The Mongol Years

The Mongol conquests of the 13th and 14th

• The Mongol period was short-lived

• Had massive impact on Asian and European societies

Views on the MongolsTraditional view: Bloodthirsty barbarians

Revisionist view: Tolerant and wise rulers who facilitated cultural exchange

Mongol conquest of China• By 1220 Mongols led by Genghis Khan controlled

northern China• Genghis’ grandson, Kublai completed the

conquest of China 1260• Maintained Chinese governmental and cultural

institutions• Incorporate a variety of foreign administrators

into the bureaucracy in deliberate attempt open society to diverse influences

• Mongol rule brought economic benefits by regenerating the Silk Road

Mongol conquest branched out of China

• Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad conquered in 1258, Mongol khanate dominated the eastern Middle East

• Russia conquered in 1240 , Mongol rule until 1480

• By end of 13th century, a system of interlocking khanates ruled an unprecedentedly large territory

Effects of Mongol conquests• Ease and frequency of long-

distance overland travel for both commercial and economic goals

• Openness amplified exchanges of knowledge that would eventually bring Western Europe out of the Dark Ages and on to world domination

• The Black Death killed 1/3 of the population in Eurasia

The decline of Mongol rule• Two failed invasions of Japan (1274, 1281) suggested

limits to Mongol capabilities• Chinese ousted the Mongols in 1368, established the

Ming dynasty• Russians establish independence in 1480 with new

capital in Moscow• Legacy of Mongol rule in China and Russia is

isolationism and expansionism respectively• Aftermath: New political barriers suppress overland

travel, spur maritime alternatives

Mongol impact on major societies

• China: confirmed their importance in manufacturing, deepened hostility toward foreigners

• Russia: turned aggressive expansionists• Japan: created a sense of superiority• Western Europe: spared from Mongol

invasions, benefited highly from technological exchange

Interregional contacts under the Mongols would endureThe question at the end of the 14th century was not whether world contacts would recede, but rather what system, with what routes and under whose sponsorship, would replace the Mongol system?