2. I. Background
A. The Mongols were nomads from the
eastern steppe (fields) in loosely
organized clans.
3. A. Around 1200, a clan
leader named
Temujin defeated
rival clan leaders to
unify the Mongols
B. In 1206, he
accepted the title
Genghis Khan, or
“universal ruler.”
II. Unification
4. According to legend, Temujin was born with a
blood clot in his fist. In his lifetime, his hands
were covered with the blood of others. When
Temujin was about nine, the Tatars, a rival clan,
poisoned his father. When in manhood, he
fought and defeated the Tatars, slaughtering
every male taller than a cart axel.
DON’T WRITE THIS!
5. III. The Mongol “War Machine”
A. Mongols were skilled horsemen
B. Weapons
1. bows, swords, javelins, hooked
lances, canons (new technology
used to defeat the Chinese)
6. C. Strategy-
1. Mock retreats tricked the enemy
2. Flag signals
3. Terrified enemies into surrender
If a city refused to open its gates to
him, he might kill the entire
population upon capture
DON’T WRITE THIS!
7. D. Many areas
invaded by the
Mongols never
recovered; their
populations were
wiped out.
E. The Mongols also
destroyed ancient
irrigation systems,
so the land could
not resettle.
8. Mongol armies
developed a system of
signal flags used during
battle. The black and
white flags transmitted
orders to Mongol units
who moved swiftly
while confusing and
overwhelming their
disorganized opponents.
At night, lanterns and
flaming arrows were
used in place of flags.
DON’T WRITE THIS!
9. Each Mongol soldier
wore a long silk
undershirt. When hit
with an arrow, he could
remove it by carefully
pulling on the silk, which
usually entered the
wound with the arrow.
Upon witnessing
Mongols pulling arrows
from their bodies, some
became convinced that
the Mongols were
superhuman!
DON’T WRITE THIS!
10. Mongol soldiers often
died of infection from
battle wounds caused,
in part, to poor
hygiene. Mongol
warriors rarely
washed. When they
did, they used urine
from their horses.
Their clothing was
often worn until it
literally rotted off.
DON’T WRITE THIS!
11. IV. Vast Empire
A. Genghis conquered Central Asia by 1225.
B. The Mongols continued to conquer Asia.
12. C. By 1260, the Mongols had divided their huge
empire into four regions, or khanates.
A descendant of Genghis ruled each khanate.
14. V. The Pax Mongolia
A. Mongol Peace
B. The Mongols provided stability and
order across Eurasia.
C. Traders and travelers enjoyed safety
along the Silk Road.
15. D. Trade between Europe and Asia
skyrocketed but disease, like the
plague, also spread.
16. VI. Kublai Khan
A. Genghiz Khan’s grandson.
B. He founded the Yuan dynasty in
China
C. The Chinese resented him for reserving
gov’t jobs for Mongols.
17.
18.
19. United China for
the first time in
over 300 years.
Kublai’s
Impact on
China
Opened Asia to
greater trade on
the Silk Road.
Tolerated Chinese
culture and made
few changes to
system of govern-
ment.
Built a new capital
in China
(Khanbalik), a sign
that Kublai was
emperor of China.
20. The walls were covered with gold and
silver and the Dining Hall was so large
that it could easily dine 6,000 people.
The palace was made of cane
supported by 200 silk cords, which
could be taken to pieces and
transported easily when the Emperor
moved. There too, the Khan kept a stud
of 10,000 white horses, whose milk
was reserved for his family and for a
tribe which had won a victory for
Genghis Khan.
DON’T WRITE THIS!
21. D. Marco Polo, an Italian merchant,
stayed in Kublai’s court for 17 years. He
sparked interest in more trade with Asia
when he returned to Europe.
