Transcript MONGOL EMPIRE - Alabama School of Fine Arts

MONGOL EMPIRE
The MONGOLS
• Nomadic people from
the rugged steppe
region north of China,
now called Mongolia
• Lived by herding &
lived in felt tents
called “gers” or “yurts”
MONGOLS
• Nomadic lifestyle encouraged skills of
battle
• excelled at “3 manly games”: riding,
wrestling, archery
NOTICE THE CONTRAST:
MONGOLIAN CULTURE
• “3 Manly Games”: Riding,
wrestling, archery
CHINESE CULTURE
• “3 Perfections”: Painting,
Poetry & Calligraphy
Mongol Weapons & innovations
• Warriors on horseback
with bows & arrows
• Catapults
• Giant crossbows
mounted on stands
• Terror: When the
Mongols conquered a
city or country, they
often slaughtered the
males taller than a cart
axle, and enslaved the
women
Mongol Cavalry
• At its height, the Mongol cavalry was about 100,000
horsemen
• Could travel very fast, up to 100 miles per day. Each
Mongol had 3-4 horses, and would switch horses to
prevent wearing one out.
• Cavalry innovations included special saddles & iron
stirrups that enabled them to stand up & fire arrows,
while riding at top speed. They could even turn around
and fire backwards
• Often used tactics such as: surrounding their enemy like
hunters surrounding game; pretending to retreat, then
turning on the enemy
More fun facts about Mongols
• They wore silk shirts
under their armor. If
they were hit by an
arrow, the arrow
would push the silk in.
Then the silk could be
used to pull the arrow
out.
Genghis Khan- Temujin
• Born about 1162son of a minor chief
• Name-Temujin
TEMUJIN
– When he was 9, his father was killed by
the Tatars, and he and his mother were
left in poverty
– Later he was kidnapped by a rival clan,
but he escaped.
– When he was a young man, his wife
Borte was kidnapped, and he rescued
her.
GENGHIS KHAN
• United the Mongol tribes
• Took the title Genghis Khan, which
means “universal ruler” & believed
he was destined to rule the world
• Over the next
21 years, he
conquered the
Jin Empire &
much of
Central Asia &
slaughtered
thousands of
people
• Created a
huge empire
with capital at
Karakoram.
• Died in 1227, &
his sons and
grandsons
continued
conquering &
expanding the
huge Mongol
Empire
• The greatest happiness is to vanquish
your enemies, to chase them before you,
to rob them of their wealth, to see those
dear to them bathed in tears, to clasp to
your bosom their wives and daughters, to
ride their horses. "
-GENGHIS KHAN
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The conquests were first led by Genghis Khan and carried on by his sons &
grandsons.
He established a huge empire-the original capital in Mongolia was
Karakoram
G. K. conquered the Jin Empire, much of central Asia and Persia.
Ogedei Khan was his son, and the next Great Khan.
Grandsons:
– Kublai Khan conquered the rest of China, & founded a new dynasty in
China called the Yuan
– Batu led the Mongols called the Golden Horde & conquered Russia,
Poland, Hungary, slaughtering and taking slaves
•
– Hulagu led another group of Mongols, invaded the Middle East,
captured Baghdad &virtually destroyed it.
Largest contiguous (connected) land empire in World History, including
most of Asia and part of Eastern Europe.
• Largest
contiguous
(connected)
land empire
in World
History,
including
most of Asia
and part of
Eastern
Europe.
DIVISION INTO 4 PARTS
• Mongol Empire was divided into 4 regions, called
Khanates:
–
–
–
–
Yuan China – also called Khanate of the Great Khan
Khanate of the Golden Horde -Russia
Chagatai Khanate-Central Asia
Il-Khanate – Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan
Conquest of China
• 1279: Mongols under Kublai Khan
completed the conquest of China
(which had been begun by his
grandfather, G.K.)
• Kublai Khan ruled China, but was
also recognized as “Great Khan”,
head of the whole empire.
• Kublai gave his Chinese dynasty a
“Chinese-sounding” name: Yuan
dynasty
• Made “Khanbalik”, which today is
Beijing, his Chinese capital (had a
palace in Mongolia & in China, at
Khanbalik).
China under Mongols-Yuan Dynasty
Mongols, under the name “Yuan Dynasty”,
ruled China from 1279-1368
• Population of China, which had dropped to
60 million during the period of war, began
to grow again.
Accomplishments of the Mongols in
Yuan Dynasty
• Extended the Grand Canal to Khanbalik (Beijing)
& built a paved highway beside it. This supplied
the capital with food from the fertile south.
• Established a courier, or messenger system;
messenger stations about every 25 miles; relay
system carried messages within China, &
between China & India & Persia;
• Mongols controlled the whole length of the Silk
Road across Asia, and kept it safe. This period
is sometimes called the “Pax Mongolia”.
Mongols kept the Silk Road Safe
• Trade along the Silk Road greatly increased.
Ideas traveled with the goods. The bubonic
plague also traveled west along the Silk Road!
Negative effects of Mongol Rule
• Heavy taxes
• Discrimination by Mongols against the
Chinese in their own land.
CONTACTS BETWEEN CHINA &
EUROPE
• During the period of Mongol rule in China,
both France (under Louis IX) and the Pope
sent ambassadors to the Chinese court.
Marco Polo
• Marco Polo was a man who came
from Italy to China when he was
17 with his father and uncle.
• Stayed in China for 17 years
serving as a special agent for
Kublai Khan
• When he returned to Italy, he
wrote his account in “The Travels
of Marco Polo”. Many people did
not believe his account.
Discrimination by the Mongols
against the Chinese in Yuan China
• The Mongols gave important government
jobs only to Mongols or to other nonChinese.
• Yuan government treated the Mongols and
the Chinese differently under the law; For
the same offense, Chinese were given
harsher punishments.
• Kept Mongols & Chinese segregated &
prevented intermarriage between Mongols
& Chinese
Yuan dynasty after the death of
Kublai Khan
• 1294, Mongol rule began to weaken
• The Huang River flooded, destroying
crops; there was a famine, rebellions ,
Bubonic Plague sprang up.
• The Mongols had lost the “Mandate of
Heaven”!
• 1368, the Yuan dynasty was overthrown &
the Ming dynasty established
• Xia
• Shang
• Zhou
– Warring States
• Qin
• Han
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•
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Sui
Tang
Song
Mongols/Yuan
Ming
Ching
Overall effects of Mongol Rule
• Increased trade between Asia & Europe
because the Mongols controlled &
protected the Silk Road
• Increased exchange of ideas. Chinese
inventions such as gunpowder reached
Europe at this time.
• The Bubonic Plague also reached Europe,
traveling from Mongolia along the Silk
Road.
Attempt to invade Japan
• Kublai tried twice to conquer Japan, but was
unsuccessful-1272 & 1281. Both times a
typhoon helped blow the Mongols fleet away;
typhoon called the Kamakazi (sacred wind).