This lesson explains how the Mongols conquered China and established the Yuan dynasty. It also explores why China was valuable to Mongol rulers and how they adapted existing Chinese institutions.
By the early fourteenth century, the Mongols controlled a vast empire stretching across Eurasia. Their campaigns into northern China began in 1212–1213, devastating many cities. The conquest of southern China was completed later under Kublai Khan, a grandson of Chinggis Khan.
All flashcards
Who was Kublai Khan?
A grandson of Chinggis Khan who completed the Mongol conquest of China, founded Yuan rule, and became the first non-Chinese ruler of all China.
What was the Mandate of Heaven?
A Chinese political philosophy that held that a ruler's authority came from divine approval. Yuan rulers used familiar Chinese traditions such as this to support their legitimacy.
Why was China valuable to the Mongols?
China had productive farmland, a sophisticated bureaucracy, and a strategic position at the eastern end of the Silk Roads.
How did the Yuan government staff its highest offices?
It favored Mongols and other non-Chinese outsiders in prestigious and lucrative posts, although some Chinese officials continued to serve locally.
What supported commercial life in Yuan China?
Policies favorable to trade, safer routes, and the expanded circulation of paper money encouraged commerce and drew foreign merchants.
Quiz questions
What was the significance of the Mamluk victory at Ain Jalut in 1260?Answer: It halted Mongol southwestward expansion into the Levant.
What effect did Mahmud Ghazan's conversion to Islam in 1295 help bring about?Answer: Closer ties between Mongol rulers and Muslim subjects.
Which sequence gives the Yuan's four broad social ranks from highest to lowest?Answer: Mongols, Semu ren, northern Han Chinese, southern Chinese.
What electoral arrangement did the Golden Bull of 1356 specify for the Holy Roman Empire?Answer: Seven electors, including four secular rulers and three archbishops, chose the emperor.
What dispute helped trigger the Hundred Years' War?Answer: Edward III's claim to the French crown and English claims to French lands.
Based on World History Volume 1, to 1500 by Ann Kordas, Ryan J. Lynch, Brooke Nelson, Julie Tatlock (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.