Key Concept 3.2: Continuity & Innovations of State Forms & Their Interactions (Mongols) Period 3: 600 – 1450 CE

Who were the Mongols?

Genghis Khan United the Mongol tribes 1206- “The Great Khan” – Leader of all Mongols

Genghis Khan Two genius ideas: Promotion based on merit not family Brought people of lower classes into his tribe and executed the leaders of conquered clans Peasants LOVED him

Genghis Khan One failure: Did NOT create a single political unit out of all his empires Who does this remind you of??? Alexander the Great

Four Khanates Yuan Dynasty (Khanate of the Great Khan)- China Chagatai Khanate- Central Asia Ilkhanate- Persia Khanate of the Golden Horde- Russia

Mongol Military Power Horses and Archery Adaptable Fear Learned how to lay siege to fortified castles Learned how to use gunpowder Fear

Mongols in Russia Kievan Rus Considered “birthplace” of Russia Trade & Agriculture center Converted to Byzantine Christianity Fell to Mongols in 1240

Russia Under Mongol Rule Khanate of the Golden Horde Serfdom arose as peasants gave up land for protection Moscow benefited by acting as tribute collector for Mongols Mongol rule isolated Russia from Byzantium and Europe This isolation will influence Russia for centuries

Mongols in Persia 800,000 people killed- including the Abbasid Caliph Siege of Baghdad (1258) 800,000 people killed- including the Abbasid Caliph Ends 500 year Islamic dynasty Added to the Ilkhanate

Mongols and China Kublai Khan Completed the conquest of China that Genghis Khan (his grandfather) began First time China has been unified since end of the Tang

Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) Centralized government and bureaucracy Shortest of the Chinese dynasties Maintained a separateness from the population and used foreigners (Marco Polo) to staff bureaucracy This leads to their downfall

Were the Mongols Awesome? Reinvigorated Trade Pax Mongolica & Silk Roads Increased communication in Eurasia Yam System Introduction of new foods Rice becomes staple in Persian diet Cross-cultural pollination Forcibly relocated people useful to them (especially administrators) Religious tolerance

Were the Mongols Awful? Brutal Conquerors Empires did not last Genghis Khan’s definition of happiness Brutal Conquerors Empires did not last Not interested in art or architecture Maybe responsible for the Black Death