THE MONGOL EMPIRE

Kublai Khan becomes Emperor  China is ruled by a foreigner for the 1 st and only time in history  Kublai Khan founded the Yuan Dynasty  Built a new squared-wall capital at site of modern Beijing  Important b/c:  United China for 1 st time in 300 years  Opened China to greater foreign contracts and trade  Kublai and successors tolerated Chinese culture & made few changes

Failure to conquer Japan  Attempted and failed to conquer Japan in 1274 and 1281  Sent huge fleets to Japan  Forced Koreans to build, sail, and provide for provisions for the boats  Both times the Japanese turned them back

Second invasion of Japan  150,000 Mongol, Chinese, and Korean warriors  After 53 days, Japanese warriors fought them to a standstill  A typhoon swept through Sea of Japan  Mongol ships destroyed on the rocky shores

 For centuries, the Japanese speak of the “kamikaze” or “divine wind” that saved them  WWII Japanese suicide pilots adopted the name “kamikaze” for the typhoon that saved them from the Mongols Legacy of the Mongol Invasion of Japan

Mongol Rule in China  “I have heard that one can conquer the empire on horseback,, but one cannot govern it on horseback”  Chinese adviser to Kublai Khan

The Mongols and the Chinese  They had little in common w/ Chinese  Lived apart from them and obeyed different laws  Kept Chinese out of high gov’t offices  High gov’t posts went to Mongols and foreigners  More trustworthy

Foreign Trade  Increased under him b/c of the Mongol Peace  Silk, Chinese products carried/ traded on the Silk Roads  Ex. printing, gunpowder, compass, paper currency, playing cards  Encouraged foreign merchants to visit China

Marco Polo  Venetian trader who traveled the Silk Roads  Journey of 24 years w/ uncle and father  4 languages/ linguist  Served in Kublai Khan’s court for 17 years  1292, he left and returned to Venice  His stories gathered in a book and seemed unbelievable to Europeans  Spoke of China’s grand cities, wealth, “burning of black stones” (coal) in Chinese homes  Did he see all he claimed?  Tales don’t mention tea, acupuncture, foot binding

End of Mongol Rule  Kublai Khan died in 1294  Family members continually argue over who would rule  Rebellions break out w/in China  Chinese resent Mongol rule  1368 Chinese rebels overthrow Mongols  Ming replace them  Mongol Empire starts to disintegrated at same time  Ilkhanate in Persia fell apart  The Chagatai khans rule until 1370’s  Golden Horde in Russia stayed in power for 250 years Russia gains independence in 1480 with Ivan III