The Mongols

SWBAT:

understand who the Mongols were and follow the path of the Mongols as they

conquered settled societies across much of Asia.

Focus: You will receive 16.5 1 page reading of the Mongol Empire. You are to

read this and be ready for discussion

Who were they?

Nomadic people north of China

Skilled on Horseback

Fierce fighters

Courageous

Ruthless

Where did they live?

The SteppeOpen grassland

They were pastoralists – they herded animals

Clans develop – they usually shared a common ancestor

Genghis Khan

He defeated his clan’s rivals one by oneHe unified the clans under his controlNext 21 years – conquered much of Asia4 reasons why he was so successful

Brilliant OrganizerExcellent StrategistUsed latest weaponryUsed cruelty and terror tactics

Died of illness in about 1227

The Empire

His sons continued to expand his empire (see page 298 in the book)

By 1260, the empire was divided into 4 parts ruled by descendents

A Mongol Peace lasted from 1250-1350

Kublai Khan’s Empire

Genghis’s grandson

He ruled over all of China

Founded the Yuan Dynasty that lasted until 1368

Pushed foreign contacts and trade with Europe

He was emperor of China and lived richly

Failure to Conquer Japan

Tried twice to invade Japan in 1274 and again 1281

The first time failed

The second time – sent a fleet of 150,000 warriors that was destroyed by a typhoon

The Japanese called it kamikaze, or “Divine Wind”

Governing China

Mongol rulers kept the highest positions but gave the Chinese local positions that were carefully watched

Kublai Khan supported foreign trade which exported porcelain, printing, gunpowder, and silk

End of Mongol Rule

The empire started to fail with a series of military defeats that were costly in men and money

There was a lot of resentment among the Chinese peasants over the wealth of the Mongol leaders

Who is Marco Polo?

Polo was an Italian trader that worked for Kublai Khan for 17 years

Polo had most of his stories gathered into a book which shared for the first time what life was like in China

Europe did not believe that China was the most advanced civilization of the time

The Mongol Empire ActivityYou will receive a 2 sided reading about the Mongols. This gives you much information about them.Activity: You have the choice of one of two activities.

Choice 1: You can create a flow map of 5-6 points of Mongol rule and major eventsChoice 2: You are to create a bubble map of 5-6 main points, people, or events that describe the Mongols, who they are, and their empire

Ticket to Leave

Answer the following questionWhat characteristics of Mongol culture do you think contributed to their military success?  Explain