Mongol and Ming Empires

1
Mongol and Ming Empires

• Presentation created by Robert L. Martinez
• Primary Content Source Prentice Hall World
  History
• Images as cited.

home.swipnet.se
2
The Mongols were a nomadic people who grazed
their horses and sheep on the steppes of Central
Asia. Rival Mongol clans spent much of their time
warring with one another.
islam-watch.org
3
In the early 1200s, a brilliant Mongol chieftain
united these warring tribes. This chieftain took
the name Genghis Khan, meaning World Emperor.
Under his leadership, Mongol forces triumphantly
conquered a vast empire that stretched from the
Pacific Ocean in Eastern Europe.
dailymail.co.uk
4
Genghis Khan imposed strict military discipline
and demanded absolute loyalty. His highly
trained, mobile armies had some of the most
skilled horsemen in the world.
guardian.co.uk
5
Mongol armies conquered the Asian steppe lands
with some ease, but as they turned on China, they
faced the problem of attacking walled cities.
yuhnchinablog.blogspot.com
6
Chinese and Turkish military experts taught them
to use cannons and other new weapons. The Mongols
and Chinese launched missiles against each other
from metal tubes filled with gunpowder. This use
of cannons in warfare would soon spread westward
in Europe.
twcenter.net
7
Genghis Khan did not live to complete the
conquest of China. His heirs expanded the Mongol
empire. For the next 150 years, they dominated
much of Asia. Their furious assaults toppled
empires and spread destruction from southern
Russia through Muslim lands in the Middle East to
China.
dipity.com
8
In China, the Mongols devastated the flourishing
province of Sichuan and annihilated its great
capital city of Chengdu.
chinahighlights.com
9
Once conquest was completed, the Mongols were not
oppressive rulers. Often, they allowed conquered
people to live much as they had before, as long
as they regularly paid tribute to the Mongols.
chinadvisers.com
10
Genghis Khan had set an example for his
successors by ruling conquered lands with
toleration and justice. Although the Mongol
warrior had no use for city life, he respected
scholars, artists, and artisans. He listened to
the ideas of Confucians, Buddhists, Christians,
Muslims, and Jews.
cinelover.tumblr.com
11
In the 1200s and 1300s, the heirs of Khan,
established peace and order within their domain.
This period is referred to as the Pax Mongolica,
or Mongol Peace.
en.wikipedia.org
12
Political stability set the stage for economic
growth. Under the protection of the Mongols, who
now controlled the great Silk Road, trade
flourished across Eurasia.
jmccrackenworld.com
13
Cultural exchanges increased as foods, tools,
inventions, and ideas spread along the protected
trade routes. From China, the use of windmills
and gunpowder moved westward into Europe.
Techniques of papermaking reached the Middle East.
xtimeline.com
14
Although, Genghis Khan had subdued northern
China, the Mongols needed nearly 70 more years to
conquer the south. Genghis Khans grandson,
Kublai, toppled the last Song emperor in 1279.
www.answers.com
15
Kublai Khan ruled all of China as well as Korea,
Tibet, and Vietnam. Khan tried to prevent the
Mongols from being absorbed into Chinese
civilizations as other conquerors of China had
been. He decreed that only Mongols could serve in
the military. He also reserved the highest
government jobs for Mongols.
velduftende.com
16
Because there were too few Mongols to control so
vast an empire, Kublai allowed Chinese officials
to rule in the provinces. Under Mongol rule, an
uneasy mix of Chinese and foreign ways developed.
2bangkok.com
17
Kublai Khan rebuilt and extended the Grand Canal
to his new capital, though at a terrible cost in
human lives.
web.sa.sc.edu
18
The Italian merchant Marco Polo was one of many
visitors to China during the Yuan dynasty. In
1271, Polo crossed Persia and Central Asia to
reach China. During his stay in China, he spent
17 years in Kublais service. He returned to
Venice by sea.
yesnet.yk.ca
19
In his writings, Marco Polo left a vivid account
of the wealth and splendor of China. He described
Chinas efficient royal mail system, with
couriers riding swift ponies along the empires
well-kept roads.
posters.co.uk
20
The Yuan dynasty declined after the death of
Kublai Khan. Most Chinese despised the foreign
Mongol rulers. Heavy taxes, corruption, and
natural disasters led to frequent uprisings.
mrdowling.com
21
Finally, Zhu Yuanzhang, a peasant leader, led a
rebel army that toppled the Mongols, and pushed
them back beyond the Great Wall. In 1368, he
founded a new Chinese dynasty, which he called
the Ming, meaning brilliant.
drben.net
22
Early Ming rulers sought to re-assert Chinese
greatness after years of foreign rule. The Ming
restored the civil service system, and Confucian
learning again became the road to success.
chinaknowledge.de
23
Economically, Ming China was immensely
productive. The fertile, well-irrigated plains of
eastern China supported a population of more than
100 million. Better methods of fertilizing helped
to improve farming.
wiudwing.blogspot.com
24
Chinese cities were home to many industries,
including porcelain, paper, and tools. The Ming
repaired the extensive Canal System that linked
various regions and made trade easier. New
technologies increased output in manufacturing.
gibsonantiques.com
25
Ming China saw a revival of arts and literature.
Ming artists developed their own styles of
landscape painting and created blue and white
porcelain. Ming vases were among the most
valuable Chinese products exported to the West.
dejiantang.com
26
In 1405, Zheng He commanded the first of seven
naval expeditions. He led a fleet of 62 ships and
hundreds of smaller ones, carrying a crew of more
than 25,000 sailors. The goal of each expedition
was to promote trade and collect tribute from
lesser powers across the western seas.
althistory.wikia.com