Mongol Empire Research Paper

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The Mongols were known as some of the fiercest conquerors in all of history. Due to the speed and success of their conquests, they controlled over 11 million square miles of territory, including China, Russia, Persia, modern-day Uzbekistan, and the Silk Road. Mongol expansion greatly affected the peoples of Eurasia during 1200–1450. Events such as the creation of the Khanates and the intensification of activity on trade routes such as the Silk Road support this statement. A nomadic, tribal, and largely illiterate people, the Mongols resided in the Asian Steppes and were headed by a single leader, called a Khan. One of the most famous Khans who shaped the Mongol empire was Genghis Khan. Through alliance and conquest, he unified Mongol tribes …show more content…

After Möngke Khan died, the empire was divided into four khanates: the Khanate of the Golden Horde, the Chagatai Khanate, the Yuan Dynasty, and the Il-Khanate. The creation of the Khanates greatly affected the peoples of Eurasia. The Yuan dynasty, also called the Khanate of the Great Khan, was the longest and most difficult conquest for the Mongols. Over the course of seventy years, they violently conquered Northern China, which was then controlled by various nomadic states. Southern China, which was ruled by the Song dynasty at the time, was conquered more peacefully. The establishment of the Yuan dynasty unified a once divided China and gave the Mongols a sense of legitimacy as an empire. Under Mongol rule, Chinese men could not participate in government, compared to the Song dynasty, when eligible men could take civil service exams for a place in government. The conquest of Persia and the establishment of the Il-Khanate were faster and much more violent than the conquest of China. The capital of Baghdad was sacked, ending the Abbasid dynasty and the lives of over 200,000

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