1. Chapter 18:
Nomadic Empires
and Eurasian
Intergration

2. Nomadic Economy and Society
Rainfall in central Asia too little to support large-scale agriculture
Grazing animals thrive, central Asians turn to animal herding
Food
Clothing
Shelter (yurts)
Migratory patterns to follow pastureland
Small-scale farming, rudimentary artisanry

3. Nomads in Turkmenistan
Modern Mongolian Yurts
Nomads in Turkmenistan

4. Nomadic Economy Trade links between nomadic and settled peoples
Nomads engage in long-distance travel
Caravan routes

5. Nomadic Society Governance basically clan-based
Charismatic individuals become nobles, occasionally assert authority
Unusually fluid status for nobility
Hereditary, but could be lost through incompetence
Advancement for meritorious non-nobles

6. Nomadic Religion Shamans center of pagan worship
Appeal of Buddhism, Nestorian Christianity, Islam, Manichaeism from 6th century CE
Turkish script developed, partially to record religious teachings
Conversion to Islam in 10th century due to Abbasid influence

7. Military Organization
Large confederations under a khan
Authority extended through tribal elders
Exceptionally strong cavalries
Mobility
Speed

8. Turkish empires and their neighbors about 1210 CE

9. Saljuq Turks and the Abbasid Empire
8-10th centuries Turkish peoples on border of Abbasid empire
Service in Abbasid armies
Eventually came to dominate Abbasid caliphs
1055 Saljuq leader Tughril Beg recognized as sultan
Tughril consolidated his hold on Baghdad, then extended rule to other parts of the empire
Abbasid caliphs served as figure heads of authority

10. Saljuq Turks and the Byzantine Empire
1071 Saljuq Turks defeat Byzantine army at Manzikert, take emperor captive
Large-scale invasion of Anatolia
Many conversions to Islam
Ottoman Turks conquer Constantinople 1453

11. Ghaznavid Turks and the Sultanate of Delhi
Mahmud of Ghazni, Afghanistan, invades northern India
At first for plunder, later to rule
Northern India completely dominated by 13th century
Persecution of Buddhists, Hindus

12. Mongolian Steppes

13. Mongol Warriors
The Han Synthesis term refers to the emphasis on Legalism, but with a touch of Confucianism. The Han dynasty recorded Confucius’s teachings (The Analects) and put a big emphasis on the family.
Founded the Imperial University
Required examinations to become bureaucrat (civil service system)
Soldiers dropped to lowest status.
Confucianists at work; Daoists at home.
The Han tried to replace literature, including Confucius’s writings, lost during the Qin Dynasty. Created new works of literature and music. Scroll painting began during this time. Iron was now used for plows and weapons. Acupuncture was invented. Invented a crude seismic sensing tool, so they could send troops and food to the scene of an earthquake!
Inventions include: paper (105 CE), sternpost rudder on ships, water mill, wheelbarrow, furrowed cultivation
Show map for Silk Road trade. It brought Chinese together into one civilization, creating a common culture. Economically, it brought much wealth to the Han, as they exported much more than they imported.
Wudi’s public schools taught Confucianism. Grand School in capital. In 100 years, 30,000 studied there. 13

14. Mongol Archer
The Han Synthesis term refers to the emphasis on Legalism, but with a touch of Confucianism. The Han dynasty recorded Confucius’s teachings (The Analects) and put a big emphasis on the family.
Founded the Imperial University
Required examinations to become bureaucrat (civil service system)
Soldiers dropped to lowest status.
Confucianists at work; Daoists at home.
The Han tried to replace literature, including Confucius’s writings, lost during the Qin Dynasty. Created new works of literature and music. Scroll painting began during this time. Iron was now used for plows and weapons. Acupuncture was invented. Invented a crude seismic sensing tool, so they could send troops and food to the scene of an earthquake!
Inventions include: paper (105 CE), sternpost rudder on ships, water mill, wheelbarrow, furrowed cultivation
Show map for Silk Road trade. It brought Chinese together into one civilization, creating a common culture. Economically, it brought much wealth to the Han, as they exported much more than they imported.
Wudi’s public schools taught Confucianism. Grand School in capital. In 100 years, 30,000 studied there. 14

15. Mongol Nobleman, Late 13 c.
Above is a picture of Suzhou in Jiangsu province showing houses along the Grand Canal.
From north to south, the Grand Canal is over 1,700 kilometers (roughly 1,100 miles) long,
linking Hangzhou in Zhejiang province with Beijing in the north. An extremely important
water project that was first started in the Sui dynasty ( ), it connects several big rivers
and provides an important means of transportation and communication.
With the two pictures below in mind, how do you think the access to rivers and lakes would
have made the lifestyle of people in the south different from that of people in the north? 15

16. Robe of a Mongol Nobleman, Early 14 c
Above is a picture of Suzhou in Jiangsu province showing houses along the Grand Canal.
From north to south, the Grand Canal is over 1,700 kilometers (roughly 1,100 miles) long,
linking Hangzhou in Zhejiang province with Beijing in the north. An extremely important
water project that was first started in the Sui dynasty ( ), it connects several big rivers
and provides an important means of transportation and communication.
With the two pictures below in mind, how do you think the access to rivers and lakes would
have made the lifestyle of people in the south different from that of people in the north? 16

17. Chinggis Khan (1167-1227) and the Making of the Mongol Empire
Temüjin, b. 1167
Father prominent warrior, poisoned c. 1177, forced into poverty
Mastered steppe diplomacy, elimination of enemies
Brought all Mongol tribes into one confederation
1206 proclaimed Chinggis Khan: “Universal Ruler”

18. Genghis Khan
Originally named Temujin, the name Genghis Khan was taken by himself, meaning universal ruler.
The Reflex Bow, the primary Mongol weapon.

19. Mongol Political Organization
Broke up tribal organization
Formed military units from men of different tribes
Promoted officials on basis of merit and loyalty
Established distinctly non-nomadic capital at Karakorum

20. Mongol Arms
Mongol population only 1 million (less than 1% of Chinese population)
Army c ,000
Strengths:
Cavalry
Short bows
Rewarded enemies who surrender, cruel to enemies who fight

21. The Mongols Genghis Khan’s Tax Laws:
If you do not pay homage, we will take your prosperity.
If you do not have prosperity, we will take your children.
If you do not have children, we will take your wife.
If you do not have a wife, we will take your head.
Used cruelty as a weapon  some areas never recovered from Mongol destruction!
The Han Synthesis term refers to the emphasis on Legalism, but with a touch of Confucianism. The Han dynasty recorded Confucius’s teachings (The Analects) and put a big emphasis on the family.
Founded the Imperial University
Required examinations to become bureaucrat (civil service system)
Soldiers dropped to lowest status.
Confucianists at work; Daoists at home.
The Han tried to replace literature, including Confucius’s writings, lost during the Qin Dynasty. Created new works of literature and music. Scroll painting began during this time. Iron was now used for plows and weapons. Acupuncture was invented. Invented a crude seismic sensing tool, so they could send troops and food to the scene of an earthquake!
Inventions include: paper (105 CE), sternpost rudder on ships, water mill, wheelbarrow, furrowed cultivation
Show map for Silk Road trade. It brought Chinese together into one civilization, creating a common culture. Economically, it brought much wealth to the Han, as they exported much more than they imported.
Wudi’s public schools taught Confucianism. Grand School in capital. In 100 years, 30,000 studied there. 21

22. Mongol Conquests Conquest of China by 1220
Conquest of Afghanistan, Persia
emissaries murdered, following year Chinggis Khan destroys ruler
Ravaged lands to prevent future rebellions
Large-scale, long-term devastation

23. The Mongol Empires about 1300 CE

24. Khubilai Khan (r. 1264-1294) Grandson of Chinggis Khan Rule of China
Ruthless warrior, but religiously tolerant
Hosted Marco Polo
Established Yuan dynasty (to 1368)
Unsuccessful forays into Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, Java
Two attempted invasions of Japan (1274, 1281) turned back by typhoons (kamikaze: “divine winds”)

25. Marco Polo 1254-1324 A Venetian merchant
Traveled through Yuan China:
Sent on many diplomatic missions throughout Kublai’s empire.
Served as governor in China for 3 years
Wrote many novels documenting his travels
The Han Synthesis term refers to the emphasis on Legalism, but with a touch of Confucianism. The Han dynasty recorded Confucius’s teachings (The Analects) and put a big emphasis on the family.
Founded the Imperial University
Required examinations to become bureaucrat (civil service system)
Soldiers dropped to lowest status.
Confucianists at work; Daoists at home.
The Han tried to replace literature, including Confucius’s writings, lost during the Qin Dynasty. Created new works of literature and music. Scroll painting began during this time. Iron was now used for plows and weapons. Acupuncture was invented. Invented a crude seismic sensing tool, so they could send troops and food to the scene of an earthquake!
Inventions include: paper (105 CE), sternpost rudder on ships, water mill, wheelbarrow, furrowed cultivation
Show map for Silk Road trade. It brought Chinese together into one civilization, creating a common culture. Economically, it brought much wealth to the Han, as they exported much more than they imported.
Wudi’s public schools taught Confucianism. Grand School in capital. In 100 years, 30,000 studied there. 25

26. Yuan Dynasty 1279-1368 Pax Mongolica [“Mongol Peace”]
Tolerated Chinese culture but lived apart from them
No Chinese in top govt. posts
Believed foreigners were more trustworthy.
Encouraged foreign trade & foreign merchants to live and work in China.
The Han Synthesis term refers to the emphasis on Legalism, but with a touch of Confucianism. The Han dynasty recorded Confucius’s teachings (The Analects) and put a big emphasis on the family.
Founded the Imperial University
Required examinations to become bureaucrat (civil service system)
Soldiers dropped to lowest status.
Confucianists at work; Daoists at home.
The Han tried to replace literature, including Confucius’s writings, lost during the Qin Dynasty. Created new works of literature and music. Scroll painting began during this time. Iron was now used for plows and weapons. Acupuncture was invented. Invented a crude seismic sensing tool, so they could send troops and food to the scene of an earthquake!
Inventions include: paper (105 CE), sternpost rudder on ships, water mill, wheelbarrow, furrowed cultivation
Show map for Silk Road trade. It brought Chinese together into one civilization, creating a common culture. Economically, it brought much wealth to the Han, as they exported much more than they imported.
Wudi’s public schools taught Confucianism. Grand School in capital. In 100 years, 30,000 studied there. 26

27. Above is a picture of Suzhou in Jiangsu province showing houses along the Grand Canal.
From north to south, the Grand Canal is over 1,700 kilometers (roughly 1,100 miles) long,
linking Hangzhou in Zhejiang province with Beijing in the north. An extremely important
water project that was first started in the Sui dynasty ( ), it connects several big rivers
and provides an important means of transportation and communication.
With the two pictures below in mind, how do you think the access to rivers and lakes would
have made the lifestyle of people in the south different from that of people in the north? 27

28. Marco Polo’s Travels
The Han Synthesis term refers to the emphasis on Legalism, but with a touch of Confucianism. The Han dynasty recorded Confucius’s teachings (The Analects) and put a big emphasis on the family.
Founded the Imperial University
Required examinations to become bureaucrat (civil service system)
Soldiers dropped to lowest status.
Confucianists at work; Daoists at home.
The Han tried to replace literature, including Confucius’s writings, lost during the Qin Dynasty. Created new works of literature and music. Scroll painting began during this time. Iron was now used for plows and weapons. Acupuncture was invented. Invented a crude seismic sensing tool, so they could send troops and food to the scene of an earthquake!
Inventions include: paper (105 CE), sternpost rudder on ships, water mill, wheelbarrow, furrowed cultivation
Show map for Silk Road trade. It brought Chinese together into one civilization, creating a common culture. Economically, it brought much wealth to the Han, as they exported much more than they imported.
Wudi’s public schools taught Confucianism. Grand School in capital. In 100 years, 30,000 studied there. 28

29. Yuan Golden Bowl, 13 c
Above is a picture of Suzhou in Jiangsu province showing houses along the Grand Canal.
From north to south, the Grand Canal is over 1,700 kilometers (roughly 1,100 miles) long,
linking Hangzhou in Zhejiang province with Beijing in the north. An extremely important
water project that was first started in the Sui dynasty ( ), it connects several big rivers
and provides an important means of transportation and communication.
With the two pictures below in mind, how do you think the access to rivers and lakes would
have made the lifestyle of people in the south different from that of people in the north? 29

30. Yuan Porcelains & Ceramics
Above is a picture of Suzhou in Jiangsu province showing houses along the Grand Canal.
From north to south, the Grand Canal is over 1,700 kilometers (roughly 1,100 miles) long,
linking Hangzhou in Zhejiang province with Beijing in the north. An extremely important
water project that was first started in the Sui dynasty ( ), it connects several big rivers
and provides an important means of transportation and communication.
With the two pictures below in mind, how do you think the access to rivers and lakes would
have made the lifestyle of people in the south different from that of people in the north? 30

31. The Golden Horde
While fierce, often brutal warriors, they were tolerant rulers.
Absolute rule of the Mongols influenced later Russian rulers.
Mongol rule isolated Russia from advancements in art & science of the Renaissance.

32. The Golden Horde
The grandson of Genghis Khan, Batu Khan, led Mongol armies into Russia and other eastern European territories between 1237 and 1241.
Known as the Golden Horde, they ruled this region for 240 years.
Conquest of Russia,
Established tributary relationship to 15th century
Rule over Crimea to late 18th century
Raids into Poland, Hungary, Germany

33. The Ilkhanate of Persia
Abbasid empire toppled
Baghdad sacked, 1258
200,000 massacred
Expansion into Syria checked by Egyptian forces

34. Mongol Rule in Persia
Nomadic conquerors had to learn to rule sedentary societies
Inexperienced, Lost control of most lands within a century
Persia: dependence on existing administration to deliver tax revenues
Left matters of governance to bureaucracy
Eventually assimilated into Islamic lifestyle

35. Mongol Rule in China Strove to maintain strict separation from Chinese
Intermarriage forbidden
Chinese forbidden to study Mongol language
Imported administrators from other areas (esp. Arabs, Persians)
Yet tolerated religious freedoms

36. The Mongols and Buddhism
Shamanism remains popular
Lamaist school of Buddhism (Tibet) gains strength among Mongols
Large element of magic, similar to shamanism
Ingratiating attitude to Mongols: khans as incarnations of Buddha

37. The Mongols and Western Integration
Experience with long-distance trade
Protection of traveling merchants
Volume of trade across central Asia increases
Diplomatic missions protected
Missionary activity increases
Mongol resettlement policies

38. Decline of the Mongol Empire in Persia
Overspending, poor tax returns from overburdened peasantry
Ilkhan attempts to replace precious metal currency with paper in 1290s
Failure, forced to rescind
Factional fighting
Last Ilkhan dies without heir in 1335, Mongol rule collapses

39. Decline of the Yuan Dynasty in China
Mongols spend bullion that supported paper currency
Public loses confidence in paper money, prices rise
From 1320s, major power struggles
Bubonic plague spreads s
1368 Mongols flee peasant rebellion

40. Surviving Mongol Khanates
Khanate of Chaghatai in central Asia
Continued threat to China
Golden Horde in Caucasus and steppes to mid-16th century
Continued threat to Russia

41. Tamerlane the Conquerer (c. 1336-1405)
Turkish conqueror Timur
Timur the Lame: Tamerlane
United Turkish nomads in Khanate of Chaghatai
His descendants later established the Mughal Empire in India.
Major military campaigns
Built capital in Samarkand

42. Tamerlane’s Empire about 1405 CE (Timurid Dynasty)

43. Tamerlane’s Heirs Poor organization of governing structure
Power struggles divide empire into four
Yet heavily influenced several empires:
Mughal
Safavid
Ottoman

44. The Rise of the Ottoman Empire
The Ottomans were a nomadic Turkish speaking group that had migrated from central Asia into Asia Minor in the 14th c.
At the height of its power it spanned three continents, controlling much of Southeastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
The empire was at the center of interactions between the Eastern and Western worlds for six centuries.

45. The Ottoman Empire
Osman, charismatic leader who dominates part of Anatolia
Declares independence from Saljuq sultan, 1299
Attacks Byzantine empire
Followers known as Osmanlis (Ottomans)

46. Osman I (Othman):

47. Ottoman Conquests 1350s conquests in the Balkans
Local support for Ottoman invasion
Peasants unhappy with fragmented, ineffective Byzantine rule
Tamerlane defeats Ottoman forces in 1402, but Ottomans recover by 1440s

48. The Capture of Constantinople, 1453
Sultan Mehmed II (“Mehmed the Conqueror”)
Renamed city Istanbul, capital of Ottoman empire

49. Mehmet II: 1444-1445; 1451-1481 (“The Conqueror”)

50. The Ottoman Capital -- Istanbul