Chapter 14: The Mongol Advance

1. Chapter 14: The Mongol Advance AP World History Leuzinger HS

2. Origins • The Mongols (also known as Tatars, or Tartars) were a group of nomadic tribes from the steppes, or open plains, of Central Asia. • They Herded Livestock and were excellent horsemen and archers.

3. Origins • Mongols proved to be adept at “cultural borrowing.” • Mongols adopted a law code, a written script, new religious practices, and better technology through borrowing from other cultures. • Before 1200 CE, the Mongols numbered between 1.5 and 3 million • Divided into thirty warring tribes.

4. The Khagan • In 1206, Temujin, better known as Genghis Khan (or Chingiz, Jenghiz, or Chinggis) which means “ruler of limitless strength” was declared Khagan and unified the warring Mongol tribes.

6. The First Wave • Mongol conquest begins in 1211 • Targeted Northern China at first • Breached the Great Wall by 1215 • Targeted the Silk Road trading city of Samarkand • Upon Genghis Khan’s death in 1227, the Mongols controlled a huge state encompassing Mongolia, Central Asia, Northern, and Western China.

9. Why were the Mongols so successful? • Numbers? • Not really…80,000 – 100,000 troops wouldn’t be enough to automatically overwhelm such a large territory. • Talented Cavalrymen and archers who could fire from horseback, galloping at full speed, firing forward or backward. • Adopted military techniques from neighbors, like siege warfare from Chinese and Central Asian states.

10. Wave #2 • Genghis Khan’s heirs continued the wars of conquest • Third son, Ogodei, ruled the Mongols as the Great Khan until 1241. • Greatly expanded the empire and built new capital at Karakorum. • Ogodei’s armies moved farther into China threatening the Song Empire (which the Mongols defeated in the 1260s) • Ogodei forced Koryo (or Korea) into tributary status.

11. Ogodei and the West… • 1236: He sent a large invasion force to conquer as much of the west as possible. • 1237-1240: Conquer most of Russia and Ukraine • 1240-1242: Took over parts of Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary • 1241: Death of Ogodei • They were stretched too thin as evidenced by their failure in Poland and the Germanic lands. • Russia and Ukraine remain under Mongol rule for over 2 centuries.

12. Mongols in the Middle East • Commanded by Hulegu, the Mongols advanced on the Middle East in the 1250s • Toppled the Abbasid Caliphate in 1258 by taking Baghdad. • Continued their advance until 1260 • Stopped by a Mamluk army at Ain Jalut.

13. How Big was the Mongolian Empire? • Ruled an empire from: • Poland in the West to Korea in the East. • Siberia in the North to Vietnam in the South. • Single political authority • Economic exchange • Silk Road flourished, especially trading cities like Samarkand. • Merchants, Missionaries, and travelers of all sorts passed through…including the Venetian merchant, Marco Polo • Made travel safer • Imposed legal order

15. The Silk Road

16. Pax Mongolica • Pax Mongolica, or Mongol Peace is used to describe the late 13th Century (1200’s CE) as the brief semi-unification of Eurasia was realized. • The Mongols engaged in high level administration by borrowing and engaging in cultural adaptation. • Uighur: A Turkish written dialect • The yasa, a Chinese law code • Paper currency from China • Religious beliefs like Buddhism and Islam. • They used their skill with horses to create one of the world’s fastest and most efficient postal systems (the yam)

17. Breakup of the Mongolian Empire • “One can conquer an empire on horseback, but one cannot govern it from there.” • Mongols were much better at conquering, than at governing. • As the empire grew, the empire became spread too thin, and broke apart. • 1260: The last Khan of a united Mongolian Empire (Mongke) died. • Civil War broke out • The four largest units became independent states, or Khanates.

18. Chinese Yuan Dynasty • The Chinese Khanate fell to Kublai Khan • Moved the capital from Mongolia to Beijing • Declared the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) • Conquered the rest of China including the Southern Song Dynasty in 1279. • Foreign rule in China

19. Chinese Yuan Dynasty • Mongols adopted Buddhism • Mongols adopted Mandarin Chinese as the official language. • Kublai Khan is considered the unifier of China as a single state. • Ruled until 1294 • Made China rich and powerful • Unable to conquer Japan (tried in 1274 and 1281) or Java (tried in 1293) • Forced neighbors to pay tribute

20. Chinese Yuan Dynasty • Kublai Khan rebuilt China’s bureaucracy and economy. • Repaired roads and canals • Built new cities • Restored trade with the west • Venetian Merchant Marco Polo visited Kublai Khan’s court in the 1270s. • After Khan’s death, China did not enjoy such prosperity.

22. China after the Death of Kublai Khan • Tremendous population loss (30-40%) as a result of the bubonic plague • Economic decline • Civil wars throughout the 1340s and finally, the dynasty was overthrown by Zhu Yuanzhang in 1368. • Took the name Hongwu and established the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) • Longest lasting and of the most famous dynasty in Chinese history

23. The Other Khanates • The Golden Horde ruled over Russia and parts of Eastern Europe until the mid-1400s. • Il-Khan Mongols converted to Islam and ruled much of the Middle East until the rise of the Ottoman Turks in the late 1300s. • The Jagadai Khanate ruled Central Asia well into the 1400s. • Also converted to Islam, but struggled with the Il-Khans.

26. Timur • Later, from 1370 – 1405 the Jagadai Khan, “Timur,” also known as Tamerlane, rose up and attempted to repeat the military triumph of his ancestor Genghis Khan. • Quickly conquered Central Asia, Persia, Northern India (including Delhi), southern Russia, and parts of the Middle East. • Expansion ended with his death, but relatives ruled over the vast Timurid Empire, including Silk Road cities like Samarkand and Bukhara into the 1500s.

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