Mongol Empire Conquests and Succession

Vocabulary terms covering key leaders, khanates, battles, and historical events surrounding the expansion and succession of the Mongol Empire.

Kereswami Empire

An empire whose leaders arrested, killed, and humiliated Mongol merchants, prompting the Mongols to declare war and overtake their territory.

Assassins

A legendary group effective at killing kings and leaders for money, who were eventually destroyed by the Mongol general Hooligu.

Hooligu

A Mongol general and later Great Khan who destroyed the Assassins, sacked Baghdad, overthrew the Abbasids, and led the Ilkhanate.

Siege Warfare

A method of warfare at which the Mongols excelled by assimilating technologies and skilled administrators from conquered territories.

Golden Horde

The northwestern division of the Mongol Empire encompassing Russia, conquered and established under Batu.

Ilkhanate

The southwestern khanate of the Mongol Empire located in the Middle East and Persia, which eventually assimilated into Persian culture.

Yuan Dynasty

The Mongol dynasty established in China under the rule of Kublai Khan.

Kublai Khan

The ruler who controlled China through the Yuan dynasty and eventually became the Great Khan.

Olgae

The Mongol successor to Genghis Khan who expanded the empire, turned Korea into a tributary state, and dispatched Batu to conquer Russia.

Batu

The Mongol leader who conquered Russia, destroyed cities like Kyiv, created the Golden Horde, and oversaw the initial cultural rebuilding around Moscow.

Gayak

The Mongol leader elected after Olgae who ruled for two years before dying on the verge of war with Batu.

Monk

The Mongol ruler who succeeded Gayak, attempted to centralize authority, and died in battle trying to capture Southern China from the Song dynasty.

William Rubruck

A French monk sent by King Louis IX to observe the Mongol court, whose accounts served as a primary source on Mongol culture.

King Louis IX

The King of France who sent William Rubruck to learn about the court and culture of the expanding Mongol Empire.

Battle of Anjolut

A decisive battle near Palestine where Hooligu was defeated by the Mamluk Sultanate, permanently halting western Mongol expansion.

Mamluk Sultanate

The forces in North Africa and the Middle East that stopped the Mongols at the Battle of Anjolut and expanded into former Crusader lands.