The Yuan Dynasty 1271 1368 The rulers of

The Yuan Dynasty, 1271 -1368 • The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty were the Mongols • Significance: They were not Chinese • Ruled by Chinggis Khan, the great overlord (aka Genghis Khan) • He had a large, fierce, and disciplined army of warriors

Mongol Soldiers Another Khan FYI: • Using waves of mounted archers, the Mongols under Khan were very difficult to defeat Scientists say that due to Khan’s “sewn oats” & “golden lineage” lifestyle, along with that of • Any(one city son that=did him was obliterated his offspring 40 not kids)join a substantial proportion of men in the world are direct line descendants of Genghis Khan. By direct line, they carry Y chromosomes which seem to have come down from an individual who lived approximately 1, 000 years ago. Scientists say that nearly 8 percent of the men living in the region of the former Mongol empire carry Y chromosomes that are nearly identical to Khan. That translates to 0. 5% of the male population in the world, or roughly 16 million descendants living today.

Khubilai Khan, 1271 • Following the death of his grandfather in 1227, Khubilai established his rule over Northern China • He made Beijing his capital city (1271) • K. Khan then went to war with the Song Dynasty in the South, defeating them in 1279

Strategies used by Khubilai • Unlike previous Mongols, Khubilai chose to develop a river fleet instead of the previously used cavalry • He felt that cavalry forces could not be used effectively due to all of the rivers in the south of China

Khubilai’s stance on culture • As mentioned, many conquerors of China in the past had adopted the Chinese culture, favoring it over their own • Khubilai did not feel this way… • He chose to keep the different cultures separate from each other • He divided the population into three “races” 1) 2) 3) The Mongols The Various Races (not Chinese) Chinese (and any similar cultures)

Society’s norms… • This “divided” society had certain rules for everyone to follow: • Illegal to marry from one group to another • Chinese population were punished more severely than Mongols for wrongdoings • Mongols could only sit in the highest government offices, Chinese were reduced to the lowest • Heavy taxes and compulsory labour were mandatory • Helped pay for public projects (roads etc. ) and to ensure continual economic and artistic success

China & the World… • During the Yuan Dynasty, many foreigners were able to visit China • Marco Polo, along with those who came from the West via the Silk Road, were able to bring back stories and goods from China • Chinese monks also would make their way west, going as far as France • China was viewed as “fabulous” as if it were found in a fable or a story…