Chapter 14—The Mongols
The Last Great Nomadic
Challenges: From Chinggis
(Genghis) Khan to Timur
Periodization
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1206—Mongol state founded
1215—Mongols attack N. China (win it in 1234)
1219-1223—Russia/Islamic world invaded
1235-1279---S. China taken
1240—Russia taken (Mongols attack W.
Europe)
1253—Mongols destroy Seljuk Turks
1260—Mongols lose to Mamluks in Egypt
1274-1280—Invasion of Japan fails
Important People/Dates of Rule
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Chinggis (Genghis) Khan (r. 1206-1227)
Kublai Khan (r. 1260-1294)
Timur-i Lang (r. 1360s-1405)
Introduction
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Mongols challenge our notions of
“barbarians” and “civilized” societies
Capable of savage violence, their rule also
crates a new level of cross-cultural
exchange
Pax Mongolia—Era of Mongol Peace
leads to revitalized trade, commerce and
urban life along Silk Road
The Mongol Empire of Chinggis
Khan
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Mongols resemble
other nomadic
groups we have
studied
Tribe and clan makeup
Strong tribal
leadership=bravery &
diplomacy
The Early Career of Chinggis
Khan
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Born Temujin, he became leader after his
father’s assassination
Conquers foes, which leads to alliances
and the election at a kuriltai of Temujin to
the role of khagan.
Building the Mongol War Machine
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Natural warriors
trained from youth
Lifestyle stressed
mobility, bravery, skill,
and love of combat
Basis of fighting
structure was the
tumen
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Used cavalry in
combination with
scouts, a messenger
force and mapmaking
unit
Experimented with
new weapons
Conquest: Mongol Empire Under
Chinggis Khan
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From NW China to
North China (Jin) to
W Asia (Kara Khitai)
and on to Middle
East.
Adapted to obstacles
(cities)
Resistance =
Retribution
Conquest: Mongol Empire Under
Chinggis Khan
Life Under the Mongol Imperium
& Chinggis Khan’s Death
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Karakorum= Mongol
capital
Mongols proved to be
astute & tolerant
rulers
Administration built
on Muslim and
Chinese bureaucrats
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Creates an era of
peace (Pax Mongolia)
which stimulates
trade, cultural
exchange and artistic
creativity.
Chinggis dies trying
to conquer all of
China—land divided
amongst sons (son
Ogedai named khan)
The Mongol Drive to the West
Splits into four khanates (see map pg 311)
Golden Horde Empire—Russia
Ilkhan Empire—Persia
Djagatai (Chaghatai) Empire– Central Asia
Empire of Kublai Khan (Yuan Dynasty)—
China & parts of South/SE Asia
Russia in Bondage
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Mongols carry out
only successful winter
invasion in Russian
history (“no eye
remained to weep for
the dead”)
Kiev destroyed & all
Russian princes
become vassals of
Batu
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Peasants suffer; cities
gain
Orthodox Church
remains powerful &
wealthy; enables
princes of Moscow to
defeat Golden Horde
in 1380
QUESTION SLIDE
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In what ways does the
rule of the Golden
Horde mark a turning
point in Russian
history?
Retreat from Europe
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Christians hopeful that the Mongols would
strike down the Muslims (legend of
Prester John)
Europe was spared a full assault
Mongol Assault on Islamic
Heartland
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Ilkhan Khanate
(led by Hulegu)
ends Abbasid
dynasty in 1258
and destroys
Baghdad
Mamluks of
Egypt defeat the
Mongols in
1260
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The Mongols in China (Yuan
Dynasty)
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Led by Kublai Khan
Passed laws to separate
Chinese & Mongols
Kublai Khan fascinated
by Chinese culture
New social hierarchy—
Mongols, Asian nomads
& Muslim allies, ethnic
Chinese and other
minority peoples
Gender Roles/Foreign Influence
Gender Roles
 Mongol women
refused to adopt
Chinese ways
 Mongol women had
more freedom
(ex—Chabi)
Foreign Influence
 Yuan court attracted
many scholars and
artists
 Kublai Khan
welcomed thinkers,
artist, travelers and
emissaries
Social Policies/Scholar-Gentry
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Laws kept Mongols separate; ethnic Chinese
never accepted Mongol rule
Under Mongol rule:
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Artisans/merchants gain power; scholar-gentry loses
it
Substantial navy develops
Commerce booms, as does urbanization
Popular entertainment grows (upsets conservative
Confucianists)
Peasants benefit from land-reform, granary systems,
lower taxes and elementary education
The Fall of the House of Yuan
Warning signs—failed
invasion of Japan,
rebellion of Song
loyalists, defeats in
Vietnam & Java, death of
Kublai Khan
 Muslim/Chinese
bureaucratic corruption
grows
Plotting grows (White Lotus
Society)
1368—Yuan Dynasty will
give way to the Ming
dynasty under Ju
Yuanzhang—(right)
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The Brief Ride of Timur-i Lang
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A complex figure—a
ruthless conqueror
who spared the lives
of artisans and
learned men to
further his own
kingdom
Global Connections
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Mongols symbolize
the return of nomadic
invasions in the post
classical period
Destruction is
countered by their
contributions to new
techniques/weapons
of war
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Facilitate trade and
cross cultural contact
to a level that hadn't
been seen before
Many convinced their
expansion shaped
Eurasian history by
unintentionally
spreading the Black
Plague
Bt the end of this chapter, you
should be able to:
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Analyze the impact that the Mongols had
on Europe and Asia
Compare and contrast different Mongol
leaders
Compare and contrast the effects of
Mongol rule in the four different khanates