AP World History: Judging the Mongols

Flashcards evaluating the historical impact, conquest tactics, economic developments, demographic changes, and religious shifts associated with the Mongol Empire based on lecture notes.

What were the five major negative impacts of the Mongol conquest on conquered peoples?

Death, Destruction, Extortion of wealth, Disease, and Displacement.

Besides negative impacts, what three positive cultural and economic processes were intensified or advanced by the Mongol conquest?

The intensification of activity on trade routes connecting East Asia with Mediterranean lands and Europe, the further spread of Islam in Asia, and the advancement of Tibetan Buddhism in China.

What four reasons motivated the Mongols to use mass slaughter of defeated enemies and civilians as a deliberate policy of terror?

To decrease the enemy's will to fight; to induce cities to surrender without fighting to avoid long sieges; to avoid leaving behind enemies capable of renewing resistance; and to reduce the size of occupying detachments needed.

Why could the Mongol army not afford long sieges during their military operations?

Because the army needed to keep moving to find grazing land for its horses.

What was the estimated total death toll directly and indirectly inflicted by the Mongols during their conquests over nearly two centuries?

Several millions, including deaths caused by hunger and disease resulting from military operations and rule.

Which specific categories of urban populations were frequently spared during Mongol conquests?

Artisans, clerics of all religions, scribes, scholars, merchants, young women, and often officers, nobles, and administrators.

How many inhabitants of a Song Chinese town were put to the sword by a Jin general in 1218?

15,000 inhabitants.

How many Hindus died in a battle at Chitor?

30,000 Hindus.

What action did Great Khan Mongke take to demonstrate that destruction should be minimized and civilians left alone?

He had a senior Mongol commander of 10,000 publicly executed for killing a Persian civilian.

How did Khubilai's revision of the Chinese law code alter the death penalty?

It reduced the number of offenses carrying the death penalty to half of what it had been under previous dynasties.

In which regions did the damage and neglect of fragile irrigation channels lead to acute, long-term agricultural setbacks?

Persia and Iraq.

How many way stations comprised the postal relay system in China under Khubilai Khan, and how far apart were they?

1400 way stations spaced 14 to 40 miles apart.

What major infrastructure project extended by the Mongols allowed cheap transport of rice from southern to northern China?

The extension of the Grand Canal to Beijing.

What exact command did Great Khan Mongke give around 1250 regarding the agricultural population?

"Make the agricultural population safe from unjustified harassment, and bring despoiled provinces back to a habitable condition."

What economic and administrative reforms were implemented by Great Khan Mongke to prevent extortion?

He introduced a graduated income tax, repaid debts of previous rulers owing to merchants, and made it harder for princes and high officials to practice extortion.

What proportion of Europe's total population was killed by the Black Death (bubonic plague)?

About one third of the total population.

How were soldiers of different backgrounds organized within the Mongol army?

They were deliberately mixed in all groupings ranging from 10 men to 10,000.

In what year did Marco Polo travel to China, and how long did he remain there?

He traveled to China in 1271 and remained there for seventeen years.

What products from the Mongol trade networks were sold by Genoese merchants at the fairs of Northern France?

Chinese silk and "Tatar cloth".

What goods were exported from China to Japan and Southeast Asia in exchange for spices and rhino horns?

Copper and iron goods, porcelain, silks, linens, books, sugar, and rice.

Which specific items were found among Marco Polo's possessions at the time of his death in Italy?

A Mongol slave, Tartar bedding, brocades from China, and a Buddhist rosary.

Which classical scholars' works were translated from Persian into Chinese under Khubilai Khan?

Euclid and Ptolemy.

From which country were experts brought into China to improve sugar-refining techniques?

Egypt.

Why did Mongol Great Khans prefer foreign Muslims for senior administrative positions in China?

They believed foreign Muslims could be more impartial than local Chinese and could be blamed in case of Chinese dissatisfaction.

Who was Khubilai Khan's wife, and what role did she play in promoting Tibetan Buddhism?

Chabi; as an ardent Buddhist, she influenced Khubilai to grant Tibetan lamas power, influence, tax-exemptions, and donations.

Which Christian group was represented within Mongol princely houses, senior advisors, armies, and steppe tribes?

Nestorian Christians.

Why did Latin Christianity fail to establish a strong presence in Mongol lands?

Christianity was divided by internal disputes between Latin Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Nestorian, and other doctrines, and it shrank as Islam advanced.