Yuan (1279-1368 AD)

 

Kublai Kahn ruled the entire Mongol empire while it had split into four khanates. He focused on extending power and range of his own khanate which included Mongolia, Korea, Tibet, and northern china. His focus on expanding his khanate led to the unity of china. The control of the Mongols across all of Asia opened china to greater foreign contacts and trade which helped their economy which helped their rise. The increase of foreign trade was due to the fact that now that Some of the things traded were silk, porcelain because they were valued in Europe and western Asia. The empire had settled down and caravan routes across central Asia were safe for trade and travel. He tolerated Chinese culture and made few changes to their system of government. He built a new square walled capital at the site of modern Beijing. Moving the capital from Mongolia to china was a sign that Kublai intended to make his mark as emperor of China. Some Chinese products and inventions include printing, gunpowder, using coal as a fuel, the compass, paper currency, and playing cards. Marco Polo was a European man who went to china and saw everything and was stunned by the how advanced they were. He learned several Asian languages in his travels and served the great Khan for 17 years. Kublai sent several expeditions to Southeast Asia and they suffered humiliating defeats and this led to their decline because it was at a huge expense of lives and equipment. He also heavily spent money on other fruitless wars, public works, and on luxuries which also helped in the decline of the Yuan Empire because it burdened the treasury and created resentment among the overtaxed Chinese. Kublai’s successors could not resolve these problems and after his death people argued over who would rule. Rebellions broke out because they were fueled by years of famine, flood, and disease along with growing economic problems and official corruption. By the end of the Yuan dynasty the entire Mongol Empire had disintegrated.