1. Mongols

2. Rise of the Mongols  Organized, disciplined military – decimal system, mobility  Military Cavalry, iron stirrups, psychological warfare, espionage  Society based on loyalty; warrior society  Conquered for wealth through taxation  Leadership – Genghis Khan

3. Life under the Mongols  Military society  Taxation for conquered territories  Nomadic lifestyle, yet controlling sedentary peoples Dependent on animals  PAX MONGOLICA – the Mongolian Peace Happened when conquered territories didn’t rebel  Religious Tolerance  Trade – Silk Road well protected

4. Life under the Mongols

6. Genghis Khan  Like the empire he built, Genghis Khan’s life remains in many ways a mystery and myth.  Despite this, we know this man much better than he was known in previous centuries  But what kind of man was he?  Does what is recorded in Muslims’ Chroniclers represent/characterize him correctly? “The great joy a man can know is to conquer his enemies and drive them before him. To ride their horses and take away their possessions. To see the faces of those who were dear to them bedewed with tears, and to clasp their wives and daughters in his arms.”

7. A Warrior Leader  Waged war with a strategic purpose in mind: to preserve Mongol life  Never willingly sacrifice a single one of his soldiers  Every soldier is taught to live his life as warrior who is always a winner and will not die easily on the battlefield  Show little concern for the loss of enemy life, but The Mongol warriors killed enemy soldiers and bureaucrats They did not torture, mutilate, or maim their enemy soldiers like others did

8. Mongol soldiers tortured  In 1228, Jalal al-Din, the son of the Kwarizm sultan, captured four hundred Mongol soldiers, tied them behind horses, and dragged them through the streets of the city to entertain the city’s residents  Persian victors killed the Mongol captives by driving nails into their heads  In 1035, sultan of Delhi had elephants crush their Mongol captives, then built a tower from the severed heads of the Mongols

9. Khubilai Khan  Genghis Khan’s grandson who ruled entire China and established the Yuan Dynasty in 1279 AD first conquered north China under the Jurchen, Then conquered south China under the Southern Song/Sung,  The conquest of China (Southern Song/Sung) began in 1268 and took 11 years to complete, highlighted by The battle of Xiangyang, which took 5 years (1268-1273) The battle of Yangzhou, 1 year (1275) The seize of Hangzhou, the capital city  Song loyalists continued to fight against the Mongols army in the far south until the last emperor perished at sea and the last general lost his life  Khubilai Khan was able to institute Mongolian rule effectively, as evidenced by few major insurrections occurring during his reign

10. Fall of the Mongols  Spread too thin, simply got too massive  Inability to manage the empire – politically, vast population, ratio of Mongols:conquered peoples  Failed Military Efforts: Japan 2 armadas, both sunk Cambodia, Vietnam, Java  Succession problems, weak leadership

11. Effects / Legacy of the Mongols  Spread of Trade, intellectual ideas, innovations/technology  Largest Land Empire Eastern Europe to China  Left a Power Vacuum when gone Destruction of major empires Opportunity for Europeans  Invent/Perfect Military tactics  Marks a shift in power – Asia to the West