The Mongols Influence On Art

The Mongols were easily one of the most dangerous and powerful empires in the 13th and 14th century. The Mongols were known for conquering most of the eastern empires of that time. Some may argue that the Mongols spread their culture and blended it with cultures across the eastern empires. The mongols did not desire to blend their culture and ideals with other empires but desired power and wealth and only what would benefit their own empire. The Mongols would take citizens from empires they conquered and recruit them into their army, make them slaves or require the citizens to pay tribute. This does not sound like the blending of cultures but the complete and utter enslavement of a group of people. The Mongols did not make attempts at furthering cultural advances, they had no interest in the

Kublai Khan was the 5th Khagen of the Mongol Empire. He reigned from 1260 to 1294 when he died. He came into power after his brother Mongke in 1260, but fought his brother in the Toluid Civil War until 1264. This caused splitting inside of the empire, so he was mostly powerful in China and Mongolia, but had some influence elsewhere. He founded the Yuan dynasty in China in 1271, and ruled it until his death. Khubilai Khan established an administration that governed China, was supportive of agriculture, trade, and crafting, but patronizing of painting, theater, and other

Trade of religion also occurred the spread of Buddhism to the west and hristianity to china. The silk road and trade flourished under the Pax Mongolia or Mongolian peace .

The Mongols reached broad extents of land, having four Khanates in Russia, Persia, Central Asia, and China, creating contacts with other parts of the known world(Document A). Because of this, public relations associating trade and commerce were set in motion. The Mongols traded among Asia and Europe for centuries during their establishment, and it was what initially led them to subdue China(Document I). While it is recognizable that the conquest of China was through terrorism, attaining that area opened numerous doors for commerce. As China was a treasure to travelers such as Marco Polo, the Great Khan Kubilai welcomed the traveler to bring Christians with him(Document H). This displays the Mongol characteristic of adaptation and acceptance towards new cultures and ideas, implementing diversity. When the Mongols conquered most of Asia, including China and Persia, they also gained control of the continental caravan routes, which were essential to their lucrative commerce(Document J). It is a misconception that the Mongols, a successful empire that excelled in it varied commerce and trade, was barbaric due to the mature level of tolerance required for peaceful public

China, up until the Qin Dynasty, consisted of independent states controlled by kings fighting each other for land and power. This time period was called The Era of Warring States, which lasted two hundred years. After this time, the Qin Dynasty rose to power. They conquered all other dynasties, and established a centralized government, unifying China for the first time. The dynasty that succeeded the Qin, the Han, continued the centralized government and they started a westward expansion that would encourage trade and cultural diffusion. The Qin and Han Dynasties were similar in that they both believed in a strong centralized government, which strengthened and unified their empires, but they differed in that the Qin followed the strict Legalism while the Han followed the more flexible Confucianism, and the way they interacted with outsiders; the Qin tended to be more defensive of outsiders while the Han were more interactive and wanted to build relationships with foreigners.

Obvious negative effects of the invasions were immediately evident such as death counts and destroyed property. But slowly peace was restored as the Mongol rule spread to much of the known world. Needed changes began occurring such as the Silk Road was reopened by the Mongols. The Mongols introduced gunpowder and the importance of written language. They contributed considerable to the commerce of both China and the Middle East as they once again began trading and exporting their goods and

Genghis Khan ambles through the streets of peaceful Karakorum, greeting all his steadfast warriors. Among the Mongols are thousands of Chinese, Russians, Polish, Hungarians, and many more flooding the streets. Ordinarily, all of these people are going somewhere: to the glorious temples, the bustling markets, or to the distinguished Genghis Khan walking through his empire. The Mongol Empire, built with Genghis 's own blood, sweat, and unyielding perseverance, was what he dreamed the world could be, what he believed it would be. Genghis Khan led the Mongols not just to victory but assisted in the development of our world today. Moreover, the Mongols were a civilized nation because of the peaceful reign called Pax Mongolica, Khan 's religious tolerance, and their ingenious

They conquered nearly all of Asia and achieved the dream of controlling the continental caravan routes from China to Persia (Doc J). The Mongol Empire made significant contributions to the political institutions, economic development, and cultural diversity of many lands (Doc J). In both China and Persia the Mongols had taken up homes among their subjects and blended with the local societies which led to the diversified economic development (Doc J). Mongol emperors built canals to improve transportation and communication also the silk industry benefited from the Mongol conquest. When visited by travelers the Mongols were known to have harsh laws on theft make them very trustworthy to trade with (Doc K). The Security of the Mongol trading was so good that you could leave your things unattended and come back to them. Kubilai Khan’s rule also helped to shape the empire and improve the stability. He put new legal systems in which reduced capital crimes by half (Doc H). Also the fine arts blossomed during the reign of the Mongols (Doc H). The Mongol empire may of have a “barbaric” start but the conquest proves to help central Asia than

Roads and canals were used by the Yuan for trade and benefitted their economy greatly. Also the military technology invented by the Yuan benefitted their military domination greatly. For example the gunpowder bomb was a weapon of war used that could efficiently kill enemies. While also the Yuan created things for self pleasure and entertainment, like playing cards and dominoes. Though the Yuan dynasty is not known for its innovations during this period.

The Mongols dominated into many different parts different around the world from between 1206- 1368. They spread from Eastern Europe to the Sea of Japan and were dominate with their military. They had many skilled archers and horseman to help in battle. They were very respectful of other dynasties beliefs through them mixing different cultures together, which is called cultural diffusion. The Mongols overall were very barbaric, but many would say that the Mongols wouldn't be barbaric because the woman did everything the men did. However, they used psychological warfare and they destroyed entire cities, which heavily outweighs why they wouldn't be barbaric.

By 1225 the Mongols had controlled most of China and Manchuria. Kublai Khan began his rule around the year 1260, replacing his older brother Qan Mongke. In 1276 Kublai had defeated Song China, and henceforth gained rights over

A death toll like the one in Europe affected China as well, leading to the power of the Mongols being undermined.

China was a major global power based on the amount of territory it held, its advanced technology, and efficient trade system. The Song dynasty, 960-1279, were the first to use a monetized economy using silver coins and paper money which was revolutionizing since they no longer had to carry around heavy gold where they went. Song dynasty trade was at the top with high demand for their exotic products that the Europeans were slowly becoming more and more dependent on, “export of manufactured goods (silks, porcelain, books) and import of raw materials (spices, minerals, horses)”. Under the rule of the Mongols, 1279-1368, China’s territory expanded through rapid conquest from the east to the banks of the black sea. They were able to conquer most of their territory by fear and being able to adapt to the environment that they were in. The Mongols also provided protection to the traders on the Silk Road, issuing passports, allowing for more merchants to feel secure to travel through

The Yuan Dynasty was a successful dynasty. They unified all of China under one ruler, something that hadn’t been done in over 300 years. They re-built the 51 mile long Grand Canal, and they made advancements in mathematics and astronomy. Trade expanded, and Kublai Khan had his military protect the Silk Road trade routes that connected Asia to Mediterranean Europe and Northern Africa. It is difficult for anyone, regardless of technology or knowledge to unify a landmass as large as China under one ruler, but Genghis and Kublai Khan did it swiftly and effectively. They also made many advancements in transportation, commerce, agricultural technology, astronomy, and mathematics that we still use today. A bad thing about the Yuan Dynasty was the

China’s Last Empire. The Great Qing. William T. Rowe. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2009. 360 pages including Emperors and Dynasties, Pronunciation Guide, Notes, Bibliography, Acknowledgements, Index, Maps and Figures.