🇲🇳🇨🇳 Mongol Empire & Yuan China

Mongol Empire

Large Eurasian empire created through conquest and expanded across China, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

Genghis Khan

Founder of the Mongol Empire who united Mongol tribes in 1206.

Temüjin

The birth name of Genghis Khan.

Mongol Military Organization

Mongols used highly mobile cavalry, discipline, intelligence, and organized units to conquer territory.

Pastoral Nomadism

Way of life based primarily on herding animals and moving seasonally in search of pasture.

Khan

Title used by Mongol rulers.

Ögedei Khan

Genghis Khan's successor who continued Mongol expansion and helped administer the growing empire.

Kublai Khan

Mongol ruler who conquered the Southern Song and established the Yuan Dynasty in China.

Yuan Dynasty

Mongol-ruled Chinese dynasty established by Kublai Khan in 1271.

Yuan Government

Kublai Khan retained many Chinese institutions while placing Mongols and other foreigners in important positions.

Religious Tolerance

Mongol rulers generally allowed multiple religions to practice within their empire.

Pax Mongolica

Period of relative stability under Mongol rule that encouraged trade and communication across Eurasia.

Silk Roads Under the Mongols

Mongol control made long-distance travel and trade across much of Eurasia safer and more connected.

Caravan Routes

Mongol-controlled routes allowed merchants, travelers, and information to move across Eurasia.

Cultural Exchange

Mongol rule increased movement of technologies, ideas, religions, goods, and people between regions.

Marco Polo

Venetian traveler whose account described Yuan China and helped Europeans learn about East Asia.

Ilkhanate

Mongol khanate ruling much of Persia and the Middle East.

Hulagu Khan

Mongol ruler who founded the Ilkhanate and conquered Baghdad in 1258.

Golden Horde

Mongol khanate that controlled parts of Russia and Eastern Europe.

Batu Khan

Mongol leader associated with the Golden Horde and invasions into Eastern Europe.

Mongol Conquest of Baghdad

In 1258, Mongol forces captured Baghdad and ended the Abbasid Caliphate's political power.

Mongol Rule in Persia

Mongol rulers eventually adopted Islam and incorporated Persian administrative traditions.

Mongol Rule in China

Mongols governed China as the Yuan Dynasty while maintaining a social hierarchy favoring Mongols.

Mongol Yoke

Term used by some Russian historians for Mongol domination over Russian territories.

Mongol Decline

The empire fragmented into separate khanates because of succession disputes, distance, local resistance, and administrative challenges.

White Lotus Society

Religious movement that opposed Yuan rule and contributed to rebellion.

Yuan Decline

Rebellion, economic problems, natural disasters, and opposition to Mongol rule weakened the dynasty.

Ming Dynasty

Chinese dynasty that overthrew the Yuan in 1368 and restored Han Chinese rule.