Geography

Timeline
Rise
● In 1206 CE, Genghis Khan united the Mongolia tribes.
● They conquered northern China
● Genghis later expanded the empire by conquering most
of Asia and parts of Europe
Fall
● Kublai Khan dies at 1294 CE
● Yuan Dynasty became weak
● The Chinese Rebellion
● The Golden Horde was affected by the Black Death. Khanates fragment
● The Mongols retreated back and disappeared
Social Structure
Yassa
● The Yassa aimed at three things:
obedience to Genghis Khan, a binding
together of the nomad clans, and the
merciless punishment of wrong-doing.
The Khanates
- 4 Khanates
- The Great Khan
- The Golden Horde
- The Changatai Khanate
- The Ilkhanate
Cities

Sarai Baghdad
Karakurum
Belief System

● The mongols were non-religious.

● There were Taoist, Buddhist, Muslims,
Christians and Jews in the empire.
● Religious tolerance
Economy

● The Mongols traded silken rope, cushions, blankets, robes, rugs, wall hangings,
porcelain, iron kettles, armor, perfumes, jewelry, wine, honey, medicines, bronze, silver,
gold, gunpowder, coal, and other precious goods.
● Kublai Khan advocated the use of paper money as a means of payment.
● The Mongol Empire created the Pax Mongolica or Mongol Peace this was extremely
helpful in the endeavor for peace.
● Yam was a postal relay system developed by the Mongols.
Yam Route
Language

● Before 1204 CE, the Mongols had no written language.

● Everything was passed down orally.
● Mongolian is in the Altaic language family named for the Altai Mountains
● Shares a large amount of similarities with the Turkish language.
Mongol Language
Black Death

● Mongol’s conquest
● Plague in Europe between 1300-1400
● Huge population decrease
Khanbalik

● Genghis’s Invasion
● The Rebuit
● Capital of the new Yuan Dynasty and
given it the name of Dadu (Great
Capital).
Effects on China

● Autocracy
● Totalitarian
Effects on Russia

● Khanates fragment
● Break into small states
Yam

● Preserved in Russia
● Yam Courier Services
Repairing the Silk Road

● From China to Europe

● Pax Mongolica
● Marco Polo
Marco Polo ● Three and a half years to Mongol
Empire
● Kublai Khan appointed high
positions
● Sent on missions (Burma, India,
etc.)
● Stayed for 17 years
● Convinced the Khan to let him
leave
● Head back to Europe
● Rich
● War between Venice and Genoa
● Got captured
● Meet a writer in prison
● Rustichello of Pisa
● Wrote a book
● Travels of Marco Polo
● Learned Chinese way of life
● Inspired travellers
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