MONGOL CONQUESTS

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MONGOL CONQUESTS

• CHAPTER 12, SECTIONS 23

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MONGOL EMPIRE-RISE

• Mongols were a nomadic people who grazed their
  horses and sheep on the steppes of Central Asia.
• In the 1200s, a brilliant chieftain united the
  Mongol tribes.
• He called himself Genghis Khan which means World
  Emperor
• Under his leadership the Mongols conquered many
  lands from the Pacific Ocean to Eastern Europe.

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GENGHIS KHAN

• Genghis Khan imposed strict military discipline
  and demanded absolute loyalty
• His armies were highly trained and mobile
• He had a reputation of being fierce but he could
  also be very generous
• His armies conquered the Asian steppe lands
  easily, but faced difficulty when they went after
  China
• He did not live to see the conqueror of China but
  his heirs continued to expand the Mongol empire

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MONGOL RULE

• The Mongols were not oppressive rulers
• Allowed conquered people to live the same as they
  had before as long as they paid tribute to the
  Mongol rulers

• Genghis Khan ruled conquered lands with
  toleration and justice, he listened to many ideas
  and respected scholars, artists, and artisans.
• The Mongol warrior had no use for city life.

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MONGOL PEACE

• Pax Mongolica Mongol Peace-during the 1200s and
  1300s.
• Political stability allowed economic growth
• Control of the Silk Road-trade flourished
• Increased cultural exchanges
• Food
• Tools
• Inventions
• Ideas

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KUBLAI KHAN

• Grandson of Genghis Khan
• Tried to prevent the Mongols from being absorbed
  into Chinese civilization
• Only allowed Mongols to serve in his army

• An uneasy mix of Chinese and foreign ways
  developed
• Adopted a Chinese name for his dynasty-YUAN
• Capable but demanding ruler
• Decline of Yuan dynasty after death

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WESTERN VISITORS

• Marco Polo, Italian merchant, spent 17 yrs in
  Kublais service
• Wrote of the splendor of Kublais palace and of
  all the wealth found in China
• Other visitors from Europe and Asia
• Muslims set up their own communities in China

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MING DYNASTY

• Mongols were pushed out of China in 1368, after
  the death of Kublai Khan
• Ming rulers sought to reassert Chinese greatness
• Restored the civil service system
• Confucian learning was once again the road to
  success

• Economic revival
• Population increase
• Fertilizing improvements
• Industry, porcelain, paper, and tools
• Repaired the canal system
• Book production
• Cultural revival
• Arts and Literature

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CHINA AND THE WORLD

• Expeditions across seas
• Zheng He, 1405-1433
• Goals were to promote trade and collect tribute
  from lesser powers
• Turning Inward
• 1433, Zheng He dies and the Ming rulers abandon
  any further attempts to explore outside
  territories
• Lack of profits and Confucian scholars
  disinterest are the main causes for this
  abandonment

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SUMMARY OF THE MONGOL AND MING EMPIRES

• Trade and cultural exchange flourished because
  Mongol rule ensured safe passage along the Silk
  Road and other trade routes.
• Goods and ideas from many cultures traveled with
  merchants along these routes-Cultural Diffusion
• Kublai Khan tried to keep Mongols from being
  absorbed into Chinese society/culture
• Ming rulers restored Confucian values and the
  civil service system
• Goals of the Ming sea expeditions were to promote
  trade, collect tribute and show the strength of
  the Chinese empire