Study Guide Bulliet, chapter 11 Western Eurasia,

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1 Study Guide Bulliet, chapter 11 Western Eurasia, SCOPE: While China under the Song was prospering economically and undergoing a great age of art and philosophy, a nomadic people in the grasslands beyond the Great Wall began to build a new steppe empire and would soon launch the greatest age of conquest yet seen by mankind. The leader of this process was a man named Temujin, who would come to be known as Chinggis Khan, more commonly rendered as Genghis Khan. This lecture recounts the story of Temujin s rise to power over the Mongols and their dramatic conquest of much of Eurasia in the 13 TH century. The empire Temujin built by the time of his death in 1227 extended from north China to Persia. His sons would extend it even further, from Korea to the Ukraine and from Syria to Vietnam. 1. Stresses of drought in Eurasia around 1000 C.E. 2. Central Asian steppes & nomadism 3. Mongol society Scattered tribes of Mongols a. pastoralists b. kin/clan networks c. blood feuds 4. Mongols and surpluses 5. Mongols (nomads in general) and settled people Slavery was one important relationship. Slaves taken by nomadic groups were valuable both as labor and as currency. Nomadic groups also lived off the tribute from sedentary peoples. Nomads were independent, for they learned to restrict their diet and clothing to what they could produce themselves. However, trade with sedentary groups was important for what nomads could not produce, such as iron, grain, and cotton.

2 Sedentary regions looked to nomads for movement of goods, improvement of animal breeds, and acquisition of leather, meat, cattle, horses, and saddles. a. power and prestige among the Mongols was based on an economy of animal husbandry, supplemented by the spoils of raiding b. a leader had to share out the loot from his military raids with his followers c. peaceful exchange of goods, horses and grain d. violent raids for & 6. Mongol warfare Mongol horses could survive the cold and dry climate in Mongolia. Mongols purposely did not feed or shelter their horses, leaving them to forage for their own food. Natural selection thus ensured that only those able to adapt to the environment would survive. Mongol lighthorsemen were effective against the force of other peoples, and were adept at shooting arrows from running horses. a. speed b. surprise c. flexibility of tactics d. horseback and the composite bow e. opponent and choice (ultimatum surrender and live or resist and die) f. tribute from conquered peoples (e.g., slaves, silk) g. ferocity/rear among rivals and enemies

3 h. They incorporated the defeated armies of their enemies into their own forces, treating them well and, in the process, greatly expanding their military capability 7. Mongol democracy? a. pastoral bands b. federations and alliances c. group camps (quriltai) d. Khans e. councils and ratification f. women in politics 8. Temujin a. Temujin means b. importance of metal c. Temujin son of a minor chieftain who was killed in a blood feud. Family hid out in remote part of grasslands d. Temujin raised by e. Temujin s marriage (and alliances) f. Temujin s reputation as warrior (also personal charisma)

4 g. Temujin and revenge of father (blood feud) His ambition was not only to avenge his father but to unite the Mongol tribes into a great fighting force h. In the 1180s and 1190s, Temujin built up his power base. He used family connections and his own courage and charisma to build an initial set of alliances with tribal leaders i. In 1190, he was made khan, or chief, of one of the tribal groups j. By around 1200, Temujin began to aim to unite all the tribes, but this caused fear and anxiety among some elders k. In 1204, he was deserted by many of his allies, and his hopes seemed to be crushed 9. Temujin seized supreme power in 1204 a. victory from defeat He inflicted a stunning defeat on his enemies, attacking them while they were drunk in celebration of the supposed collapse of his power b. He called a great assembly of the tribes, a quriltai, in 1206, at which he was elected Chinggis Khan, the ruler of all Mongols. c. Temujin ends blood feuds new source of surpluses? 10. Once he achieved unity for the Mongols, he led them into a new age of conquest and expansion a. Once the Mongols were unified under a single leader, they needed a new source of booty and turned to their non Mongol neighbors b. The Mongols began to attack neighboring states and the rich trade routes of Central Asia

5 i. The Xi Xia empire, which lay south of Mongolia and west of the Jin state in northern China, was their first target ii. The Mongols also launched attacks against the city states along the Silk Road, such as Hami, Kashgar, and Samarkand iii. other early Mongol conquests (Middle East (especially ) and 11. In 1227, Temujin died and was succeeded by his son Ögedei, but later, the empire was divided among his grandsons a. On his death, the Mongol armies returned to their homeland to elect a new leader b. In 1229, they chose Ögedei, who ruled until 1241 c. The Mongols renewed their campaigns of conquests, extending them into Russia and Eastern Europe, further into the Middle East, and over greater stretches of north China and Korea d. Mongol attack of central Europe (1241) halted Why? 12. After Ögedei s death, the Mongols could not settle on a new leader, and rival groups fought among themselves a. Eventually, the empire was divided among four of Temujin s grandsons b. Each of Temujin s grandsons took control of a separate khanate i. Batu Khan took over Russia and the Ukraine, giving rise to the Cossacks

6 ii. Hulegu controlled Persia, and his descendants, known as the Ilkhan, would later conquer much of India, where they became known as the Mughals iii. The line of Chagadai ruled over Central Asia, where the greatest of the later Mongols, Tamerlane, would arise in the 15 th century iv. Finally, Khubilai Khan became ruler over the Mongol conquests in East Asia and would complete the conquest of Song China in Mongol expansion was unprecedented and gave rise to some unusual events a. Travelers could go from the eastern Mediterranean all the way to the Pacific in relative safety, under Mongol rule b. When the Mongols invading Persia and the Middle East encountered the Crusades, there was a brief hope among the Europeans for an alliance c. This was based on the myth of Prester John, who was believed to be a Christian ruler of a great empire in Central Asia d. There were, in fact, followers of a form of Christianity known as Nestorianism among the ranks of the Mongols e. the plague f. knowledge between Europe & Middle East g. flow of peoples & cultures 14. Mughal Empire

7 15. Timur 16. Mongols stopped by Mamluks 17. Mamluk rule in ( ) 18. Mongol Rule Genghis Khan and the Mongols devoted significant energies to the expansion of their empire. They combined technological advances in their bows with outstanding horseback ability and innovative military tactics. Peaceful periods following the Mongol wars of conquest allowed for the movement of people, knowledge, and skills across the empire, from Korea to Poland, and Siberia to Burma. The Mongols helped retain their possessions through their tolerance of many religions and their attempts to gain the support of all religious leaders. Rather than fall to extreme Mongol ruthlessness, many rulers submitted peacefully, becoming incorporated into the empire. 19. Advantages of Mongol rule for the West Southern European cities enriched themselves by participating in trade with the Mongol territories. By means of trade, as well as communications through Constantinople, Europe learned of Asian advances in gunpowder and guns, astronomy, mathematics, pharmacology, history, and geography. The threatened Mongol invasion of Europe provoked a period of religious questioning and created new avenues of transmission, including the Black Death. a. diplomatic passports b. gunpowder and high temperature metallurgy c. movable type 20. tax farming Maximizing revenues was the central goal of Mongol leaders, and tax farming was the method devised toward that end. The government sold contracts for tax collecting to small corporations, who bid for the privilege. The highest bidder was responsible for raising revenue.

8 21. Marco Polo ( ), is probably the most famous Westerner traveled on the Silk Road. He excelled all the other travelers in his determination, his writing, and his influence. His journey through Asia lasted 24 years. He reached further than any of his predecessors, beyond Mongolia to China. He became a confidant of Kublai Khan ( ). He traveled the whole of China and returned to tell the tale, which became the greatest travelogue (fueling ambitions to find easier trade routes to Asia) 22. Il Khan 23. Golden Horde 24. Mongol control of Moscow 25. Mongols and Russian Orthodox Church 26. Russian identity & tsarism 27. Mongol control of Russia was overthrown by Ivan III 28. Teutonic Knights as Crusaders among Slavs of northern Europe 29. Alexander Nevskii 30. Ottomans

9 31. Fall of Constantinople 32. Fall of Northern China 33. Fall of the Song Empire The second invasion was much more serious. It was by Mongol armies which had spread out from their central Asian homeland in the previous century to rampage west to central Europe and south into Arabia and India, as well as east into China and Korea. Mongol society was dominated by military aristocrats who owned vast nomadic herds. They were superb horsemen and had the wealth to acquire up to date armour and armaments. The result was a military combination that few armies could withstand. But they had little administrative structure of their own. For this they depended upon the services of peoples they had conquered. In China the Mongol rulers called themselves the Yüan Dynasty and relied upon sections of the old officialdom to run the empire.