1. Chapter 14: The last great nomadic challenges from Chinggis Khan to Timur
Objective
Trace the political and social development of the monarchies and empires of the Mongols and Turks

2. Summary 13th century nomads reenter the picture
The Mongols ended or interrupted the great post classical empires while extending the world network
The Mongols under Chinggis Khan and his successors dominated most of Asia for 150 yrs.
Mongols are portrayed as barbarians but generally people under Mongol rule enjoyed peace, religious tolerance and had unified laws
Mongol territory was a bridge between civs. of the east as products and ideas moved among civilized and nomadic people

4. Mongol Collapse The empire began to collapse after rebellion in China
In the 1360s Timur-i Lang attempted to reestablish the Mongol empire
Instead his forces laid waste to large areas of the Middle East, India and southern Russia
One unforeseen result of the Mongol empire was the rise to power of Moscow in Russia

5. Evaluate how the Mongol conquest can be said to have brought an end to the postclassical civs. in eastern Europe , western Europe and Islam
In western Europe Mongol influence had a limited direct effect as the conquest was quickly halted
An important indirect effect was facilitating transmission of the Black Death to western Europe
The conquest marked the end of western European postclassical period
The opening of trade with the east marked the beginning of the aggressive western commerce typical of the early modern period
For Islam, the conquest ended Abbasid and other minor dynastic rule
This opened the path for political division of the Islamic heartland between the Ottoman and Mamluks

6. Appraise the proposition that the Mongol era was an extension of the incursions of nomadic peoples into the affairs of sedentary civs. In what sense was it a civilization in its own right?
Mongol khanates remained dependent on tribal organization and herding
They attempted to maintain their separateness as a people with nomadic cultural patterns
Even in China under the Yuan dynasty, strict efforts were made to uphold cultural differences
Their control of trade was typical of nomadic incursions; so was the limited period of the Yuan rule and its use of cities
Chinggis Khan established a uniquely Mongol admin. for an empire based on such Islamic and Chinese precedents as a universal law code, adoption of a Mongol script, maintenance of empire-wide peace and promotion of commerce and travel

7. Evaluate how the Mongol conquest can be said to have brought an end to the postclassical civs. in eastern Europe , western Europe and Islam
Eastern Europe marked the end of Kievan dominance
The political balance shifted to Moscow as it took up chief resistance to Mongol Rule
The religious center also moved to Moscow
These moves marked the beginning of Russian political centralization
In Byzantium, the Mongol conquest meant the opening of Ottoman dominance in Asia Minor
Also the eventual loss of Constantinople