Download The Mongol Empire - Northwest ISD Moodle

The Mongol Empire
World History I
Focus Activity
Write down the first words or phrases that
come to mind when you see the following
terms:
• Empire
• Marco Polo
• Genghis Khan
Who are the Mongols?
• Homeland – Rugged steppe region north of
China
• Nomads
– Depended upon animals (especially the horse)
– Constantly searching for water and vegetation
• Precarious (fragile, dangerous) lifestyle
– At the mercy of nature
– Relied upon trade with other civilizations in times of
need
– Motive for empire?
Genghis Khan
• Especially fierce, powerful Mongol leader who
lived from about 1162 to 1227
– Consolidates dispersed Mongolian tribes
– Creates a Mongolian Empire
– Name means “Universal Ruler”
• Encouraged skills of battle and the mindset of a
warrior
• Advantage of cavalry over foot soldiers
• Warfare was a way for individuals to gain honor,
power and riches in Mongolian society
Early Mongolian Empire
• Capital = Karakorum
• Early 1200s Genghis Khan captures
Beijing, central Asia and most of Persia
• Genghis’ legacy:
– Unity
– Religious tolerance
– Written language for the Mongolians
– Mongolian legal code
Kublai Khan
• Grandson of Genghis, known as the
“Great Khan”
• Conquers the rest of China, Tibet and
Southeast Asia [tried but failed to conquer
Japan]
• Establishes the Yuan Dynasty in northern
China in 1271 – conquer Southern Sung
in 1279
– Adopts many Chinese beliefs, customs and
institutions
Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)
Benefits of the Yuan Dynasty to the Chinese:
• Extended the Grand Canal
• Instituted efficient government
– Over 10,000 courier stations
• Supported the arts
• Increased trade with India and Persia
• Contact with Europe
Disadvantages of the Yuan Dynasty:
• Had to pay tributes
• Language barrier
• Second-class citizens
Marco Polo
• Italian merchant and explorer
• Very impressed with the Mongol
society
“If you put together all the Christians in
the world, with their Emperors and
their Kings, the whole of these
Christians, - aye, and throw in the
Saracens to boot, - would not have
such power, or be able to do so much
as this Kublai, who is Lord of all the
Tartars in the world.”
Decline of the Yuan
Reasons:
1) Huang He (Yellow) River floods causing
destruction and famine
2) String of weak successors
3) Chinese unrest
Mongolian Empire: Review
• Given what you know about Mongolian culture,
try to explain the meaning of this Mongolian
proverb:
– "Better the bone be broken than one’s reputation.“
• In what ways did the Mongolians create an
“empire”?
• What aspects of Mongolian lifestyle and culture
contributed to the creation of an empire?
Mongolian Empire: Review
Read the following passage from Marco Polo’s accounts
of his travels. What is he saying about Kublai Khan?
What is he saying about his empire?
“Whenever the Great Khan sits at the table on any great
court occasion, his table is elevated a good deal
above the others…Outside the hall are more than
40,000 people; for there is always a great crowd of
folk bringing presents to the Lord, or coming from
foreign countries with curiosities…On the buffet are
placed all the Lord's drinking vessels, among which
are certain pitchers of the finest gold, which are big
enough to hold drink for eight or ten persons.”