• To ensure stability, Genghis Khan used the three ties that held these nomadic warriors together: marriage, sworn brotherhood and friendship. • Genghis Khan began a military campaign that saw him control a major section of the trading route, the Silk Road and gave his army direct access to China. 10.6 How did the Mongols conquer the world? • The Mongol tribes made up a mighty army of tough and disciplined horsemen. • Genghis Khan successfully invaded China in 1211. • Mongol soldiers were equipped with a variety of weapons, such as lances, bows, swords and daggers, as well as a shield, helmet and armour made of leather and iron. • Their horses were stout and hardy animals who could survive bitter winters and each soldier had five, which meant that they could travel long distances rapidly. • Genghis Khan reorganised the army, increasing its strict discipline and creating tightly drilled units. This strict code of discipline was written onto a scroll called the Yassa. • The Mongols moved across western Asia, defeating all who resisted, beginning with northern China and moving west. • When Genghis Khan died in 1227 his empire was divided between four of his sons and grandsons. • Kublai Khan advanced further into southern China, defeating the Song. • In 1276, the final victory was complete. The Mongol Empire stretched from the Arctic Ocean to the Persian Gulf and from Hungary to Korea. 10.7 What was China like under Mongol rule? • When he became emperor of China, Kublai Khan named his new dynasty Yuan, meaning ‘creative force’. • He established the capital in what is now Beijing and established a government that blended Mongol and Chinese traditions. • He appointed a General Secretariat to enforce his laws and ensure efficient government. • He worked hard at rebuilding China after the decades of war and conquest and he rebuilt trade connections out of China. • He encouraged the printing of books and the spread of knowledge. • Kublai Khan built himself a magnificent palace on the site of the ancient city of Chung-tu, and a summer palace in Mongolia in Xanadu. • In 1260, two Italian brothers travelled from Venice and took the long and dangerous journey along the Silk Road to China. • The brothers were welcomed at the court of Kublai Khan and eventually returned home as ambassadors for the Yuan dynasty. • In 1271, the Polo brothers returned, this time with Nicolo’s son Marco. • Marco spent the next 17 or so years of his life as the khan’s trusted advisor and ambassador, travelling around the Yuan Empire on the khan’s business. • When he eventually returned to Europe, he joined the Venetian navy. During a skirmish with the Genoese he was taken prisoner and it was here that he told the tale of his travels to the writer Rusticello of Pisa, who went on to write The Travels of Marco Polo . • Many people questioned the truth of Marco’s stories but he stuck by them, inspiring many others to follow in his footsteps in later years. 10.8 What was the Yuan court like? • Kublai Khan’s wife and mother both influenced him in accepting the Chinese belief system in order to rule over the 100 million people of Yuan China. • His court became a place where scholars and religious leaders debated matters and ideas, and where art and culture flourished. • The three main religions in the Song dynasty were Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism; these were all tolerated in the Mongol court.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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