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12.2
The Mongol Conquests
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The Mongolian conquests forever changed
Asia and Europe.
While the Song dynasty prospered,
Northern China also prospered.
They were nomads in the ‘Asian Steppe’.
Asian Steppes –
Belt of dry grassland
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Western Steppe
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Central Asia to Europe
Home of the Hittites
and the Aryans.
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Eastern Steppe
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Mongolia (Northern
China)
Home of the Huns,
Turks, and Mongols
Asian Steppe
Dry grassland
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Very little rainfall
Dry, windy
Winter weather is -57 degrees and 96
degrees during the summer
Tribes typically migrated westward and
southward to have access to better
rainfall.
Boundaries
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Never any clear boundaries.
The boundaries usually lay where the
Chinese began cultivating fields.
The Chinese kept pushing the boundaries
northward to extend field cultivation.
Nomads
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The people of the Eastern Steppe were
pastoralists – they herded animals.
They were constantly on the move,
searching for good pasture to feed their
herds.
These nomads followed a seasonal pattern
and returned on a regular basis to the
same campsites.
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Battles frequently rose between nomadic
groups over grassland and water rights.
Since they were herders, they depended
on the animals for food, clothing, and
housing.
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Clothing made of skins and wool
Lived in portable tents called, yurts.
Their diet consisted of meat and milk.
Mongolian Yurts
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They lived together as clans.
Usually, everyone within the same clan are
related.
Sometimes different clans banded
together to attack or raid nearby
campsites.
Over time, nearby settlements lived in
constant danger of raids.
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The Chinese built and rebuilt the ‘Great
Wall’ to keep these nomadic tribes out.
Genghis Khan
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Khan is the name for clan leader.
Temujin wanted to unify the clans under
his leadership.
He defeated his rivals one by one.
In the year 1201, he changed his name to
Genghis Khan, which means “Universal
Ruler” of the Mongol clans.
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Genghis launched a campaign of terror
across Asia.
Over the next 21 years, Genghis led the
Mongols in conquering Asia.
The Mongols destroyed one city after
another and slaughtered many people.
By 1221, Central Asia was under
Mongolian control.
Genghis Khan
Genghis Quote
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“Man’s greatest good fortune is to chase
and defeat his enemy, seize his total
possessions, leave his married women
weeping and wailing, and ride his horse…”
Genghis the conqueror
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Extremely organized
Gifted military strategist
Used new technology
Extremely cruel
Organizer
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Grouped his warriors in armies of 10.000
men
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The armies were organized into 1,000 man
brigades.
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These were organized into 100 man companies.
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These were organized into 10 man platoons.
Strategist
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Sent in a small cavalry unit to attack, and
then pretend to gallop away in flight.
The enemy usually chased the small
cavalry unit.
The cavalry unit would led them to the
rest of the Mongolian army.
The Mongolian army would slaughter the
enemy forces.
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Another strategy was to make the Mongol
army seem bigger than it really was.
He did this my dressing up prisoners or
lifelike dummies as Mongol warriors.
Genghis also used spies to find out enemy
weaknesses.
Weapons
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Genghis adopted new weapons and
technologies used by his enemies.
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Captured Chinese engineers to build catapults
and create gunpowder charges.
Then he used those weapons to conquer
Chinese cities.
Cruelty
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Genghis Khan used cruelty as a weapon.
He believed in terrifying his enemy into
surrender.
If a city refused to open its gates to him,
he might kill the entire population when
he finally captured the place.
The stories of their terror spread quickly
so that many towns surrendered without a
fight.
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One historian wrote,
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“In the countries that have not yet been
overrun by them, everyone spends the night
afraid that they may appear there too.”
Genghis Khan died in 1227 from an illness.
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People suspect it was pneumonia, but no one
is certain.
His burial site is unknown.
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His successors continued to expand the
empire.
In less than 50 years after his death, the
Mongols conquered territory from China to
Poland.
It became the largest, unified land empire
in history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UnHC
M6Zw8E&feature=related
Mongolian Empire
Ogadai (Genghis’ son)
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Led the Mongol empire after Genghis’
death.
Conquered Northern China and Korea.
Took the Russian city of Kiev, and reached
the banks of the Adriatic Sea.
They almost took Venice and Vienna, but
Ogadai died in 1241.
Empire divides into 4 Khanates
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Each khanate was ruled by a descendant
of Genghis Khan.
Khanate of the Great Khan (Mongolia and
China)
Khanate of Chagatai (Central Asia)
Ilkhanate (Persia)
Khanate of the Golden Horde (Russia)
Kublai Khan, a grandson of Genghis,
named himself the Great Khan in 1260.
The 4 Khanates
Golden Horde
Great Khanate
Chagatai
Ilkhanate
Kublai Kahn
Mongols as rulers
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Many of the destroyed cities were unable
to rebuild due to the damage.
The Mongols destroyed ancient irrigation
systems in the Tigris and Euphrates rive
valleys.
Over time, some Mongol rulers adopted
culture of the people they conquered.
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Some became Muslim
Some made use of the Chinese institutions
Peace
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From 1200-1300, the Mongols imposed
stability and law across Eurasia.
Guaranteed safe passage of trade
caravans, travelers, and missionaries from
one empire to another.
Trade Flourished
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Ideas and inventions traveled along with
trade goods.
Gunpowder reached Europe
Disease spread – some historians argue
that the bubonic plague spread during this
time. (also known as the Black Death)
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1. Historically, peoples have tended to move west and south across the steppe mainly
for reasons having to do with
terrain
climate
waterways
technology
_______ 2. A pastoralist makes a living by
fighting
growing food
trading goods
herding animals
______ 3. Membership in a Mongol clan was determined by the members’ claim of a common
khanate
religion
ancestor
way of life
______ 4. Immediately following the death of Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire was
weakened by foreign invasions
peacefully divided into four khanates
fragmented by conflict among rival khans
expanded into other areas of Asia by his son, Ogadai
______ 5. All of the following modern-day states were once part of the Mongol Empire
EXCEPT
India
Russia
South Korea
North Korea
_____
Assignment
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On the bottom of your note sheet, create an
obituary for Genghis Kahn- include his
accomplishments, and what you think he will
most remembered for.
Use your book for information about Genghis
Kahn.
An obituary is what the newspaper publishes
about a person when they pass away- a general
description of their life and successes.