mongols and
brought new soldiers to
his skilled army
E. In 1211, the Mongols would
attack and conquer Northern
China
F. Mongols were known for
using terrorist tactics to
scare people into surrender
1. Burned cities, robbed,
tortured, and killed hundreds
of thousands of people.
G. Genghis Khan would die in
1227, when he fell from his
horse. The empire building
would continue under the
leadership of his four sons
IV. Mongolian Empire
A. After Genghis Khan’s
death, the Mongols
would conquer land in
eastern and central
Europe, southeast Asia,
and the Middle East
B. Mongols would unite
their territories under
one rule.
C. The largest land
empire the world has
ever known stretched
from the Pacific Ocean
to Eastern Europe
D. Mongols would bring
peace to lands they
conquered
E. Mongols would
become wealthy by
taxing goods traded on
Asian trade routes (Silk
Road)
F. From conquering
China, the Mongols
would also adapt
gunpowder for their
own use of terror.
V. Kublai Khan
A. Genghis Khan’s
grandson, Kublai, became
Khan in 1260.
B. Starting in 1271, he
would begin the ten year
process of conquering all
of China
C. He would establish the
Mongolian capital in
Khanbaliq, which is where
the modern city of Beijing
is located
D. Kublai Khan would make
himself emperor of China
and establish the Yuan
Dynasty (“beginning”).
E. Using the Silk Road and
under Mongol rule, China
would become very powerful
and wealthy.
F. A European traveler, Marco
Polo, would reach China and
Kublai Khan was fascinated
with his stories.
1. After 16 years of working
with Kublai Khan, Polo would
return to Europe and write a
book about his experience in
China.
2. The book would become a
best seller in Europe,
enticing many Europeans to
travel to Asia
G. Kublai Khan would
take control of Korea
because the Koryo, or
rulers of Korea,
accepted Mongol rule.
H. Mongols would force
thousands of Koreans
to build ships for their
next conquest, Japan
VI. Japan
A. With the warships the
Koreans built, the Mongols
would launch two separate
invasions of the island of
Japan (1274 and 1281).
B. Each invasion was a failure
because of violent Pacific
storms known as typhoons
that destroyed Mongol
warships.
C. The Japanese would name
the typhoons “kamikazes,”
which means “divine wind.”
D. The Japanese would continue
to be an isolated community
where a feudal system thrived
until the 1800s.
VII. China and Korea rebel
A. Kublai Khan would die in
1294 and a series of weak
rulers that followed weakened
the empire.
B. In 1368, a series of rebellions
led by Zhu Yuanzhang drove
the Mongols out of China.
1. Zhu would become
emperor establishing the Ming
Dynasty.
C. As the Mongols lost power,
the Koreans would also regain
their sovereignty
D. China and Korea would
become united countries
because of Mongol rule.