Chapter 12Chapter 12The Mongol EmpireThe Mongol Empire

1200-15001200-1500

Pastoral Peoples – Nomadic Herders• clan based structure

with powerful tribes• high status and

freedoms for women• smaller populations

on the move in harsh environments

• basic economies but trade with larger civs.

The Mongolsnomadic tribes with no unity

Steppe (Grasslands)

The Gobi

Temujin(1162-1227)

Temujin’s 2 Goals1. Unite the Mongols

2. Conquer an Empire

Soldiers highly trained and organized skilled horsemen

A meritocracy that treated allies as “blood relatives”

Temujinunified the

Mongol tribes1206 named Chinggis

Khan(Universal Ruler)

"The greatest happiness is to vanquish your enemies, to

chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see

those dear to them bathed in tears, to clasp to your bosom

their wives and daughters"

-Chinggis Khan(unconfirmed and disputed)

0.5 % of the male

population in the world, or roughly 16

million descendants living today

“All who surrender will be spared ;

whoever does not surrender but opposes with struggle and

dissension, shall be annihilated.”

Brutal in war - Tolerant in peace

Integrated conquered peoples into his military

Did not force their culture on others

Invaded China, Russia,

and Persia

Chinggis Khan’s Empire 1227

On his deathbed

Chinggis Khan passed

leadership to his son

Ogadai Khan

“With Heaven’s aid I have

conquered for you a huge empire. But my life was

too short to achieve the

conquest of the world. That task is left for you.”

Estimated 40,000,000 people killed as a result of Chinggis Khan’s conquests

11% of total world population

Decedents of Chinggis Khan continued expansion

Mongol Empires by 1294

Mass slaughter in

Persia-----------------------------------------------

Many later converted

to Islam and settled

1258 Mongol armies

destroyed Baghdad (Abbasid)

Pushed into Eastern Europe

The “Golden Horde” ruled Russia with a tribute system and did not assimilate

Kublai Khan1215-1294Chinggis Khan’s

Grandson

1279 defeated Chinese

Song Dynasty

Yuan Dynasty (Mongols) 1271-1365

Mongols did not adopt Chinese

customs and were seen as foreign rulers

Capital city Khanbaliq (Beijing)

Marco Polo

1254-1324

Venetian Explorer

Marco Polo’s Journey

1271-1295

1281 Kublai Khan’s failed

invasion of Japan

Mongol LegacyMongol Legacyspread tech., ideas, people, plants, diseasespread tech., ideas, people, plants, disease

Pax Mongolica “Mongolian Peace”Protected trade routes and kept order

Responsible for the spread of the plague

Remember, sometimes we must

look at what does not happen in history

Mongols did not go to Africa. Effects?

Mongol culture