Chapter 13 – Reading Guide
Key Terms
Genghis Khan
Mongols
Nomadism
Steppe
Bubonic plague
Il-khan
Golden Horde
Rashid al-Din
Tax farming
Timur
Nasir al-Din Tusi
Ibn Khaldun
Alexander Nevskii
Tasar
Ottomans
Mamluks
Geographic Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What was the geographical extent of the Mongol Empire at its peak in the thirteenth
century?
Who were the various people and cultured in theses conquered lands?
Describe the religious makeup of Central Asian nomads in geographic terms - indicate
how that religious makeup affected the Mongol Empire.
In what ways was the Mongol Empire important in the unification of Eurasia and in the
overland exchange of technology and culture?
Critical Thinking:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Compare the experiences of the Mongol domains with those of the Mongol peripheries
in terms of the economic and technological aspects of Mongol influence.
Describe the technological advantage of the Mongols over their enemies.
Describe the complex relationship between the nomadic and sedentary societies in
Central Asia.
Explain the economic foundations of the Mongol Empire with emphasis on government
revenues.
Identify the important intellectual developments that Europe owed to Mongol
influences.
Discuss the effects of Mongol domination on Russia with emphasis on how it shaped
Russia’s history.
Points to Consider:
1.
2.
3.
Describe the government of the Mongol people. What was the role of the khan? Of
the warriors? Of women?
Describe the Mongol attitude toward religion. How did they deal with the religions of
conquered peoples?
In what ways is the Mongol Empire similar to other empires you have already studied?
Be specific (Rome? Byzantine? Han? Persian? Gupta?)