the mongols: important bullet points

A. Effect of environment on Mongols

• 1100s: drought due to climate change

• forced Mongols to fight each other for water and look outside Mongolia

• relied on herding and yurts

B. Christian Europe

• The Great Schism

• HRE weakening by 1200 CE

• Byz. empire weakened in 1024 by 4th crusade; E. Europe open for attack

B. Muslim Middle East

• crusades weakened Mus. powers

• Seljuq Turks protected Ab. Khalifa, though had no clear leader

B. East Asia

• Song had declined; nomadic Jurchen ruled N. China

• decentralization of China due to division

C. Family and charisma

• Genghis: born Temujin

• dad killed; Temu abandoned w/ mom

• friend Jamuka helped, but then Temujin was kidnapped and mocked by dad’s killers

• he escaped and used charisma to gain followers, Jamuka joined him

C. Marriage

• Mongolian princess Borte

  • kidnapped and raped before wedding

• Temu adopted the baby, allied w/ Mongol khan Toghril and gained troops

• killed rapists and defeated Tartars (rival mongols) by killing all adult men

C. Ambition

• reorganized army by merit, not nepotism

• Borte warns Temujin abt. Jamuka, Temu runs him out

• Jamuka leads rival Mongols who were then crushed by Temu for Toghril

• Jamuka turns Toghril and other Mongols against Temu, Temu crushes all but Jamuka escapes

• Jamuka convinced last M. Khan to oppose Temu

• Temu eventually wins after initial loss

• new Mongol nation declares Temu “Genghis Khan”

C. Learning

• Writing: founded Mongolian lit

  • scribes adopted Uighur script into Mong. alphabet

• Technology: gunpowder bombs from China

• Taxation by bureaucracy: LOTS of money, also from China

D. Qara Khitai

• one of Genghis’ rival Mongol khans fled and took Qara Khitai

  • favored buddhists

• Jebe (G’s general) proclaimed freedom of religion

  • spared everyone when cities of Qara Khitai surrendered

D. Khwarazm

• Khw. official kills merchants protected by Mongols

• Genghis sent ambassadors to the Shah of Khwarazm, Shah kills them

• Mongols + Genghis destroy all cities, defeat Shah, kill official

E. Ogodei

• Genghis dies in 1227, empire dividied

• successor Ogodei, dies 1241; Mongols outside Vienna (HRE)

E. Guyuk

• regent: Torogene (mother and wife of Ogodei)

• Pope Innocent IV begs Guyuk to stop but Guy. demands the Pope submit

• dies preparing to attack his cousin Batu

E. Mongke

• Mognke sent brother to conquer the song and demanded Kiev surrender

• prince of Kiev refused, killed Mongol ambassadors

• Mongke conquers Kiev, killed most citizens but spared prince

• King of France sends William of Rubrick to get Mongke’s help against Mamluks; he refuses but MIGHT help

• dies fighting the Song

F. Interactions w/ Middle East

• Hulegu (Mongke’s brother) takes Baghdad, burns down Great Library of Bagh., 200k slaughtered

• killed Abbasid khalifa Al-Musta’sim

G. Interactions w/ China

• Kublai: successor of Mongke, supported by Hulegu

• Kublai: rule in Beijing; Hulegu: Baghdad; Kublai conquered China

• Kublai was religiously tolerant and used foreigners in govt., not Ch. scholar bureaucrats

• Marco Polo: merchant traveling on Silk Road, protected by Mongols, Kublai forced him to stay years

• Mongols lost unity after Kublai died

H. Integration of Eurasia

• most of MOngol ruling elite followed Tibetan Buddhism due to similarities in Mongol shamanism and T.Bud leader recognition of M. ruling elite

• khans maintained courier network throughout the empire

• Mongols secured tr. routes and ensured merchants & diplomats safety; dependent on commerce and diplomatic communication

• Rabban Sauma: Persian ilkhanata diplomat, traveled to W. Europe

• missionaries of many faiths went to Mon. empire

• resettlement of people encouraged Eurasian

  • artisans, conquered, intellectuals resettled and recruited from Mon. allies (i.e. Uighurs) to Karakorum (capital) and other cities

I. Collapse of Ilkhanate

• overspending → enforcement of paper money (1290s)

  • commerce halted → order rescinded

• factional struggles plagued MOn. leadership

• 1335: collapse (no Mongol heir)

I. Decline of Yuan dynasty

• public loss in paper money led to price inflation

• 1320s: infighting starts (i.e. assassinations and civiil wars)

I. Bubonic plague

• spread expedited by Mongol’s vast networks

• 1320s: start in SW China; 1340s: SW Asia and Europe

• depopulation and labor shortages weakened Mongol regime

I. Remaining states

• 1340s: peasant rebellion in China starts

  • 1368: Khanbaliq captured; Mongol retreat to steppes

• Khanate of Golden Horde: dominated Caucasus until mid-16th cent when Russian state brought them down

  • Mongolian Russians continued to threaten until 18th cent

J. Tamerlane’s success in imitating Genghis Khan

• Tamerlane: l.14th cent to e.15th cent Turkic-Mongol emperor, founder of Timurid empire

• 1360s: tribal leader via eliminating rivals

• 1370s: extended his authority through Chagatai khanate, built capital in Samarkand

• attacked part of mid. east, then Golden Horde and Russia (severely weakened by 1340s)

• 1340s: conquered Delhi, died during mission in China

K. Rise of Ottoman empire

• Osman (1258-1326): founder of Ottoman dyn

  • 1299: declared ind. from Seljuq sultan, launched campaign @ Byz empire’s expense, gained followers (Ottomans)

• 1350s: foothold in Balkan peninsula

  • 1380s: most powerful in peninsula

• 1402: Tamerlane subjected Ottomans to his authority, delayed Ott. expansion in Byz empire

  • 1440s: recovery and expansion in Byz. empire

  • 1453: campaign culminated when Sultan Mehmed captured Constantinople (→ Istanbul)