The Turkish & Mongol Empires

or “How Stinky Barbaric Nomads

took over the World”

Introduction

Turkish & Mongol invasions perhaps the most important

to world history in the period 1000-1500

Extended up to the very periphery of Eurasia

Redefined the relationship of nomadic to "civilized" people

made definitions more difficult for historians

previously the civilizations had unified lands of the nomads

now, however, the nomadic groups - both Turk and Mongol - unified "civilized" lands under their control

These invasions from steppe of central Asia were part of a long pattern dating back to Attila

Saljuk Turks

Came into ME from Aral Sea

(970)

Tughril Beg defeated

remnants of Abbasid Empire

-- becoming "sultan" of

Islamic empire (1055)

pushed towards the West in

the middle east

Constantinople

Defeated Byzantium in 1071

at Manzikert

Created sultanate of Rum

w/Nicaea as capital

continued to fight with

the Crusaders for

Jerusalem

"Indian" Turks

Spread from Aral Sea into India

Introduced militantly strong

Islam throughout India

used force as well as

education –

Hinduism seen as sinful

polytheistic and had

pictures of the gods

conflict also between caste

based Hindu society and

egalitarian Muslim society

Established basis for problems

of modern India and Pakistan

Hindu and Muslims tensionMahmud

Indian Turks (cont.)

most famous of Turks in India was Mahmud (997-1030) "the image breaker“

Destroyed Hindu statues, paintings

India helpless to Turkish onslaught

only one warrior class

rest converted to Islam

or relied on karma, dharma, and reincarnation

Conquest extended south to Delhi, India Turkish

sultanate

The Mongol World Empire: China & The Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)

Greatest empire in history of the world:extended from Caspian Sea to Pacific Ocean; North into Russia, Siberia, & KoreaSouth into Persia & Burma

Genghis Khan

Rise of the Mongol Empire

•Nomadic people•families belong to clans;

•clans belonged to tribes•within tribes chiefs elected from nobility

•tribes politically divided

•traded & warred among themselves & neighbors

•Genghis Khan:-founder of the Mongol Empire-able to unite all the tribes-elected as Great Khan

•extremely disciplined & well organized•possessed superior tactics•very mobile•used terror as a weapon•allowed conquered people to join military•all these helped defeat larger armies

Military

Mongol Archer

Chinese canon, 1368

•Genghis divided empire among his four sons•over generations they became independent = 4 Khanates

•Ikhanate (Persia) – absorbed Persia & E.Turkish region•Golden Horde (Russia – Cossacks)•Chagatai (C. Russia)•Great Khanate (China, Mongolia, Korea)

•maintained trade & communication w/China

Division of the Mongol Empire

Ikhanate

Golden Horde

Chagatai

Great Khanate

Kublai Khan

•Mongols conquer Beijing (1227)

•Kublai, chosen as Great Khan in 1260 •grandson of Genghis

•Reunifies Mongol Empire•moves capital to Beijing•Expands Grand Canal

•1271 adopts Chinese dynastic name = Yuan•conquers the southern Sung in 1279

Mongol Rule in China

adopts custom of hereditary

succession

rebuilds Beijing as walled city

govt. shifts towards Chinese

forms of govt. and taxation

Chinese citizens segregated

from the 400,000 Mongols in

China

military service reserved for

Mongols only

military officers most important

positions

civil administration highly

centralized

Relied on non-Chinese to

run bureaucracy

Government & Society under Kublai Khan

Walls surrounding Beijing

Categories:•level one = Mongols

-top military & civil posts

•level two = Persians,Turks, some Europeans-filled high civil posts

•level three = northern Chinese

•level four = southern Chinese

Chinese officials directly controlled Chinese Citizenry & the Mongols controlled Chinese officials.

Societal Divisions

Kublai Khan w/Mongol Warriors

Marco Polo

1275-1292•served Kublai Khan

•influenced future traders & explorers

•brought knowledge of China to Europe•diffusion of Asian cultures, technology & ideas

Christianity spread from Persia to central Asia & Chinachurches builtpapal missions sent from Rome

Tibetan & Chinese Buddhism expand

Islam flourished the mostpermanently established in central & western Asiamosques built

Religion

Mosque Cathedral Buddhist Temple

dynasty collapses in 1368Shortest dynasty in Chinese history

Rebellion, esp. in S. ChinaPlague in S. China -- pop. & labour

Spread to C. Asia, ME & Europe through trade routes“The Black Death” kills ¼ of pop. in W. Europe

Decline of Yuan Dynasty

Mongols fighting Japanese Samurai

Mongol Khanates separated by religion, culture, & distance

govt. officials corrupt

economy

Warlords control respective regions

Mongol influence in China quickly disappeared

Decline of Yuan Dynasty (cont.)

Mongol siege of Baghdad

Legacy of Mongol RuleCollapse of Mongol rule in Persia leads to rise of Timur (Tamerlane) & Timurid rule in Persia, Bactria & India

Diffusion of ideas, technology, culture across two continents Renewed European interest in

science, literature, medicine, math

Sparks the Renaissance & Age of Exploration

The Black Death

Unified resistance of various groups against Mongol invaders

Timur & the siege of Bhatnair