Transcript Mongol Rule - Walker World History

Mongol Rule
Chapter 12.2
Mongols
 Nomadic people
 Rival clans spent time warring with each other until united
by Temujin (Genghis Khan)
 The Mongol Empire grew to be the largest (by % of
population) ever
Mongol Conquest & Rule
 Mongols were not oppressive leaders
 Allowed people to live as they had, as long as they paid
tribute
 1200s-1300s Genghis Khan’s successors ruled a period of
peace
 Political stability led to economic growth
 Trade of goods and ideas flourished along the Silk Road
Mongol Rule in China
 Genghis Khan conquered Northern China in the early 1200s
 His grandson Kublai Khan conquered southern China, the
last of the Song Dynasty in 1279
 Kublai Khan wanted Mongols to stay separate from Chinese
 Ruled that only Mongols could serve in the military and the
highest government jobs
 Uneasy mix of Chinese and Mongol culture with foreign
influence
 Adopted the Chinese name Yuan for his dynasty
Decline of the Yuan Dynasty
 Major Factors leading to decline
 Heavy taxation
 Ethnic Tension
 Beginnings of trouble
 Peasant uprisings began as a result of high taxes and the Yellow
River flooding
 Power struggles within the ruling class
 Severe corruption within government and military
 Power fell to Bo Yan who favored Mongols and discriminated
against the Han Chinese
Fall of the Yuan Dynasty
 Rebellions led by the Hongjinjun military forces broke out in
several places and proved too much for the Yuan military and
government to handle