Mongol Empire (13th century history or Chinggis khan period)

Chinggis Khaan (1206–1227)

Temujin, who was a son of Yosuhei and descendant of the Mongol Khabul Khaan was born in 1162, after Tatar tribe captive. This child was became the greatest of all Mongolians, know to the world as Chinggis khaan. At the age of 20, he has emerged from a power struggle to become the leader of the Borjigon Mongol clan, and later managed to unite most of the Mongol tribe. In 1206 Chinggis Khaan was proclaimed the Great Khaan of all Mongols. It is the largest contiguous empire in the history of the world. It is often identified as the "Mongol World Empire" because it spanned much of Eurasia. Chinggis Khaan achieved his vision of forging a Mongol world empire, a legacy which he passed to his sons and grandsons, who further enlarged it to form different khanates extending from Mongolia and China: the Golden Horde in Russia, the Tsagadai (Chaghatai) khanate in Central Asia, the Ilkhanate in Persia. Ugudei Khaan proclaimed second Great Khaan and his forces stormed into Europe to Poland and Hungary and were poised to attack Vienna in 1241 when Ugudei khaan died and the Mongols turned and rode back home: the succession then passed to Ugudei’s son Guyug. By the end of the 13th century the Mongol Empire was the largest land empire in history, stretching at its greatest extent from central Europe to China and Korea, and from Russia to Iran and Vietnam. In 1293 there was an unsuccessful attack on the island of Java in Indonesia, where the tropical climate proved to be the Mongols’ undoing. During the reign of Khubilai Khaan, there were periods of peace and prosperity in the territory of present day Mongolia and mainland China, when the arts and culture flourished. After Khubilai, Yuan dynasty in China was weakened by internal struggles and the Mongol Empire in China faded and declined. In 1368 a peasant uprising spawned the Chinese Ming dynasty which replaced to Mongol Ming dynasty. The power of the Mongol Empire declined as suddenly as it began, and most of the Mongols returned to the steppes.

Ugedei Khaan (1186-1241)

He was the third son of Chinggis Khaan and second Great Khaan of Mongol Empire by succeeding his father. Ugudei began his rule aiming to live up to his mandate as ruler of the world. In earnest he began drafting conquered people into his armies. During Ugudei's twelve years of reign (1229-1241), the Mongols dramatically increased the territories under their control, moving from Central Asia into Russia in the 1230s and absorbing much of Russian territory. They also occupied Georgia and Armenia, and by 1234 they had destroyed the Jin dynasty of North China and occupied all of China north of the Yangtze River. From 1235-1238 Ugudei constructed a series of palaces and pavilions at stopping places in his annual nomadic route through central Mongolia. The construction of the city, Karakorum, was finished in 1235, assigning different quarters to Islamic and North Chinese craftsmen, who competed to win Ugudei's favor. Earthen walls with 4 gates surrounded a city. Attached were private apartments, while in front of stood a giant stone tortoise bearing an engraved pillar. Persian historian Rashid al-Din portrays Ugudei as an easy-going, fun-loving, and bibulous ruler whose policies were supportive of trade, merchants, and crafts. Among other accomplishments, Ugudei is credited with:

• building the first Mongol capital city at KaraKorum

• devising the first regular and orderly system of taxation in the newly subjugated territories

• recruiting Muslims to assist in the financial administration of the empire

Hubilai Khaan (1215-1294)

Hubilai was the fifth Great Khaan of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294 and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China. Hubilai Khaan was an important transitional figure in Mongol history, in particular because he sought to rule — and not merely conquer — the vast domains that the Mongols had subjugated. He claimed the title of Khagan of the Mongol Empire in 1260 after the death of his older brother Munkh in the previous year, though his younger brother Arig Bukh was also given this title in the Mongolian capital at Karakorum. He eventually won the battle against Arig Bokh in 1264. His realm reached from the Pacific to the Urals, from Siberia to Afghanistan – one fifth of the world's inhabited land area. In 1271, Hubilai established the Yuan Dynasty, which at that time ruled over present day Mongolia, Tibet, Eastern Turkestan, North China, much of Western China, and some adjacent areas, and assumed the role of Emperor of China. Among other things, Hubilai Khaan:

• established an administration to govern China

• supported agriculture, trade, and crafts

• Patronized painting, the decorative arts, and theater

• provided funds and support for Buddhist monasteries, Confucian scholarship, Islamic mosques, and Nestorian Christian churches

Great Mongolian Empire