The Mongol Empire

1. The Mongol Empire Chapter 8. 2

2. Ghengis Khan

3. The Mongol Empire • The Mongols came from present-day Mongolia. They were organized loosely into clans. Temujin gradually unified the Mongols. In 1206 he was elected Genghis Khan (“strong ruler”) at a massive meeting in the Gobi. He devoted himself to conquest. • The Mongols created the largest land empire in history comprising much of the Eurasian landmass. Its capital at Karakorum. • In attacking the Song, the Mongols first experienced gunpowder and the fire-lance. The latter evolved into more effective handguns and cannons. By the early fourteenth century foreigners in the employ of Mongol ruler brought gunpowder and firearms to Europe.

4. The Mongol Empire

5. Genghis Khan • Mongol leader Genghis Khan (1162-1227) rose from humble beginnings to establish the largest land empire in history. After uniting the nomadic tribes of the Mongolian plateau, he conquered huge chunks of central Asia and China. His descendants expanded the empire even further, advancing to such far-off places as Poland, Vietnam, Syria and Korea. At their peak, the Mongols controlled between 11 and 12 million contiguous square miles, an area about the size of Africa.

6. Genghis Khan • Many people were slaughtered in the course of Genghis Khan’s invasions, but he also granted religious freedom to his subjects, abolished torture, encouraged trade and created the first international postal system. Genghis Khan died in 1227 during a military campaign against the Chinese kingdom of Xi Xia. His final resting place remains unknown.

7. Genghis Khan • Genghis Khan used homing pigeons as messengers for military and political instructions. As he expanded his territory, he set up pigeon relay posts across Asia and much of eastern Europe; the pigeons transmitted instructions to his capital for the governing of his distant dominions.

8. The Mongol Dynasty in China • In 1279 Kublai Khan completed conquering the Song. He established the Yuan dynasty in China. He established the capital at Khanbaliq (“the city of the Khan”) now known as Beijing. • Under Kublai Khan, Mongol forces advanced against Vietnam, Java, Sumatra, and Japan. Mongol military tactics, such as Calvary charges and siege warfare, were not effective in these largely tropical, hilly regions. These Mongol campaigns failed.

9. The Mongol Dynasty in China • The Mongols were successful at ruling China. They adapted to the Chinese political system and used Chinese bureaucrats. The Mongols formed their own class, however, staffing the highest positions in the bureaucracy. • Over time, the Mongol dynasty won the support of the Chinese people, in part due to the economic prosperity and social stability the Mongols brought.

10. Religion and Government in Mongolia • By the time of the Sui and Tang dynasties, Buddhism and Daoism had emerged to rival Confucianism. Confucianism reemerged during the Song dynasty, and held its dominance until the early twentieth century. • Early Tang rulers supported monasteries, and Buddhists became advisers at the imperial court. Ultimately, however, Buddhism was criticized and attacked.

11. Religion and Government • Buddhism was attacked for being a foreign religion. Also, the Buddhist monasteries held lands and serfs, and with these holdings came corruption. • During the late Tang period, the government destroyed many Buddhist temples and forced more than 260,000 monk and nuns to return to secular life. Buddhism no longer enjoyed state support.

12. Religion and Government • Official support went to a revived Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism. It differs from the original Confucianism. It differs from the original Confucianism. It teaches that the world is real, not illusory, and that fulfillment comes from participation in the world. • Neo-Confucianists divide the world into material and spiritual worlds. Humans link the two. We live in the material world but are linked with the Supreme Ultimate. The goal of humans is to unify with the Supreme Ultimate, through a careful examination of the moral principles that rule the universe.

13. A Golden Age in Literature and Art • The invention of printing during the Tang dynasty helped make literature available and popular. The period between the Tang and Ming dynasties was a great age of Chinese literature. Art also flourished. • Poetry was the highest literary art of the time. Some 2,200 authors wrote at least 48,000 poems. They celebrated the beauty of nature, the changes of seasons, and the joys of friendship. They expressed the sadness of parting of life’s brevity.

14. A Golden Age in Literature and Art • Landscape painting reached its height during the Song and Mongol dynasties. Painters went into the mountains to paint and find the Dao, or Way, in nature. The word for landscape in Chinese means “mountain-water” and reflects the Daoistsearch for balance between Earth and water. • Chinese artists tried to depict the idea of the landscape. Empty spaces were left in the paintings because Daoists believe one cannot know the whole truth. Daoist influence also caused the people to be quite small in these landscapes, not dominating but living within nature. • Ceramics, and especially Tang-period porcelain, a ceramic made of find clay baked at very high temperatures, flourished.