From Chinggis Khan to Timur

AP World History

Chapter 14: The Last Great Nomadic Challenges:

Mr. Soff
From Chinggis Khan to Timur

The Mongol Empire of Chiggis Khan:

Mongols were typical nomads: living off of their herds and trade, organized around the tribe, forming short-lived confederations, electing leaders, and valuing warrior virtues.
Kabul Khan, in the early 1100s defeated a Chinese Qin army. His grandson, Temujin emerged from Kabul Khan’s fragmented dominions. A kuriltai –or meeting of Mongol leaders—convened in 1206. Temujin was chosen khagan—supreme ruler—as Chinggis Khan, in 1206.
The Mongol army relied on mounted archers. Chinggis Khan brought unity and organization, creating tumens of 10,000 warriors. Scouting parties and messengers allowed the khan to hold together large areas, as did swift punishment for disloyalty. Information gathering supplied Chinggis Khan with maps that facilitated his conquests.
Chinggis Khan’s ambition led him to attack the northern Chinese Xi Xia kingdom, then the Jin Empire of the Jurchens.
The Mongolian Kara Khitai Empire was next conquered by Chinggis Khan’s forces. Subsequently, the Mongols defeated Muhammad Shah’s Khwarazm Empire. By the time of Chinggis Khan’s death in 1227, the Mongol Empire extended from Persia to the North China Sea.
Chinggis Khan, although capable of great brutality, patronized artists and intellectuals in the realms he conquered. At his capital at Karakorum, he gathered the greatest thinkers from China and from Muslim lands. The Mongol imperium meant lasting peace for much of Asia. Merchants in particular profited from this calm.
Following the death of Chinggis Khan, his empire was divided by his sons and his grandson Batu. The kuriltai then chose Ogedai as the next great Khan. Ogedai extended the empire to the east and north.

The Mongol Drive to the West:

The Khanate of the Golden Horde was one of the four divisions of Chinggis Khan’s empire. The goal of the Golden Horde was the conquest of Europe. Division in Russia made it vulnerable to Mongol aggression. By 1240, only Novgorod had avoided conquest.
Mongol rule was demanding, but also extended religious and cultural toleration. Moscow profited by Mongol rule to rebuild and to strengthen its hegemony. Mongol rule of Russia had a negative impact, but only minor cultural legacy. Its greatest impact was in changing the direction of Russian history, leading its rulers to consolidate their power, and temporarily cutting Russia off from Western Europe.
Early news of the Mongols led Europeans to equate Chinggis Khan with the mythical Christian king, Prester John. Even the news of the defeat of Russia failed to alarm the western Europeans. King Bela of Hungary contemptuously rejected Mongol demands, only to be defeated in 1240. The Mongols then raided further north in Eastern Europe before withdrawing.
Hulegu, one of Chinggis Khan’s successors, captured Baghdad in 1258. The impact on the Islamic heartland was enormous. Berke Khan threatened Hulegu’s domains from the north. Finally, the Mongols defeat at the hands of the Mamluks under Baibars stopped Hulegu’s push to the west.

The Mongol Interlude in Chinese History:

The Mongols under Kubilai Khan (Chinggis’ grandson) continued their assault on China, having already conquered the Xi Xia and Jin empires. Kubilai took the title of great Khan and the dynasty he founded was known as the Yuan. Under his rule, Mongol and Chinese cultures were kept separate, and intermarriage was forbidden. The Mongol elite ruled the ethnic Chinese. However, Kubilai Khan’s capital at Tatu followed Chinese precedents, as did court ritual.
Mongol women kept the freer roles to which they were accustomed. Kubilai’s wife Chabi played an influential part in his government.
Kubilai and Chabi patronized the arts and intellectuals, especially Persians and Turks. Travelers from many areas arrived at their court, including Marco Polo.
Kubilai was more effective in his efforts to keep Mongols and ethnic Chinese separate than he was in encouraging his people to adapt to Chinese ways. Chinese resentment of the invaders was exacerbated by Mongol support for artisans and merchants, upsetting the traditional order. The Yuan dynasty saw a revival of urban life and high culture. Kubilai Khan had plans, never fully realized, to lighten the tax burden on peasants and establish a system of village schools.
The Yuan dynasty was short-lived, and lost most of its vigor at the death of Kubilai Khan. His successors’ abuses heightened hostility towards the Mongols. Crime became widespread and secret sects—the White Lotus Society is an example—found large followings. Order was restored under the leadership of Ju Yuanzhang, a commoner, who founded the Ming dynasty.
The brief rule of Timur-I Lang again destabilized central Asia. From Samarkand, the Turkish leader conquered Persia, much of the Middle East, India, and southern Russia. Although Timur himself was cultured, his legacy was one of brutal destruction.

Key People and Terms:
1. Chinggis Khan (Temujin):

2. kuriltai:

3. khagan:

4. tumens:

5. Karakorum:

6. Batu:

7. Ogedei:

8. Golden Horde:

9. khanates:

10. Battle of Kulikova:

11. Prester John:

12. Baibars:

13. Berke:

14. Kubilai Khan:

15. Dadu:

16. Chabi:

17. White Lotus Society:

18. Timur-I Lang:

Focus Questions:
1. In most ways, the Mongols epitomized what type of society and culture?

2. How were Mongol leaders chosen?

3. The first campaigns of Chinggis Khan were directed against which kingdom(s).

4. What tactic on the battlefield was most often used by Chinggis Khan’s forces?

5. What was the religious policy of the Mongol empire under Chinggis Khan?

6. What were some positive aspects of Chinggis Khan’s imperial rule?

7. Following Chinggis Khan’s death, how was the empire politically administered?

8. What was the political organization of Russia at the time of the Mongol invasion?

9. What was the social impact of the Mongol conquest of Russia?

10. What was the most significant impact of the period of Mongol rule on Russia?

11. Why didn’t the Mongols pursue the conquest of Western Europe?

12. What significant impact did the Mongol conquests have on the Islamic heartland?

13. Describe the Yuan social order in China under Kubilai Khan.

14. What was the status of Mongolian women during the Yuan dynasty?

15. Which two “low-status” groups under the Confucian system benefitted under the Yuan?

16. What caused a decline in the military reputation of the Yuan dynasty?

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From Chinggis Khan to Timur

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