Introducing 

Prezi AI.

Your new presentation assistant.

Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.

Loading…
Transcript

The Mongol and Ming Empires

Chapter 12

Genghis Khan

Mongols

Genghis Khan

Khan of the Mongols

Nomadic people who lived in the steppes of Central Asia

  • Vast, treeless plains

Under Genghis Khan, they cast an empire stretched from the Pacific ocean to Eastern Europe.

  • In 1190, the leaders of his tribe elected Genghis ‘Khan of the Mongols’
  • He became master of all the tribes of Mongolia (about the size of Alaska) at the age of 40:
  • He molded the different tribes into a single people — building an army, imposing uniform laws, and establishing a written language
  • He allied with his neighbors and built an empire of 13.8 million square miles with more than 100 million people

The Mongols were first mentioned by the Chinese during the Tang dynasty:

  • At first it referred to a small and insignificant tribe whose confederation had been destroyed by the Jurchen and other nomadic attacks
  • After a civil war the Mongols became so fragmented that they no longer had a Khan

In the 13th century it grew into an umbrella term for a large group of tribes united under the rule of Genghis Khan (Mongol Empire).

Genghis Khan (Temüjin) (1167-1227) was born when the steppe was in chaos and he entered tribal politics at the age of 16:

  • He married Borte, aged 14, and later named her empress of the Mongolian Empire

When Temüjin was nine years old, a rival Mongol clan poisoned his father. At the age of 15, Temüjin was taken prisoner. For the rest of his life, he never forgot the humiliation of being locked in a wooden collar and paraded before his enemies.

  • “Universal Ruler”
  • Strict military discipline
  • Highly trained armies
  • Best horsemen in the world
  • Known for fierceness:
  • Massacred entire cities, but also could be very generous
  • Conquered Asian steppe lands with ease

Mongolian Conquests

Mongol Peace

China Under Mongol Rule

Changes

Marco Polo

  • Kublai Khan, Ghengis’ grandson, overthrew the Song Empire
  • Wanted to prevent being absorbed into Chinese tradition:
  • Only Mongols could serve in the military
  • Highest government jobs for Mongols
  • Named his rule the Yuan Dynasty
  • Genghis Khan imposed strict military discipline and demanded absolute loyalty
  • His highly trained, mobile armies had some of the most skilled horsemen in the world
  • Used cannons and other new weapons to attack walled cities; these strategies spread to Europe
  • Italian Merchant who visited China during the Yuan Dynasty
  • Left a vivid account of the wealth and splendor of China
  • His report sparked European interests in riches of Asia

Once conquest was completed, the Mongols were not oppressive rulers. Often, they allowed conquered people to live much as they had before—as long as they regularly paid tribute to the Mongols.

  • 1200-1300s: Pax Mongolica
  • Mongols controlled Silk Road
  • What was the Silk Road?
  • Cultural exchange increased
  • Gunpowder and windmills spread to Europe

Kublai turned Khanbaliq into a Chinese walled city. Kublai rebuilt and extended the Grand Canal to his new capital, which made the shipment of rice and other goods easier. He also welcomed many foreigners to his court, including the African Muslim world traveler Ibn Battuta.

Ming Agriculture

The End of the Yuan

Marco... Polo!

Ming Reasserting Greatness

Ming Art

In 1271, Polo left Venice with his father and uncle. He crossed Persia and Central Asia to reach China. He then spent 17 years in Kublai’s service. Finally, he returned to Venice by sea, visiting Southeast Asia and India along the way.

Reshaping the landscape helped as well. Some farmers cut horizontal steps called terraces into steep hillsides to gain soil in which to grow crops. In the 1500s, new crops reached China from the Americas, especially corn and sweet potatoes.

In the 1330s, rebellions arose in several regions in south and central China. The reasons the Chinese rose against the Mongols were:

  • Institutionalized racism – keeping the Chinese inferior
  • Abandonment of irrigation and water management projects resulting in famine and flooding of the Yellow River

The Mongols were driven back to Mongolia by the founder of the Ming Dynasty.

Finally, Zhu Yuanzhang, a peasant leader, forged a rebel army that toppled the Mongols and pushed them back beyond the Great Wall. In 1368, he founded a new Chinese dynasty, which he called the Ming, meaning brilliant.

  • Revived Confucian learning
  • Repaired canal system
  • Developed new technologies
  • Revival of arts and literature

The Ming Dynasty also saw a revival of arts and literature. Ming artists developed their own styles of landscape painting and created brilliant blue and white porcelain. Ming vases were among the most valuable and popular Chinese products exported to the West.

Zheng He

Starting in 1405, Zheng He commanded the first of seven expeditions. He departed at the head of a fleet of 62 huge ships and over 200 smaller ones, carrying a crew of about 28,000 sailors. The largest ships measured 400 feet long.

Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He explored the coasts of Southeast Asia, India, and the entrances to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. In the wake of these expeditions, Chinese merchants settled in Southeast Asia and India and became a permanent presence in their trading centers.

  • Early Ming rulers proudly sent Chinese fleets into distant waters to show the glory of their government
  • The most extraordinary of these overseas ventures were the voyages of the Chinese admiral and diplomat Zheng He
  • Goal was to promote trade
  • Explored Southeast Asia and India
Learn more about creating dynamic, engaging presentations with Prezi