The Mongol Empire
The Steppe
The Asian Steppe
EASTERN
• First home of:
Huns, Turks,
Mongols
• Very little rain
creates dry, short
grasses
WESTERN
• First home of:
Hittites
• Mild climate with
decent rainfall
• People have
historically
moved here b/c of
the climate
Nomadic Way of Life
Mongol Tribes
o Herded domesticated
animals
o Constantly on the move
on horseback
o Traveled together in
clans
o Claimed to have
descended from one
common ancestor
Chinggis (Genghis) Khan
Overview
• Born with the name
Temujin
• Ultimately unified the
Mongol tribes
• Accepted the name
Genghis Khan later
(Universal Ruler)
• Led Mongols in
conquering much of
Asia over a 20 year
span
The Rise of Temujin
• During the late 12th century,
Temujin began to build alliances
• Mastered the art
of diplomacy
–
–
–
–
Negotiating
Courage in battle
Loyalty to allies
Willingness to betray
in order to succeed
Mongol Political Organization
• Genghis Khan did not trust
tribal organization
– Led to division
– Disloyalty
• Khan broke up the tribes
and created a new military
– Requirement for all men
of fighting age
– No tribal affiliation
• Chose high military officials, not on
tribal status
– Talents
– Loyalty to Khan
• Karakorum
– Capital of the Mongol Empire
– Acted as a “command center”
– Symbolized that the empire was more
important than any clan or tribe
• Centralization of the
Mongol people
– Much stronger
– Less conflict
Mongolian gender roles
• Mongol women
remained distant from
Confucian Chinese
women
– Didn’t adopt foot binding
– Kept rights to
property/control in the
household
– Some Mongol women
hunted and fought in war
• Mongolian social
influence in China never
stuck and freedom of
women declined after
Kublai dies
Chabi, wife of Kublai and a devout
Buddhist, was one of the more
influential Mongol women
Mongol Military
• Mongol population (13th century):
– 1 million
– Only 1% of China
• Genghis Khan’s army:
100,000 to 125,000
– This was considered
a small force
– Especially in terms of
conquering capacity
•
Reasons for military success
1) Master equestrian skills
•
Grew up on horse back
2) Master archery skills
•
Could fire arrows 656 feet
3) Mastered the psychology of warfare
•
•
•
Spared people those surrendered
Slaughtered those who resisted
Captured few and put them to use
Check for understanding
• What were some of the reasons
Genghis Khan was able to gain
power?
• How did he change the political
structure of the Mongols?
• Why was the Mongol army so
strong?
Genghis Khan’s Conquests
Genghis the Emperor
Reasons for success as an emperor
1.Brilliant organizer – assembled his
fighting force into organized lines and
units
2.Gifted strategist – used various tricks
to confuse his enemy
3.Used cruelty as a weapon – terrified
his enemies into surrender
The Mongols after Genghis Khan
Kublai Khan
• After Genghis Khan’s death, his
descendants struggled for control
• Perhaps the most
talented was Kublai
• Took an interest in both
military and cultural matters
– Promoted Buddhism
– Supported other religions too
• Muslims, Daoists, Christians
The Khanates
• Kublai Khan ruled over China
• Genghis Khans other descendants took over his
other conquests
• 30 years after Genghis
died, the land was split
into 4 khanates (or regions)
– Each ruled by descendants
of Genghis Khan
– There was constant tension
and division between the 4
khanates
• Kublai was named
Khan in 1260
– Fought off invaders
for 4 years
• Venetian explorer Marco
Polo praised KK
– Generosity to the poor
– Efforts to improve infrastructure
– Openness to outside ideas (religions especially)
• From 1264 to his death in 1294, the Mongol
empire is at its highest point…also consisting of
the Pax Mongolica
• In the early 13th century,
Genghis Khan conquered
Northern China
• In the 1270’s, Kublai Khan
conquered Song China and his
dynasty becomes known as
the Yuan
• Kublai’s forces then
proceeded to Southeast Asia
– Unable to adapt to the new
tropical environments, they
failed
• He then attempted two
naval invasions of Japan
(1274 & 1280)
– Typhoons destroyed
the Mongol vessels
Pax Mongolica
• The period of relative peace that followed the Mongols' vast
conquests
• Safe passage across the empire was granted
• The Silk Road, connecting trade centers across Asia and
Europe, came under the sole rule of the Mongol Empire
– “A maiden bearing a nugget of gold on her head could
wander safely throughout the realm”
• Trade between Europe and Asia flourished
• End of the “Mongolian peace” was marked by political
fragmentation of the Mongol Empire (with the death of Kublai)
and the outbreak of the Black Death in Asia which spread
along trade routes to much of the world
Timur-i Lang (Timur the Lame) (Tamerlane)
• Just as the world was recovering
from the Mongols, another group of
invaders, the Turks of Central Asia,
under the leadership of Timur- Lang,
began raids on the Middle East, India
and southern Russia
• Unlike the Mongols, Timur’s invasions
represented ABSOLUTE
BARBARISM…little tolerance for
anything in his path
– Pyramids of skulls, wanton slaughter of
innocent people…he did spare artisans and
scientists from Muslim lands though and
took them back to his capital at Samarkand
• For a brief period there was no
increase in commercial trade…a halt
to cultural exchange…internal peace
subsided
• His death in 1405 signified the end of
the great nomadic challenges to
Eurasian civilizations as the Turks
under future leaders (Mehmed II)
sought a sedentary empire