APWH CH 15 - The Mongols

kuriltai

meeting of all Mongol chieftains at which the supreme ruler of all tribes was selected.

khagan

title of the supreme ruler of the Mongol tribes.

tumens

basic fighting units of Mongol forces; made up of 10,000 cavalrymen divided into smaller units.

Karakorum

capital of Mongol Empire under Chinggis Khan.

Batu

grandson of Chinggis Khan and ruler of Golden Horde; invaded Russia in 1236.

Golden Horde

one of four regional subdivisions of the Mongol Empire after the death of Chinggis Khan; conquered and ruled Russia during the 13th and 14th centuries.

khanates

four regional Mongol kingdoms that arose following the death of Chinggis Khan.

Battle of Kulikova

Russian victory over the forces of the Golden Horde; helped break Mongol hold over Russia.

Prester John

a mythical Christian monarch whose kingdom supposedly had been cut off from Europe by the Muslim conquests; some thought he was Chinggis Khan.

Berke

ruler of the Golden Horde (r. 1257–1266); converted to Islam; his threat to Hulegu combined with the growing power of Mamluks in Egypt forestalled further Mongol conquests in the Middle East.

Kubilai Khan

grandson of Chinggis Khan; conquered China; established Yuan dynasty in 1271.

Dadu

Mongol capital of Yuan dynasty; present-day Beijing.

Chabi

influential wife of Kubilai Khan; demonstrated refusal of Mongol women to adopt restrictive social conventions of Confucian China.

White Lotus Society

secret religious society dedicated to overthrow of Yuan dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang

Chinese peasant who led successful revolt against Yuan; founded Ming dynasty.

Ming dynasty

succeeded Mongol Yuan dynasty in China in 1368; lasted until 1644; initially mounted huge trade expeditions to southern Asia and elsewhere, but later concentrated efforts on internal development within China.

Timur-i Lang

last major nomad leader; 14th, known to the West as Tamerlane; century Turkic ruler of Samarkand; launched attacks in Persia, Fertile Crescent, India, southern Russia; empire disintegrated after his death in 1405.