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The Mongol Empire

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Steppes

  • Stretching across Central Asia is a dry, treeless grasslands, known as the steppes.
  • The steppes helped the people of this region develop superior skills in fighting and horsemanship.
  • The people of the steppes were adept at riding horses.

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The Mongol People

  • The Mongolian population was never very large, but they were able to conquer many areas because of their large army.
    • They used crossbows and horses in battle.

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The Mongols

  • Like the Huns and Turks, the Mongols were significant invaders and conquerors from the steppes.
  • The Mongols were skilled horsemen.
  • The Mongols were eventually united by Chinggis (Genghis) Khan.

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Genghis Khan

  • Genghis Khan was their fiercest leader of the Mongol empire – expanded the empire to be largest empire in history!
  • In the early 1200s Genghis Khan led the Mongols to capture much of Asia.

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Mongol Conquests

  • The Mongols lived north of China in what is now called Mongolia.
  • In the early 1200s the Mongols captured Beijing, Central Asia and most of Persia.

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Khan’s Grandsons

  • His grandson, Kublai Khan, led groups of Mongols to conquer other lands.
  • They often used violence to capture cities.
  • Europeans called them “The Golden Horde” because of the golden color of the tents of the Mongol tents.

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Mongol Conquests

  • By 1294 the Mongols had conquered most of Asia.
  • Leaders such as Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan expanded the Mongol Empire to be largest empire in history.

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Yuan Dynasty

  • In 1271 Kublai Khan announced that he was starting his own dynasty called the Yuan dynasty.
  • Kublai Khan built the capital of his dynasty in Beijing.
  • The Mongols helped China in many ways.
    • Ended 100 years of war
    • Population began to grow again
    • Built trade routes that linked China to India and Persia
  • Hurt the economy of China by imposing heavy taxes that the farmers and merchants could not afford to pay.

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Contact with the Europeans

  • During Mongol rule of China, the contact between China and the rest of the world increased drastically.
  • France & Italy both sent ambassadors to China.
  • Christian missionaries traveled to China to try to spread Christianity.

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Marco Polo

  • Marco Polo was an Italian man that traveled to China during the time of the Yuan dynasty.
  • Marco Polo was a famous merchant and explorer.
  • He traveled to China and met Kublai Khan.
  • Khan was very impressed with Marco Polo and hires him to be his personal representative.
  • He became famous for his writings about the Yuan dynasty.
    • His writings were responsible for how the rest of the world became aware of the way of life of people in China.

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Chinese-Mongol Relations

  • The Yuan Dynasty did a lot to help the Chinese
  • There were problems between the Chinese and the Mongols.
    • Spoke different languages
    • Chinese were not treated as equals by the Mongols
    • Chinese people could not hold government positions
    • Mongol law punished Chinese people more harshly
    • Chinese people were not allowed to marry outside of their own people.

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Chinese-Mongol Relations

  • Despite the problems, the Mongols did help China in several ways.
    • Increased contact with Europe
    • Made local government more responsible to the central government in Beijing
    • Led political reforms that gave more power to the emperor

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Ming Dynasty

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The Ming Dynasty

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  • The Chinese overthrew the Mongols, and restored self-rule under the Ming Dynasty.
  • Ming China experienced an economic and cultural revival.
  • In the early 1400s, China began voyages of exploration and came into contact with Europe.
  • China greatly affect nearby Asian lands that fell into its zone of influence in Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia

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The Forbidden City

  • Ming rulers constructed a magnificent Imperial Palace in Beijing.
  • This Imperial Palace was called the Forbidden City.
  • It was the home of all later Chinese emperors.

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  • Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He took seven voyages.
  • A huge armada of Chinese ships crossed the China Sea, then ventured west to Ceylon, Arabia, and East Africa.
  • The armada's crew totaled more than 27,000 sailors and soldiers

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Looking Outward and Turning Inward

  • After Zheng He’s death in 1433, the Ming emperor banned the building of large oceangoing ships, and China
  • Zheng’s voyages had not brought profits to the empire, and the fleets were expensive to maintain.
  • Also, Confucian scholars taught that China had the most advanced civilization in the world. Limiting contact with foreign influences therefore seemed the best way to preserve ancient traditions.
  • Ming leaders severely restricted foreign trade, believing European goods to be inferior.

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