Transcript The Mongol and Ming Empires

The Mongol and Ming
Empires
Building the Mongol Empire

Mongols were nomadic
people. Their leader in
the early 1200s was
Genghis Khan/”World
Emperor”.
 Khan was very fierce and
the Mongol armies easily
captured lands. But he
was never able to
complete his conquest of
China.
 However, his heirs
devastated China and
completed the conquest.
Pax Mongolica
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In the 1200s and 1300s,
Khan’s heirs established
the Pax Mongolica, or
Mongol Peace.
The Mongols were not
known to be oppressive
rulers-but actually tolerant
and just. This was b/c of
the legacy Khan had left.
They were politically
stable which led to
economic growth and the
control of the Silk Road.
China under Mongol Rule
Kublai Khan, Ghenghis’
grandson, eventually
toppled the Song Dynasty
in 1279. He ruled all of
China, Korea, Tibet, and
Vietnam.
 He was a demanding
ruler, but built up much of
the empire. His dynasty
was called the Yuan
(Chinese rather than
Mongolian).
 Tried to balance out
society between Chinese
and Mongolian practices
and involvement.
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Marco Polo page 494
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Marco Polo was an Italian
merchant who traveled
from Venice and spent 17
years in Kublai’s service.
When he returned to
Venice, he wrote books
and stories that
presented a vivid account
about the riches and
cultures of China.
Marco Polo’s Travels
The Ming Dynasty page 498

After Kublai died, his
dynasty quickly
declined.
 Finally, in 1368, a
peasant leader
named Zhu
Yuanzhang pushed
the Mongols out and
named his new
dynasty Ming,
meaning brilliant.
Ming Dynasty
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There was an economic
revival during this time,
where farms were very
productive and they
began factories inside the
cities.
Arts and literature
became popular again.
During this time,
porcelain and pottery
became prevalent.
China and the World
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Ming rulers began
sending their citizens to
other countries.
Zheng He commanded 7
expeditions. His goal
was to promote trade and
collect taxes from lesser
powers.
When he died in 1433,
the Ming Emperor
suddenly stopped ships
from sailing. Because of
this, China did not have a
major world impact.
Assignment
 You
will write a “mini-biography” for
each person we discussed today.
 You will need to write 4-5 sentences
about each person.
 The bios should be on: Genghiz
Khan, Kublai Khan, Marco Polo, Zhu
Yuanzhang, and Zheng He.