Chapter 12 - The Mongols

     The Mongols, a group of nomads in northern Eurasia, were founded by Genghis Khan (known as Temujin) in 1206. Women could rule in the Mongol empire, and different religions were embraced. The Mongols conquered the Tanggut, Jin and parts of Iran under Genghis Khan's rule. His son, Ogodei, took over most of China, his grandson Batu took Russia, and his grandson Guyuk executed the last Abbasid caliph.
     The Yuan empire was formed by Kublai Khan, Genghis' grandson. They destroyed the Song and all of Vietnam due to their military might. They used mounted archers, armies on foot, and flaming projectiles to conquer almost all of Asia within a few decades.
     Marco Polo, on his expedition from Italy, brought more trade between the east and the west. Unfortunately, this trade included diseases - the plague, typhus, influenza and smallpox traveled the trade routes through Eurasia in the 1200's.
     The Ilkhan state was formed by Hulegu, Genghis' grandson, in Persia, and the Batu, another grandson, founded the Golden Horde in what is now Russia. Batu adopted Islam and the Turkish language. Islam conflicted with Mongol ideals, but the philosopher Ghazan converted the empire after showing Islam's advantages. The Ilkhan's poor economy allowed the Golden Horde to become powerful. Timur, a ruler of the Jagadi Khanate (a Khanate is just an empire started by the descendants of Genghis Khan), took over Iran and began to expand his empire, bringing Islam to new areas in Asia along with contributing significantly to mathematics (thinking up decimals and the concept of pi).
     Alexander Nevskii, the ruler of Russia, joined the Mongols in fighting the Teutonic Knights, a group that wanted to Christianize the Slavic people.The Mongols turned on their allies and devastated Russia, but the Russian culture survived. The decline of the Golden Horde moved power away from Kiev and into Novgorod and Moscow. It also paved the way for the rise of the czars, the new rulers of Russia. Ivan III was the first czar, tasking control in 1462.
     The Khans reunited China, making Beijing the capital and putting the Mongols on the top of the class system. They systematized the government and allowed trade routes to grow. Internal problems (mainly rebellions) caused their fall to the Ming in 1368.
     Hongwu, the first Ming emperor, made many anti-Mongol policies that were later reversed by other rulers. Yongle, his successor, reestablished trade and sent explorers to the Middle East by sea. He reestablished Confucian policies and changed the governmental system.
     The invasion of the Mongols devastated Korea. The Yi dynasty took over when the Mongols moved on to Japan. In Japan, the Mongols ended the Kamakura Shogunate and allowed the rise of the Ashikaga (which the Onin War nearly destroyed). The warring state of Annam avoided the Mongols' conquering, and went on to take over the Champa and institute their own Confucian practices.