T he nomadic tribes in the vast plains north of China became more and more fierce as they raided their southern neighbors. In the 1200s, even as the Crusades in
Europe started and the South American Empires grew, the Mongols succumbed to the authority of a Mongolian leader. He was called Genghis Khan or “universal leader.” Under his leadership, the Mongols united into a powerful army that used brutal tac cs to take control of the Northern half of China. Genghis Khan and his sons and grandsons eventually spread their dominance over all of China, most of Asia, parts of India, the Middle East, Persia, Russia, and Eastern Europe. They made up the Yuan Dynasty, o en referred to as the Mongols, or Mongol Dynasty.
Ruling with fear
Though the Mongols had an en rely different lifestyle, including language, religion, and even clothing, they didn’t force their new subjects to convert. To maintain control of their conquered people, they implemented fear and took slaves from the farthest reaches of their vast empire. Local Mongol leaders controlled designated regions, using armed patrols to keep their foreign subjects in check and maintain peace.
They also enforced harsh taxes on the resen ul Chinese people.
The four social levels within the Yuan Dynasty were structured as a psychological reminder of the people’s resistance to the Mongols. The Khans and their family members towered above the rest, followed by the caste of varying people called the Semu, and then the Han (northern Chinese) who surrendered before the lowest class, the Song people of Southern China. The lower placement within society, cruel treatment, and close proximity of the Chinese to their overlords created and maintained fric on to the very end of Mongolian rule.
Heavy Taxes with Good intentions
When Genghis Khan died in 1227, his grandson Kublai Khan took control and completed the conquests beyond China.
Although the Mongols heavily taxed the Chinese people, that money was reinvested into their land under Kublai Khan. He used taxes and Chinese laborers to extend the reach of the grand canal an essen al transporta on waterway which connected Northern and Southern China. They also built and maintained roads for trade, mail, and messengers, and built palaces. The huge city of Dadu was erected as the Yuan Dynasty capitol on a site near modern
Historical Snapshot A Mongol Close Reading Investigation
Common Core Wri ng 6-8.1, Common Core Literacy 6-8.2,4 & 10
day Beijing. Despite the grandeur of these accomplishments, they did slowly erode away the prosperity of the Yuan Dynasty.
Trade Dominance & Accomplishments
In 1258, the Mongols toppled Baghdad and killed the caliph (Arab leader) ending the Abbasid dynasty. This accomplishment reestablished the silk road trade and seated the Yuan Dynasty as the dominant world traders. The Mongols ordinary goods were considered highly sought a er and valuable to Europe and Africa and vice versa, allowing for peaceful commerce. Traders were highly regarded in Mongol society. Marco Polo was one of the first European traders to come to China and establish a trading rela onship with Genghis Khan. This Italian trader and writer spent years in the Yuan Dynasty court, and wrote about it in his work en tled Book of the Marvels of the World.
In 1273, Kublai Khan issued paper banknotes called Chao. This currency increased trade with the rest of the world, and was much lighter for travelers to carry than the metal coins that had been previously used.
The Yuan’s encouragement of open trade policies with foreign countries lead to many advances in Chinese arts, medicine, astronomy, and math. Foreign experts aided in be ering knowledge of geography, water conserva on, and agriculture prac ces.
Deepening Consciousness
The original religion of the Mongols was Shamanism. They believed that their people were birthed by their ancestors Börte Chono (Blue Wolf) and Goo Maral (Beau ful Doe) on a sacred mountain. Their people prayed facing this place throughout their day. They also held a high regard for the shaman of their tribe, who had the ability to communicate between the spirit and living worlds. This was achieved with a trance-like medita on and various rituals. Furthermore, ancestral leverage was used to make decisions and for mes of trouble. Orally passed stories and scriptures made up the loose moral codes of the
Mongol people.
The Mongols under Kublai Khan didn’t insist on the conversion of their conquered subjects. In the later years of the Yuan Dynasty, many Mongols prac ced Confucianism and Daoism. However, there were widespread conversions of Mongolian people to Buddhism due to the similari es of medita on and consciousness to the tradi onal Mongolian Shamanism.
The yuan dynasty over reaches
Ever seeking more people to conquer, the Yuan Dynasty turned their a en on to their sea bound neighbors. Japan was ripe for the picking in their eyes, and the wealth and power of their armies gave the Khan confidence. But that confidence was quickly washed away. Twice, the Mongols a empted to reach Japan. Both in 1274 and 1281, heavy storms and a strong Japanese defense le a weakened army and no new lands.
The sum of this defeated war power, the disputes between regional Mongolian lords, and the growing unrest of their Chinese subjects le the Yuan Dynasty vulnerable to rebellion. Small but damaging rebellious struggles broke out for years.
In the 1368, a former Chinese monk named Zhu Yuanzhang gathered the rebels into a strong and willing army and swung an overpowering defeat against the Yuan Dynasty. This defeat rendered China free of their former oppressors and the complete destruc on of Mongolian rule. The remaining Mongolians retreated back to their plain home north of China.
Did You Know?
Genghis Khan was buried with his six alive cats so their purr would guide him through the a erlife. In order to preserve the unknown, unmarked loca on of his burial, the slaves that buried him were killed.
Then, the soldiers that killed the slaves were murdered. Folklore also says that a river was
diverted and a stampede of horses was sent over his grave to further hide his loca on! S ll, A
memorial was created at another site to honor his achievements.
Complete the following ques ons by using the reading, Historical Snapshot: A Mongol Close Reading Inves ga on.
1. List the sec on subheading where you can find the following key concepts for social science:
Geography:_________________________________ Social Classes:__________________________________
2. Leadership: Write a por on of text from the Ruling with Fear subheading that foreshadows (suggests future outcome) the downfall of the Yuan Dynasty by the Chinese.
