AP World History: The MongolsPeriod Three: 600 CE – 1450 CE

“Conquering the world on horseback is easy; it is dismounting and governing that is hard.” - Genghis Khan

Mongols used eagles to help them hunt.

I Geography and the MongolsA) The Mongols were nomadic warriors. They lived in the steppes (flat grassland) and Gobi desert north of China.B) Orkhon is the longest river in MongoliaC) Dairy is the staple of their diet; yak or horse milk is made into butter, yogurt, and cheese.

Geography and the Mongols Continued…C) The Mongols were skilled horseback riders. Their horses were small, but Mongolian armor was very light, allowing them to ride up to 100 miles per day!D) Weapons included the crossbows and catapult. The Mongols would catapult the dead bodies of plague victims towards their enemies!

“Genghis Khan established an imperial circuit of communications similar to the famous Pony Express of the American West. Genghis Khan’s system had way stations for post riders established in strategic locations across the empire. This system enabled commands to be rapidly dispersed and news to be brought swiftly to the capital… after Genghis Khan’s grandson Khublai Khan ascended China's dragon throne, he lost control of strategic horse-breeding areas of the steppes. His decline began when he could no longer mobilize and unify the mounted nomadic warriors as his grandfather, uncle, and brother had.” amnh.org

Mongol Armor and CrossbowsSilk would absorb sweat & was

much lighter to wear than European armor. If a Mongol fell

off his horse, he could get back up!

II Genghis Khan (1162 - 1257) A) Nomads speaking Mongolian languages carved out regional kingdoms in north China in the 4-10th centuries CE.B) In 1206 CE Temujin, age 42, became known as Genghis Khan “Universal Ruler”. By brutal force, he had united the fragmented nomadic tribes of Mongolia. Going against custom, Temujin put competent allies rather than relatives in key positions and executed the leaders of enemy tribes while incorporating the remaining members into his clan. Though Temujin was an animist, his followers included Christians, Muslims and Buddhists. www.history.comC) Genghis Khan created a body of law.

1. Banned the kidnapping of women2. Stealing animals became a capital offense3. Regulated winter hunting to ensure food for all

DNA studies have revealed that Genghis Khan has 16 million living descendants today! – National Geographic, 2010

Genghis Khan Continued…C) Genghis’s grandson Batu (1207 – 1255) crossed the Volga river. He invaded Russia, and parts of Eastern Europe. While his army left Eastern Europe quickly, the Mongols remained in Russia for 200 years. *Recall that the Mongols destroyed so much of Russia’s infrastructure, that Russia was cut off from Western Europe for centuries!

Genghis Khan Continued…D) Kublai Khan (1215 - 1294), another grandson of Ghengis, conquered the Southern Song Dynasty of China. Because Kublai admired Chinese culture, rather than destroying it, he created his own Chinese dynasty; the Yuan!

III The Mongols in RussiaA) The Mongols were known as the Golden Horde due to the color their tents shone in the sun. The Russians also often called them Tartars (people from hell).B) Under Batu the Mongols invaded Russia in 1236 with 12,000 mounted soldiers. His was the only successful winter invasion of Russia in history! In 1240 the Russian city of Kiev fell.C) Russian princes became vassals of the Mongols. Russian peasants had to give their crops and labor to the Russian princes AND the Mongol overlords!D) While most of Russia was devastated, Moscow benefited from its status as tribute collector. As Moscow grew in strength, the power of the Golden Horde declined. Also, due to the Mongolian tolerance of different religions, the Orthodox Church kept some of its power.E) In 1380 Moscow princes raised an army and defeated the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikova.The Legacy of the Mongols in Russia: On one hand, the Mongols protected a weak

Russia from attacks by Poland and Hungary. Moscow benefited financially. However, the Mongols destroyed much of Russian infrastructure and isolated Russia from the West for centuries.

The Mongols in Russia Continued…

An Orthodox Russian Church that was built where the Battle of Kulikova took place.

Geography and the Mongols Continued…

Europeans called Mongols the Golden Horde due to gold color of Mongol yurts (tents) in the sun. They could be transported on wheels!

IV The Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368)A) The Mongols ruled from their capital Dadu (now Beijing)B) The Mongol rulers encouraged trade by keeping the Silk Road safe, expanding the Grand Canal, and welcoming foreign diplomats and merchants. This period of economic growth and stability was known as the Pax Mongolia. - The most famous visitor to the Khan’s Court under the Yuan Dynasty was Marco Polo!C) The Mongol rulers discriminated against the native Chinese; only Mongols or foreigners could serve in the government. Unlike Confucianism, the Mongols promoted the role of artists, merchants and traders.

The Yuan Dynasty Continued…

Yuan Dynasty Porcelain VaseThe Bailin Temple of Zhaoxian, built in 1330 during the Yuan

Dynasty.

The Yuan Dynasty Continued…D) By the 1350s the Mongol hold on China was weakening. Secret religious sects like the White Lotus Society were dedicated to overthrowing the Yuan. The Mongols considered the White Lotus society a religious sect and banned its existence, forcing its members to go underground. E) A revolution inspired by the White Lotus society, took shape in 1352 around Guangzhou. A Buddhist monk Zhu Yuanzhang led the rebellion. In 1356, Zhu Yuanzhang captured Nanjing and made it his capital. It was here that he won the help of Confucian scholars who performed rituals in his claim of the Mandate of Heaven, the first step toward establishing new dynastic rule. By 1387, after more than thirty years of war, Zhu Yuanzhang had liberated all of China. Having attained the Mandate of Heaven and the status of Emperor, he took the title Hong-wu and founded a new dynasty -- the Ming.

The Yuan Dynasty Continued…

Zhu Yuanzhang

V Mongols and the Islamic EmpireA) In 1258 the Mongols captured and destroyed Baghdad and murdered the caliph, ending the Abbasid Dynasty. This is why Muslims historians view this as one of the greatest catastrophes of Islam.B) In 1260 the Mongols were defeated by the Mamluk (slave) dynasty of Egypt. This was largely due to the cooperation of Coptic Christians.

Mamluks in Egypt

VI Women and “Tolerance” in the Mongol Empire

A) Mongolian women did not practice Chinese foot bindingB) Women often fought in battle on horsebackC) Chabi, the wife of Kublai Khan, was one of his political advisors, and promoted Buddhism among the Mongols.D) The Mongols had a very strict social hierarchy. However, within this

hierarchy was tolerance for different ethnicities and religions.- Muslim doctors ran the imperial hospitals. Persians and Turks were some of Kublai Khan’s closest advisors.- Buddhists, Christians, and Taoists also were in Kublai Khan’s court. Don’t forget Marco Polo!

Primary Source: Excerpt from Marco Polo’s Journal“When the Great Khan is holding court, the seating at banquets is arranged as follows. He himself sits at a much higher table than the rest…His principal wife sits next to him

on the left. On the right, at a somewhat lower level, sits his sons in order of age…

They are placed so that their heads are on a level with the Great Khan’s feet. Next to them are seated the noblemen at other tables lower down

again…All the wives of the Khan’s sons and

grandsons and kinsmen are seated on his left at a lower level, and next

to them the wives of his nobles and knights lower down still.”

VII Tamerlane’s EmpireA) Timur “the Lame” was a leader of the Muslim Turks. In the 1360s his armies moved out from his base at Samarkand to conquer Persia, Mesopotamia, India, and southern Russia.B) His empire was not as large as the Mongols. However, he was known by some as even more barbaric! He built pyramids of skulls of those he slaughtered. C) Unlike the Mongols he did not increase trade or cultural diffusion.D) He died in 1405, and his empire was pulled apart.

Tamerlane being presented with the heads of Baghdadis

by his soldiers.

Tamerlane’s Empire Continued…

Classwork Questions: These will be collected by the sub and will count!

1. Fill in your Period 3 Civilization chart for the Mongols.2. How much did geography help or hurt the Mongols?3. Why did the Mongols create a Chinese rather than a

Mongolian Dynasty? Why did they not do something similar in Russia?

4. How did Marco Polo describe the Mongols? What do you think his impression was and why? Do you think his description is accurate? Why or why not?

5. What should the legacy of the Mongols be?

Key VocabularyBatuCrossbowDaduGenghis KhanKublai KhanMamluksMarco PoloMing DynastyMongolsPax MongoliaTamerlaneTemujinWhite Lotus SocietyYuan DynastyZhu Yuanzhang