Transcript File - Mrs. Miller-FALA

 Unexpected, marginal group created the largest
continuous land empire in history. 13th-14th centuries.
Who are the Mongols?
 Homeland – Rugged steppe north of China
 Nomadic/ fairly egalitarian society
 Depended upon animals (especially the horse)
 Constantly searching for water and vegetation
 Precarious (fragile) lifestyle
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At the mercy of nature/ DeforestedRelied upon trade with other civilizations
Motive for empire?
Warfare was a way for individuals to gain honor, power and riches
in Mongolian society
 Slavery =result of tribal competition
 Some entered slavery to keep from starving
 Federations arose secured through marriage
 Women had power and were just as likely to be killed
 Religious plurality
 Believed in a universal leader of the world
 Food was what they could provide on the move=meat and
milk
 Clothing made from the animalsMongols traded wool,
leather and horses for items as silk, cotton, grains etc
 War resulted when trade was interrupted
Genghis Khan
 Especially fierce, powerful Mongol leader who lived from about
1162 to 1227
Consolidates dispersed Mongolian tribes
Creates a Mongolian Empire
Name means “Universal Ruler”- originally known as Temujin
Began on his road to conquest when his young wife, Borte, was
kidnapped by a rival tribe.
 In his quest to rescue her, he unified the warring tribes of
Mongolia, and created a powerful military machine.
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Early Mongolian Empire
 Capital = Karakorum
 Early 1200s Genghis Khan captures Beijing, central Asia
and most of Persia
 Genghis’ legacy:
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Unity
Religious tolerance
Written language for the Mongolians
Mongolian legal code
No taxation for the poor and clergy
Female Equality of Mongol societies did not spread to
conquered regions successfully
Monglolian Warfare
 Exceedingly destructive and brutal
 Destroyed people and infrastructure, ex:
 Iran lost around ¾ of its population during the Mongol
invasions from violence/ extermination, disease and
famine. Population levels of Iran did not recover till the
20th century.
 So effective due to their Calvary. Mongolians learned
to ride a horse at 3, could do so hands free to shoot
arrows.
Strategies
 Successfully used the “Common enemy theory to pit
Muslims and Christians against each other.
 Broke treaties and turned on allies when convenient
 Used terror tactics such as systematic slaughter and
impalement to lower resistance (Iran
 Genius ar utilizing landscape and cavalry
To beat much larger armies (cornered Russian
Troops against bluff, surrounding armies
Using rivers and cavalry, ect.
Pax Mongolica
 Though the spread of the Mongolian empire was horrific
and brutal (est. 40-70 million people died as a result of this
invasion, exceeds WWII death count.)
 The end result was that of peace and cultural/ economic
exchange throughout Eurasia- led to the Black Death
 Rule was stable though brutal. People elected to councils
based on merit.
 Foreigners sent to rule over various regions to decrease local
power EX: Chinese sent to Iran and vice versa
The Khanates
Division amongst the heirs
 After Genghis Khan’s death, infighting amongst his many sons began
 Obbadai first succeeded him, but his untimely death from alcoholism
resulted in the halt of expansion in Europe, likely changing the course
of European history, as Mongolian custom required all leaders to
return to Mongolia to elect new Khan
 Eventually resulted in the division of the empire into the “Khanates”
 Khanate of the Golden Horde (Kipchak)- Europe and the Caucasus
 Khanate of Chaghadai- Central Asia
 Khanate of Persia (the Ilkhanate)
 Khanate of the Great Khan- China (most influential)
Kublai Khan
 Grandson of Genghis, known as the “Great Khan”
 Conquered Southern China (Song Dynasty), Tibet and
Southeast Asia [tried but failed to conquer Japan]
 Establishes the Yuan Dynasty in northern China in 1271
– conquer Southern Sung in 1279
 Adopted many Chinese beliefs, customs and institutions
Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)
Benefits of the Yuan Dynasty to the Chinese:
 Extended the Grand Canal
 Instituted efficient government
 Over 10,000 courier stations
 Supported the arts
 Increased trade with India and Persia
 Contact with Europe
Disadvantages of the Yuan Dynasty:
 Chinese were second class citizens to the Mongols- long
standing rivalry and hatred- Great Wall of China
 Tribute Payments
Marco Polo
 Italian merchant and explorer
 Very impressed with the Mongol society
“If you put together all the Christians in the world,
with their Emperors and their Kings, the whole of
these Christians, - aye, and throw in the Saracens to
boot, - would not have such power, or be able to do
so much as this Kublai, who is Lord of all the
Tartars in the world.”
Decline of the Yuan
Reasons:
1)
Huang He (Yellow) River floods causing destruction
and famine
2)
String of weak successors
3)
Chinese unrest
Multi-Cultural
Perspectives
 Throughout their reign, the Mongols impacted
societies from Japan and Korea to the East, to Eastern
Europeans and North Africans to the West. Writers
during this era were both terrified and awed by the
Central Asian invaders.
 Read the selected primary source documents from
different cultures within the Mongolian empire and
respond to the following questions:
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What Mongolian strengths are noted by this society. What weaknesses? Give
specific evidence from the text to support your response
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What elements of Mongolian culture or tactics are emphasized by your group?
Give specific evidence from the text to support your response
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What is the general tone of the primary source? From your background knowledge
of European and Chinese society, what cultural elements may have led to the
either positive or negative perceptions of the Mongols by your group?