Yuan Dynasty

1. 1279-1368 Yuan Dynasty (Mongols) • 1279: Kublai Khan conquered China • Moved the capital to Khanbaliq = Beijing • Great Wealth, Prosperity, & Stability • Spread Chinese Culture & Islam throughout their empire

2. continued Yuan Dynasty • Buddhism = the state religion for awhile • Mongols kept separate = staffed bureaucracy with Mongols Causes of Collapse: • Foreign conquests too costly • Government corruption • Political instability • Overthrown= MingDynasty created

3. Genghis Khan • Real name = Temujin (Teh-MOO-juhn) • 1206 – elected Genghis Khan = “strong ruler” • Built the largest land empire in history • Death prevented his conquest of Europe • Broke enormous kingdom into khanates c 1160-1227 C.E.

4. Mongol Empire • Kublai Khan (Genghis Khan’s grandson) = consolidated Mongol rule in china • Failed to conquer Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, Java, and Japan • Golden Horde (a group of Mongols) overran Russia (1237-1241) and also explored Poland, Hungary, and eastern Germany • Kublai’s brother (Hulegu) conquered the Abbasid Empire in Persia = failed in attempt to conquer Syria • Mongol rule in Persia deferred to local Persian authorities; Persians ran the il-khanate as long as they paid their taxes to the Mongols and maintained law and order • Yuan Dynasty established in 1279 = Pax Mongolica = time of peace and prosperity under Mongolian rule

5. Mongols • Superb horsemen • Covered 120 miles a day • Cut their horse’s leg and drank the blood if thirsty • Invented the stirrup • Ride and shoot arrows • Greatly feared • “Barbaric”

6. “As soon as they discover the enemy they charge and each one unleashes three or four arrows. If they see that they can’t break him, they retreat in order to entice the enemy to pursue , thus luring him into an ambush prepared in advance. If they conclude that the enemy army is stronger, they retire for a day or two and ravage neighboring areas. Or they [set up] camp in a well chosen position, and when the enemy army begins to pass by, they appear unexpectedly.’ L’Empire des Steppes, Rene Grousset, 1939; Glencoe, 253

7. Marco Polo • 1271 – traveled across Central Asia to China • 1275-1292 – diplomat for Kublai Khan • Shocked by the Mongols’ cleanliness and use of paper $ 1254-1324 • 1298 – Imprisoned • Dictated journals • “Il Milione” = “Man with a million stories” • Inspired Columbus and others to find a passage to the East

8. A 15th-century French illuminated manuscript shows Kublai Khan, the 13th-century Mongol ruler of China, presenting his golden seal to Venetian merchant Marco Polo and his party. Polo’s famous account of his career in the service of Kublai Khan provided Europe with the first substantial record of China. Kublai Khan encouraged literature and other cultural pursuits, and his court attracted many thinkers, merchants, and travelers.

9. Ibn Battuta 1304-1349? • Most celebrated Muslim traveler in the postclassical world • Islamic scholar who recorded his travels throughout the dar al Islam(Muslim states) • Traveled over 75,000 miles; to Spain, Timbuktu, China, India, the Maldive Islands, East Africa, and the Mali Empire • Worked in government positions everywhere he went as an adviser or judge • Promoted the proper observance of Islam