2.2 - The Mongol Empire and the Making of the Modern World

Genghis/Chinggis Khan

Mongol leader who united the tribes in 1206 and launched vast Eurasian conquest

Khan

Mongol leader/king

Kuriltai

A meeting with the Mongol leaders and Temujin (Genghis Khan)

Khanates

The four major successor states that ruled former Mongol territories after the empire fragmented

Batu

The son of Khan's oldest son, who established the Golden Horde khanate

Golden Horde

Mongol khanate that ruled Russia indirectly through tribute collection from local princes

Hulegu

Another grandson of Genghis Khan, who established the Il-khanate

Il-khanate

Mongol khanate in Persia and the Middle East that later adopted Islam and Persian culture

Kublai Khan

Grandson of Chinggis Khan who founded the Yuan Dynasty and ruled China

Yuan Dynasty

Mongol-ruled dynasty in China established by Kublai Khan and overthrown by the Ming in 1368

White Lotus Society

A secret group that began quietly organizing to put an end to the Yuan Dynasty

Zhu Yuanzhang

A Buddhist monk from a poor peasant family, led a revolt that overthrew the Yuan Dynasty

Ming Dynasty

The dynasty that was formed by the revolt against the Yuan Dynasty

Chagatai Khanate

Mongol khanate in Central Asia that remained the most traditionally Mongol of the major divisions

Pax Mongolica

Period of Mongol rule that brought relative peace, safer travel, and expanded Eurasian trade

Yam System

Mongol relay postal network of stations and riders used for communication across the empire

Uyghur alphabet

Central Asian writing system adopted by the Mongols for administration and written Mongolian

Greco-Islamic medical knowledge

Medical tradition combining Greek and Islamic learning that spread across Eurasia under Mongol rule

Bubonic Plague/Black Death

Pandemic that spread along Eurasian trade routes and weakened Mongol states

Seige weapons

Weaponry and methods used by the Mongols that proved to be efficient and effective