From the Steppes: A Great Empire
Global History and Geography Name: ______
E. Napp Date: ______
Adapted from Global History: The Growth of Civilizations
In the 13th century, nomadic Mongol horsemen in Central Asia united under a great leader named Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan led his fierce warriors on a wave of conquest that lasted for 20 years. Russia and portions of the Muslim Empire fell to the Mongols. The conquests continued after Genghis Khan died in 1227. Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis, became the Mongol emperor in 1260 and conquered the Song Dynasty in 1279.
Like other nomadic peoples, the Mongols were accomplished warriors with excellent survival skills. Herding sheep and horses on the dry, windswept steppes of their homeland had trained them to live for months with little food and rest. Hunting the small, swift animals of the steppes gave them practice in using weapons while on horseback. Then, too, Mongols were intensely loyal to their clan chiefs, men chosen for their leadership ability. The desire to win their leaders’ approval made Mongol warriors courageous and well disciplined in battle.
1- What people did Genghis Khan unite and how long did his wave of conquest last? ______
2- Who was Kublai Khan and what dynasty did he conquer? ______
3- How had the nomadic lifestyle of the Mongols increased their ability to fight?
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After Genghis Khan united the Mongols, he sent elite officers to train the warriors in each tribe to be professional soldiers. Their skill in the arts of war was not the only reason for their success. They also conquered through cruelty and terror. When they took a city, they usually destroyed its buildings and killed all of its inhabitants.
Mongol soldiers destroyed Muslim cities and mosques in Southwestern Asia and Central Asia. Early Mongol rulers almost wiped out Muslim culture in these areas. In 1295, however, a Mongol ruler named Ghazan converted to Islam. Under Ghazan and his successors, Muslim culture became stronger than ever. The Mongols stimulated trade in Southwest Asia as well as in China. As long-distance trade increased, so did the flow of Western European goods and ideas to Asia.
4- Provide examples of the Mongol use of cruelty and terror. ______
5- Who was Ghazan and to what religion did he convert? ______
The Mongols invaded Russia in 1237 and controlled it for about 200 years. Although the Mongols were exceptionally cruel soldiers, they were tolerant rulers. They demanded only tribute and soldiers from the Russians. The Mongol overlords did not interfere with the Russian government, religion, language, or customs.
Mongol armies swept through Hungary and Poland in 1241. This campaign might have brought large parts of central and Western Europe into the Mongol empire and changed the course of European history. But the Mongol khan (ruler) died before its completion, and the army had to return home to elect a new khan.
6- What did the Mongols demand of the Russians? ______
7- What did the Mongols not interfere with? ______
8- Why did the Mongols not conquer large parts of central and Western Europe? ______
In 1398, Tamerlane, a descendant of Genghis Khan, led his army into India. His forces destroyed the city of Delhi and slaughtered both Indian soldiers and civilians. The Mongols left India after a year. During this short time, they weakened the military power of the Delhi sultans. In 1526, India fell under the control of a new Muslim group called the Mughal.
9- Who was Tamerlane and what did he do to the city of Delhi? ______
10- What group conquered India in 1526? ______
In spite of their military skill, it took more than 45 years for the Mongols to conquer China. Kublai Khan completed the conquest and established the Yuan Dynasty. As emperor, one of his main concerns was to prevent the Chinese from rebelling against his rule. To avoid this, he placed Mongols in all the important government positions and the Chinese in the lowest ones. He also limited the freedom of the Chinese. He made it illegal for them to own weapons to meet in large groups, and to travel at night.
In spite of these harsh measures, Kublai Khan brought many advantages to China. He constructed roads and canals and rebuilt the city of Beijing. He gave aid to orphans and old people and provided hospitals for the sick. He also purchased food supplies in times of plenty to store away for use when famine struck.
11- Who established the Yuan Dynasty? ______
12- How were the Chinese prevented from rebelling? Be specific.
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Kublai Khan is famous for his tolerance. Most Mongols practiced Lamaism, the Tibetan form of Buddhism. But Kublai Khan did not force Lamaism on the lands he ruled. He allowed people in the different lands to worship in their own way. He appointed Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and Taoists to minor posts in local governments. In China, he supported the concepts of Confucianism. Many Mongolians stationed in Persia converted to Islam. He allowed members of the Dominican and Franciscan Roman Catholic orders to set up missions in China.
Kublai Khan realized that he could obtain great wealth by developing Chinese trade. The new roads that were constructed during his rule allowed Chinese merchants to travel to Persia and Russia more easily and quickly. The Mongol policy of tolerance and good will toward different cultural groups also encouraged merchants of other countries to visit China. This policy brought a period of peace in Eurasia that is known as the “Pax Mongolia.”
13- Provide examples of Mongol tolerance. ______
14- What did Kublai Khan encourage that increased his wealth? ______
15- Why were new roads created? ______
16- What was the Pax Mongolia? ______
The increased trade resulted in more contact between China and distant lands. During this period, Marco Polo of Venice, Italy, went to China with his father and uncle, who were merchants. Polo, just 21 years old, became a favorite of Kublai Khan and remained in China for 18 years. He spent these years traveling through the empire, sometimes serving as a government official. After Polo returned to Italy in 1295, he wrote a book about what he had seen. Many of his readers refused to believe his descriptions of the size, wealth, and wonders of China. In time, however, Europeans came to accept what Polo had written as the truth. Some of the wonders he described were the burning of black stones (coal) as fuel, paper money (instead of metal coins), and an official postal system.
Other traders followed Polo’s route to China, Marco Polo’s book helped promote the exchange of goods and ideas between China and the West. It may have inspired later explorers to search for new lands.
17- Who was Marco Polo and what did he do? ______
18- What were some of the wondrous things that Polo saw in China? ______
A visitor from the Middle East also made his way to China. This famous Muslim traveler, Ibn Battuta, mentions China in his travel journal. He was in Beijing in the 1340s. Over a period of 30 years, Ibn Battuta traveled some 75,000 miles throughout the Middle East, southern and eastern Asia, and Africa.
Aside from promoting contact between China, Europe, and Southwest Asia, Mongol rule had surprisingly little effect on Chinese culture. The khans made no attempt to force Mongol culture on the Chinese. The Chinese, who looked down on the Mongols as barbarians, showed no interest in adopting any of their ways.
19- Describe the accomplishments of Ibn Battuta. ______
20- Why did Mongol rule have little effect on Chinese culture? ______
After the death of Kublai Khan in 1298, the Mongol Empire split into smaller empires. These were the Golden Horde in southern Russia and the Balkans, the Yuan Empire in China, and the Il-khan Empire in western Asia.
The rulers who followed Kublai Khan lacked his strength and ability. As Mongol rule weakened, Chinese opposition increased. In 1368, Chu Yan-chang, who had studied to be a Buddhist monk and became a rebel leader, drove the Mongols out of Beijing. A new Chinese dynasty, the Ming, replaced Mongol rule.
21- What happened to the Mongol Empire after the death of Kublai Khan? ______
22- Why did Mongol rule weaken after the death of Kublai Khan? ______
23- Who was Chu Yan-chang and what did he do? ______
My Summary: The Ten Most Significant Facts from the Reading
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