SECTION 3THE MONGOL EMPIRE

Chapter 12

Beginning a New Dynasty

Kublai Khan grandson to Genghis 1260 - became the Great Khan Became emperor of China and called his dynasty the

Yuan Dynasty United China for 1st time in 300 years

Opened China up to more foreign contacts Enjoyed living in luxury, built new palace in Beijing,

wanted to leave mark as emperor of China

Failure to Conquer Japan

After China, Kublai Khan tried to get Japan

In 1274 and 1281 sent huge fleets to Japan The 1281 invasion was

the largest in history until WW II

After 53 days of fighting a typhoon hit and sank Mongol ships Called it the kamikaze,

“divine wind”

The Mongols and the Chinese

Mongols lived apart from Chinese, obeyed different laws

High offices went to Mongols or foreigners, no Chinese, but tried to get many local officials as possible

Kublai Khan restored the Grand Canal and extended it 135 miles

Marco Polo at the Mongol Court

Marco Polo – most famous European to visit China (from Venice) served Kublai for 17 years going on government

missions 1292 - Went back to Venice, got captured and

imprisoned where he wrote of his time in China Wrote about the burning of “black stones” in homes Another prisoner put together the stories in book, few

people thought it was true

Yuan Dynasty Overthrown

Kublai Khan dies in 1294

In an 8 year period, four different khans took the throne

In 1368, Chinese rebels overthrew the Mongols

New rulers become the Ming Dynasty

Decline of the Mongol Empire

By the time the Yuan Dynasty fell, most of the Mongol Empire had fallen as well

The Mongols in Persia fell in the 1330s, in Central Asia in the 1370s

Only the Mongol hordes in Russia (the Golden Horde) were still around (fell in 1480)

SECTION 4FEUDAL POWERS IN JAPAN

Chapter 12

The Growth of Japanese Civilization

JapanClose to China = great

Chinese influence on Japan

About 4,000 islandsMost people live on the

4 largest islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu)

Few natural resources, such as coal and oil

Limited farmable land

cont

Not a united country, divided up into clansEach clans believed in own godsBeliefs later got combined into Japan’s

earliest religion called Shinto Main ideas are respect for nature and the worship of

ancestorsYamato clan took over in the 400’s, claimed

related to sun goddess, started to call themselves emperor

Japanese Culture

By 400s, contact between China and Japan grew

Buddhism from China reached JapanJapan adapted Chinese writing systemJapan used China’s government as a modelStill held on to its own traditions

Life in the Heian Period

The Heian period was from 794-1185Heian was the new capital for the imperial

courtArt and good manners formed the center of

their livesBest accounts of Heian society come from the

writings of women of the court Lady Murasaki’s – The Tale of Genji (world’s first

novel)

Feudalism Erodes Imperial Authority

By 11 century the power of central government slipped

Large landowners living away from the capital set up private armies

For protection, farmers gave up some of their land to the lords

This is the start of the feudal system in Japan

Cont

Each lord had a group of trained soldiers called samurais

Samurai followed a strict code of behavior called the Bushido

Cont

After 30 years of fighting, the Minamoto family defeated another powerful clan

The emperor gave a Minamoto member the title of shogun (military dictator)

Emperor remained in power by name

The shogun ran the country

This pattern lasted from 1192 - 1868