Mongol Expansion and Conquest of China

Mongol Expansion

• The Mongols developed skills crucial for nomadic life, including horsemanship and combat.
• Genghis Khan unified Mongol clans, establishing a new legal code.
• His conquests extended to various civilizations beyond the steppes.
• After Genghis Khan, the empire was divided into khanates, with Kublai Khan controlling the eastern part focused on controlling China.
• The Mongols' conquests significantly impacted the lands they conquered.
• They fostered trade and cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe, introducing gunpowder technology from China.
• Mongols generally tolerated different cultures and religions, even adopting some aspects of conquered societies.

Mongol Conquest of China

• Kublai Khan established his capital in Khanbaliq (present-day Beijing).
• Kublai Khan ended the Song Dynasty, establishing the Yuan Dynasty in China.
• The Mongols governed with their unique laws and customs, often separating themselves from the Chinese populace.
• The Yuan Dynasty did not rely on the traditional Chinese civil service examinations for government positions.
• China experienced a period of wealth and power under the Mongol rule (Yuan Dynasty).
• Marco Polo, a Venetian traveller, spent time in Khanbaliq during Kublai Khan's rule, witnessing and recording the empire's grandeur and trade.
• The Yuan Dynasty promoted maritime trade, leading to increased interactions and knowledge exchanges.
• The Mongol empire facilitated interaction with other cultures and civilizations, including the introduction of European, Middle Eastern, and South Asian merchants to China and China's innovation and technology throughout Eurasia.
• The Mongols employed Koreans to build naval vessels.
• Quanzhou was a significant port city in that era, supported by previous Chinese dynasties, and it continued to thrive under the Yuan