2.2- The Mongol Empire and the Modern World

Mongols and their Identity

• Pastoral nomadic clan

• Gobi Desert

• All expected to be skilled horse riders and good with short bow

• Valued courage and hunting and warfare

• Sought out Silk Road wealth

• Generally extremely ruthless

Genghis Khan’s Identity

• The King of the Mongols

• Expanded their empire greatly

• Created tribal alliances

• Defeated neighboring groups

• Married sons to daughters of other khans

• Ruthless leader

• Elected Khan of the Mongols, his name means ruler of all

Genghis Khan: Beginning of Conquest

• Attacked smaller empires first

• Killed resistors

  • Occasionally murdered entire populations, leading to other towns pre-surrendering after hearing horror stories

• Khanate (kingdom) spread from North China to Eastern persia

Mongols at War under Genghis Khan

• Disciplined Army

• Communication system advanced with messengers on horseback

• Incorporated technologies and weapons of those they conquered

  • especially Chinese and persian seige weapons

Mongols at Peace under Genghis Khan

• Pax Mongolica

• Used the time for trade cultivation

• Consulted and learned from Chinese and Islamic scholars and engineers

• Mongol soldiers protected Silk Roads

• Liberal politices like religious tolerance

Mongol Empire Expands

• Genghis dies and leaves three grandsons to set up own khanates

• Batu and the Golden Horde

• Hulegu and the Islamic Heartlands

• Kublai Khan and the Yuan Dynasty

Batu and the Golden Horde

• He led 100,000 soldiers into Russia (army called the Golden Horde)

• Forced Russian kingdoms to pay tribute

• Ruled northern Russia through tributes of existing rulers

• Moscow rulers saved funds and created their own army, defeating Batu and the Mongols decades later

• Delayed Russian cultural and technological development for centuries, creating a distinct and unique culture

Hulegu and the Islamic Heartlands

• He led Mongols into Abbasid territories

• Destroyed Baghdad and killed the Caliph, killing millions

• Established Il-Khanate

• Many converted to Islam

• Crusaders and Muslim Mamluks United against them

Kublai Khan and the Yuan Dynasty

• Conquered China under Song Dynasty

• Assumed title for Great Khan in 1260

• Established Yuan Dynasty

• Policy of religious tolerance that helped oppressed Buddhists and Daoists

• Cultural exchanges and improved foreign trade

• Mongol women were more independent

Mongols Lose Power in China

• Yuan Dynasty Mongols alienated Chinese people and chose foreigners over native Chinese

• Got rid of civil service exam system and meritocracy

• Killed scholar gentry class

• Prevented non-Mongols from speaking Mongolian

• No expansion beyond China

• White Lotus Society organized to overthrow Yuan rule

• Zhu Yuanzhang (buddhist monk) led overthrow and founded Ming Dynasty

Long- Term Impacts Good

• Revitalized interregional trade between Asia, middle east, Africa during Pax Mongolica

• Silk Road fell when Mongols did, creating new Indian Ocean trade routes

• Interregional cultural exchange

  • Islamic scientific knowledge to China, Chinese paper helped communication revolution, Greco-Islamic medical knoweldge, Arabic numbering system

Long-Term Impacts Bad and Extra

• Spread of disease with military conquest

  • Bubonic plague

• End of armor in Europe

• End of walled city era thanks to siege weapons and cannons

Khanate

Mongol kingdom

Pax Mongolica

Period of peace under Genghis Khan that focused on trade, cultural and technological exchange, and expanding the Silk Road

Golden Horde

Batu’s Mongol Army that conquered northern Russia

Il-Khanate

Hulegu’s Mongol Empire in the Middle east

Yuan Dynasty

Kublai Khan’s empire in China

White Lotus Society

Secret organization of Chinese that overthrew Mongol Yuan Dynasty and established the Ming Dynasty